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AT A GLANCE NBL semifinals: NZ Breakers v Tasmania JackJumpers

Game 1: Sunday, Spark Arena, Auckland, 6pm.

Game 2: Thursday Feb 16, MyState Bank Arena, Hobart, 9.30pm. Game 3 (if req): Spark Arena, Auckland, Sunday Feb 23, 4pm.

3 big matchups Barry Brown Jr v Milton Doyle

The battle between the highscoring import guards could be decisive. Brown is the Breakers’ closer and Doyle has been a steely presence for the JJs throughout.

Jarrell Brantley v Rashard Kelly

The power men of their teams will look to dominate inside, yet both are capable of deft touches around the floor.

Tom Abercrombie v Jack McVeigh

The veteran Abercrombie has been growing in influence, but Jack ‘McTrey’ will have to be watched with his high energy and ability to knock down the 3-ball.

form sooner or later. It’s not about the NBL – it’s about Jarrell Brantley for me.’’

You can add to that his family. Part of the deal with getting a player of this calibre to New Zealand was meeting his needs. So his brother Jamaal has been a Breakers practice player all season, and wife Alicia and daughter Gabriella were also out for a decent chunk of time.

‘‘It was special for the organisation to [do that] and it made it a little easier for me to come here,’’ he says. ‘‘Being able to play, having family around, coming home to them and you add in the place that New Zealand is, the water, the environment, the people … it made it a safe space for me, and rejuvenated me in a lot of ways.’’

Just as important has been the chance to reconnect with his older brother who Sunday News can reveal will stay on and play for the Auckland Tuatara in the Kiwi NBL.

‘‘I left home at 16-17 to start this basketball journey, my brother did the same, so we’ve been chasing this grind for a while.

Just to be in the same atmosphere every day, pick each other’s brain about basketball, and just to chill with each other has been special. It’s important for our family … my mum has put so much into this, my sister, my dad. It’s just dope for us to be together.’’

Brantley has touched the heights of the NBA, and is a fair chance to return. Maybe once his Breakers commitments wind up, or maybe next season. Or the one after.

‘‘Right now I gotta be where

I’m at. I’ve got to be in the present. The only thing on my mind is winning, and helping this organisation and coach Mody with the one goal we’re all here for.

‘‘We dealt with a little bit of adversity in the middle of the year, and bounced back. You look at the guys, the character and personality we have, it’s a special group.’’

As for the NBA, let’s just say Brantley feels a guiding force.

‘‘Those are things already written in the stars,’’ he says.

‘‘I will be where I’m supposed to be. I would love to be in that situation, and I know that time will come. But I also want to embrace the people I’m around daily, and that’s where my focus is.’’

You wonder whether there could be a year two? This is the best import trio in the league, and Maor would have them all back in a heartbeat.

He smiles. ‘‘Any time you’ve got a coach like Mody, a guy who really believes in you, who does a good job visualising and presenting what he wants to see, it’s easy for sure to see that route. You never know. Things have to pan out – they have to make sense. But the task is right now, and that’s to win on Sunday.’’

With a full house on the cards for the Breakers’ first playoff appearance in five years, and their tilt at a first title since 2015, the Brantley mindset is locked in.

‘‘These are the things I pray for, to be in these situations, with these opportunities. On top of that there’s the culture and history behind this club.

‘‘It’s definitely a dope atmosphere, and when you think about the players and fans both understanding that, special things can happen, for sure.’’