Mody gets mad, Breakers get better

Mody Maor took a moment to expunge some frustrations – skipper Tom Abercrombie spoke afterwards of hearing a clipboard smashing into pieces – and then coolly, calmly spoke some home truths that his New Zealand Breakers needed to hear at this pivotal juncture.

For a team on the cusp of something so special – their first Australian NBL playoff appearance in five years, and a runnerup regular season finish that opens up the post-season pathway nicely – the Kiwi club sure were bumbling their way through their penultimate regular season clash against locked-in wooden-spooners the Illawarra Hawks in Wollongong.

So at halftime on Thursday night, with his Breakers trailing the 3-win 23-loss Hawks 50-34, Maor recognised a teaching moment when he saw one. For the firstyear head coach of an organisation he’s come to care very much about, you never let a chance for improvement pass you by.

And, boy, the Breakers were in need of inspiration after about as bad a half as they had put together all season, with the all-important No 2 spot in danger of slipping through their fingers, as the ball had so often through those first two periods.

‘‘An abysmal first half from us in every aspect,’’ reflected Maor after a 91-81 victory that improved the Breakers to 17-10, and put them on the cusp of wrapping up the regular season behind only the Sydney Kings on the standings.

Was he ‘‘concerned’’ at halftime, with his team down 16, shooting 35% and allowing their hosts to knock it down at a 60% clip?

‘‘Yeah, very concerned,’’ he nodded later.

But he also understood this wasn’t going to turn around by itself. He had to light the fuse for the explosion that would see the Breakers outscore the Hawks 29-9 in the third period, and cruise to victory with a 57-31 second half behind scoring thrusts from Jarrell Brantley (20 points) and Barry Brown Jr (22 in 19 minutes) and some trademark physical defence.

‘‘When the game got away from us, and we were down 7 or 8, we went away from the way we do things,’’ reflected Maor. ‘‘We started gambling, scrambling, leaving players, taking risks and not playing strong and silent. We went away from our characteristics, and this snowballed into a 16-point deficit.

‘‘My request from the guys [at halftime] was to lock in to how we play. There are no 16-point baskets; no 16-point stops. It was about executing one play after the other the right way, and if we play the right way and lose we all feel OK with it. Usually when we play the right way, we win.’’

So, Brantley got hot, knocking down four third-period triples, then Brown went to work, scoring 17 of his 22 points over the final two quarters, and their team-mates found ways to chip in. Normal service resumed, and second spot was taken (the Breakers own the tie-break on the also 17-10 Taipans).

Maor shrugged off another convoluted travel schedule – to Sydney, then Wollongong, via Queenstown – as a factor, saying: ‘‘We’re better than this, and we played better in the second half. The response was great, both from an effort and focus standpoint, and showed a lot of character.’’

The coach grasped the positives in another character-building effort.

‘‘A team’s ability to understand its identity when things don’t go well is a super important step for its growth, and that third quarter was fantastic in every aspect. I saw a team playing extremely hard and at the same time focused and free on offence. That’s tough to do when things aren’t going your way. I saw a real step forward in our growth and now we take that with us to the challenges that will come.’’

Maor preferred not to highlight the contributions of his imports, but did single out Izayah Le’afa for mention. ‘‘He went 0-for-4 from the field and had 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and was plus-18. He’s my big gun today. And Tom Abercrombie taking it to the rim and finishing for me.’’

Abercrombie’s contribution was vital. He had 11 points (on 5-of-6 shooting) and 6 rebounds and his aggression in an offence that runs few plays for him made a difference. His team needs more of it going forward.

GETTY IMAGES Mody Maor said the Breakers were ‘‘abysmal’’ in the first half against the Illawarra Hawks. After some calming words – and a few home truths – from their coach, they improved greatly in the second half to win 91-81, boosting their chances of finishing second.