Uncertainty as leaky roof stops NBL match
A LEAKY roof prematurely ended the NBL match between Illawarra Hawks and New Zealand Breakers in Wollongong, leaving the Kiwi side waiting anxiously for a final decision on the outcome.
The Breakers were leading 65-52 during the third quarter at WIN Entertainment Centre when the fixture was called off by the match officials after discussion with the NBL in the interests of player safety.
It came as rain continued to leak into the building, making the floor slippery. The NBL operations team is to meet in the next 24 hours to rule on how to deal with the unusual situation.
While the match points are largely irrelevant to the lastplaced Hawks, they are critical to the fifth-placed Breakers, who remain a chance of making the top-four playoffs with two matches remaining.
An NBL spokesman said the Breakers were considered provisional winners as the necessary half a game required to get a result had been played.
However he said the operations team also had options to direct that the game be replayed or the remaining minutes completed.
Even if handed the points for the win on Monday, the Breakers may rue the chance not to further boost their percentage in the rest of the match.
Four points behind fourthplaced Brisbane before the result of the Hawks match is determined, they face the Bullets on Friday in a clash which could settle their finals fate.
The Breakers were philosophical about their bizarre predicament.
“These unfortunate things happen and it’s out of our control,” said Breakers coach Dan
Shamir. “All we can do is wait for a decision from the league, which should come early this week.
“We appreciate there is a process they must go through and we will wait to see what the result is. After a tough start to the year, we’ve come together really well the past two months, to give us a chance of playing finals – which has been our goal all along.”
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