Time to play Breakers ball
Speed delivery
Hoop dreams: Cedric Jackson drives to the hoop against the Perth Wildcats at Vector Arena in December. CJ Bruton believes his old Breakers team can claim a fourth NBL championship in five years – but only if they get some key things right as they start with a likely semifinal against the redhot Adelaide 36ers.
Final standings won’t be nailed down until later today but the Breakers will likely finish second and open a best-of-three match-up against the third-placed Sixers on Thursday at Vector Arena. For that to change either the Breakers would have to beat the Cairns Taipans today in Auckland by 26 or more, or Adelaide, Friday night victors against Perth, would need to drop today’s regular season finale at the wooden-spoon Wollongong Hawks.
Odds are it will be TaipansWildcats and Breakers-Sixers in the semis, and very much anyone’s game in one of the more even top fours in recent times.
Bruton has won six NBL championships all told, the last three with the Breakers before retiring at the end of the 2013-14 season.
He likes the make-up of his old club, believes their new recruits have returned them to a championship level and has deja-vu about facing an Adelaide outfit who have won nine straight and are firming as title favourites.
‘‘When we won the first title, beating Perth in the semifinals was a great achievement,’’ Bruton said from his home in stormbattered Queensland yesterday. ‘‘The public doubted we could beat them, but when it comes to crunch time the better team will come out of it.
‘‘With all due respect to Cairns [whom the Breakers beat in the grand final that year] we felt whoever won out of Perth and us were going to win the title.’’
But for the Breakers, who have lost three of their last five, to go all the way, Bruton says the equation is a time-honoured one.
‘‘All four of these teams can win the title but the strongerbalanced team, the one able to stick to their rules and play at a high level for a sustained period will come through.
‘‘And you’ve got to make shots. This is a time when you’ve got to make plays or, if you’re struggling, bounce back with confidence and come through by believing in yourself.’’
Bruton believes the Breakers have two of the league’s best guards in Cedric Jackson and Corey Webster but says Tom Abercrombie has to up his aggression and the big men, including the crocked Alex Pledger, have to take care of the boards, stay out of foul trouble and move the ball at the right times.
And communication remains imperative, added Bruton.
‘‘I’ve felt at times their communication hasn’t been good enough. Most of those guys know how to play the game. But can they change defence on the fly without Deano making that decision? That’s going to be a key.
‘‘Every time the Breakers have lost this season, these guys have gone into their shells. You can’t do that when you’re a pro athlete.’’
If the semifinal match-up is Adelaide, Bruton says it’s about taking away their preferred attack routes.
‘‘Adelaide clearly outplayed them for 30 of the 40 minutes. They started drifting and playing perimeter basketball and didn’t attack the way the 36ers were.
‘‘To have a chance of wining you’ve got to give them one shot, take away Gibson’s catch and shoot, take away Petrie’s catch on the trail, understand Daniel Johnson wants to put it on the floor and make Jamar Wilson a passer.’’
Easy. Now it’s all about the execution. Baseball: Major League Baseball is taking steps to speed up the pace of play in 2015, including a clock to time breaks between innings and pitching changes. The rules will be enforced through a warning and fine system, although the fines won’t be imposed until the second month of the season.
This is a time when you’ve got to make plays or, if you’re struggling, bounce back with confidence.’ CJ BRUTON, ABOVE
ANSWERS 1. Four 2. David Miller and JP Duminy 3. Eoin Rogers 4. Aaron Finch 5. Steven Finn