Breakers get green for go for uniform
It’s not the win they really want, but the New Zealand Breakers were chuffed with a minor victory over bureaucracy ahead of Monday’s sudden-death NBL play-in game against the Illawarra Hawks in Wollongong.
Mody Maor’s side earned a spot in the final play-in game when they upset back-to-back champions the Sydney Kings 83-76 at Qudos Bank Arena last Wednesday night.
It was a notable result as the Kiwi club shook off injuries to import Zylan Cheatham and Aussie guard Will McDowell-White and rode home on a 34-point masterclass from Parker Jackson-Cartwright.
The winner of Monday’s matchup at the WIN Entertainment Centre will advance to a best-of-three semifinal series against minor premiers Melbourne United that tips off next Thursday.
The Breakers had worn their indigenous round “Pounamu green” jerseys for the Kings game and, being the superstitious lot that sporting types often are, had no hesitation in deciding they wanted to stick with the same singlets for the Hawks matchup.
The only problem is that the Hawks had already decided to wear their predominately black “Hawkman” jerseys for the game, and it’s understood the initial feedback from NBL HQ was that it would be too much of a dark colour clash for TV.
“In the playoffs we make it the players’ choice. So after the game I messaged Tom [Abercrombie] and said, ‘what do you want?’ He said, ‘we want to continue in green off the back of an historic win’,” Breakers chief of commercial Simon Edwards told Stuff.
“So we went to the league about wearing green again and there was a yes and then a no, then a yes, and then a no, and now finally a yes. So we got there in the end.”
The indigenous jerseys have been co-designed by the Breakers and their cultural adviser Anthony Wilson of the Awataha marae.
The Breakers had not been especially successful in their green jerseys before this trip, but had decided on the colour for the Kings game because of the cultural significance of the uniforms and because, well, the players like the look.
Of course, this colourful tale has another twist in it. By Edwards’ count the Hawks are 6-1 in their black “Hawkman” uniforms. Their only loss? To the Breakers, of course.
If the Breakers manage to prevail Monday they will remain in Australia and head straight to Melbourne for the semifinal opener on Thursday, where they would practice and stay at the same places they spent a great chunk of their two years during the Covid era.
Payback time? For now they’refocusing on one lucky charm at a time.