Breakers still believe they can do it
The more they lose, the more these New Zealand Breakers seem to believe they can still find a way to make the Australian NBL playoffs.
It sounds absurd, but the Breakers remain convinced they can find a positive resolution to this frustrating season that’s been punctuated by heartbreaking defeats on the road.
Saturday night in Cairns was no different. The Breakers had a real chance to set themselves up for a run at the .500 mark for the season, but couldn’t make the stops, or the shots, down the stretch as they were pipped 92-87 by the Taipans. It was their 11th defeat in 14 road game this season – six of those by five points or fewer.
That dropped the Breakers to 10-15, and with three home games remaining (against Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns) the best they can hope for is a 13-15 final mark.
But results elsewhere are somehow falling the Breakers’ way. Sydney and Melbourne both lost at the weekend, and are looking increasingly fallible in spots three and four on the table.
Melbourne are 12-12 and Sydney 11-12, and with the Breakers playing both at home over the next fortnight, they feel they still have a shot at a topfour finish if they can finish with a flourish.
Breakers
assistant coach Paul Henare said the mood had been pretty sombre in the changing room in Cairns after the team failed to honour Mika Vukona’s 300th NBL game with a much-needed win.
‘‘It was very quiet, very deflated. It was a battle, and we were in the game for all of it really, and had our chances to win once again,’’ Henare said. ‘‘It sounds like a broken record with some of our losses, especially on the road, but unfortunately a couple of shots at the end just didn’t drop.
‘‘But whether it’s reality or not, we believe, or we’re under the assumption, that three wins can still get us in.’’
Heanre admitted a 3-11 road record for the year ‘‘just isn’t going to cut it’’, but a glance at the table confirmed that they still had something to play for over their last three games.
As uncertain as the Breakers have been of late, the Tigers and Kings have been even worse, with neither seemingly able to gather the wins that would shore up their top-four spots. The Tigers were pipped at home in overtime by the Crocs, while the Kings were dumped by Perth in Sydney.