Perth Wildcats 70-80 NZ Breakers

Reactions:

Wow. This was unexpected.

The New Zealand Breakers cast all unfavourable memories of last season into the wind with a dominating win in Perth against the defending champs. They started early and kept it up through the entire first half, blowing out to a 23 point lead in the second at a stage, before holding off the expected fight back for a 10 point victory. An incredible way to start the new season!

Dean Vickerman said at half-time that the key to beating this Perth side was to “beat them on the boards”. That happened. 40 rebounds to 30, 10 to 7 on the offensive side. Vukona had 10, Wesley had 8 and Ibekwe had 6. Top stuff.

Injuries were a problem last year. In particular Alex Pledger. But his ailings (he only played 13 mins) don’t seem so crucial with Ekene Ibekwe bringing some size to things and showing a nice finish in the paint too. Add to that the fact that Thomas Abercrombie was missing, probably the team’s best pure shooter, and they still almost managed to put 50 on the defending champs away… superb. Corey Webster hurt his back too, which only led to Rhys Carter getting half an hour of court time and making them count. He had 12 points by half time. Hopefully Webster’s not forced to miss any games with this setback. After playing off the bench last season, and following an impressive World Cup, he was promoted to starting SG.

Another major flaw weakness season was in defence, but things were 180 degrees different here. Time after time they forced Perth into tough options. They struggled against the shot clock a few times, always a good sign for a defensive unit, and they generally shot poorly. The Breakers outscored their opponents 34-20 in the paint.

Things did cool off in the second half. The Breakers had 49 at the break, scored just 31 the next stanza. Shots didn’t drop, whatever. They scored when they needed to, Cedric Jackson especially helping close things out and ensuring that the lead was never lost.

It really can’t be overstated how tough the trip to Perth is. A complete different time zone, this is not a place you expect to come back from with happy memories. Think the elephant graveyard in The Lion King. “You must never go there, Simba”… Luckily Cedric Jackson laughs in the face of danger. Perth lost just once in 14 home games last season. That’s already been matched.

Cedric had a game-high 22 points, with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. He turned it over 6 times, but the reward was there for the risks to be worthwhile. Last year’s FBR MVP, Mika Vukona, had a solid one too (7pts/10reb). The kind he banked every game last campaign, only this time there were plenty of helping hands. The depth is back, folks.

DeAndre Daniels was a guy who came into this season with plenty of hype. The Perth star is a 2014 draft pick with the Toronto Raptors, being stashed over here for roster/$$$/development reasons, just as James Ennis was last year. Ennis was a revelation in the NBL, and his Summer League efforts back with Miami will probably see him picked up for the NBA roster, presumably as a direct replacement for LeBron James… Ok, no. But still, the better he and Daniels do, the more likely we are to see more young American prospects follow the trend. Daniels had a decent game (19 pts/6 reb), showing signs of some serious talent with a couple highlight jams. Their other import, Jermaine Beal, on the other hand, was hurling wides, no-balls, wild pitches, passes to players in offside positions… take that metaphor where you want. He scored 12 points on 2/17 from the field. Two. Of. Seventeen.

Stock Watch:

Basically all the new faces are trending upwards. Particularly the three big names. Cedric Jackson was the MVP of this league a couple years back (and could easily have won it twice), so he was a known commodity. Still, the quality he showed so immediately was pleasing to the soul. Plus his leadership was crucial as the Breakers held on down the stretch.

Cedric Jackson > Kerron Johnson

Rhys Carter, too. Damn. One of the least exalted new boys, he was superb. He moved the ball well for 7 assists, and shot 3 of 5 from deep. A lovely contribution off the bench. Daryl Corletto? Who? Ah yeah, Aussie fella. Hot wife. Meh.

Rhys Carter > Daryl Corletto

Obviously these are some rapid reactions. Corletto had games like this for the Breakers, and was a very good player who got marginalised in the mess of last season. We know what to expect from Jackson in the long haul, but Carter and Ibekwe, who also had a solid haul in the stat lines before fouling out, could fall victim to the old Reverting to the Mean theory. At least they’ve earned the benefit of the doubt for the first while, something Kerron Johnson never quite had as he tried to fill the metaphorically (and probably literally) huge shoes of Cedric the Entertainer (basketballer not comedian).