Fast Break Report

Stat Line

What Went Right?

• They played the Sydney Kings. If there’s any team that the Breakers just seem to have some psychological advantage over it’s the Kings. In four games this season NZB have won three very comfortably, and dropped just the one, by only two points, and away in Aussie.
• Likewise, Gary Wilkinson played the Sydney Kings, a team who he has averaged 27.7ppg and 6.5rpg  against in 4 games this season. He had 30 points last night, along with 9 rebounds and a pair of steals.
• The Breakers haven’t been the same fluid passing team of days gone by this year, so it was very nice to see Kerron Johnson taking up that slack dishing out 10 assists, his first double figure dime game in the last 7. His 10 points also meant his first double-double since that game (vs Sydney on the 8th of Feb) too.
• CJ Bruton’s final words to the crowd were a nice touch. This was his last game at the North Shore Events Centre, where he’d had so many memorable performances, and he was in good form here too (14 points 5 assists). Next game is home too, but it’s at Vector. Make sure to get down there if you can! You’ll never get another chance to see the magnificent CJ Bruton again.
• With just a single game to go, the FBR MVP race is still wide open. Only a single point separates first from third after Wilkinson took the bag this week and TA came in second. Mika Vukona’s foul trouble kept him out of the points, but he’s well in the running if he can finish strong, and you know he will!

What Can Be Improved?

• This was a blowout win, so whatever negatives are floating around can be papered over due to the lack of intensity needed to finish it off, while most things are gonna look good anyway in this sort of result.
• Having said that, still too many fouls. It’s proportionate for both teams, but fouling has been an ever-present issue this year. Guys like Vukona and Wilkinson play hard on defence, but maybe not smart enough. You can’t limit that natural enthusiasm though.
• Rebounding as well wasn’t great. Some of that can be chalked down to missing Alex Pledger. The rest of it has been a season long problem. Of the regulars, Abercrombie, Wilkinson and Vukona can reel in boards really well. The rest… eh, not so much.

The Playoff Scenario

Ok, so here goes. The Breakers did their bit to keep things alive by winning here. Obviously they need to also win next Friday against Cairns. The Breakers cannot finish higher than 12 wins, and the top 3 are all clear of that, so if anyone else gets to 13 it’s over. The next step is, since Melbourne cannot be caught, they have to beat Cairns tonight. That game’s on at 9.30 tonight, so it may be worth flicking back and forth between the league and that. Similarly, Townsville can’t get to 12 wins, so we need them to beat Wollongong tonight at the same time. Then on Sunday, the playoff bound Adelaide needs to beat Sydney away in order to keep the Kings on 11 wins.

Should all those things go to plan, then the Breakers will still have something to play for as they open the final round against Cairns. Win that, and a Wollongong loss to Sydney (NZB have the tie breaker over both Sydney and Woollers), a Sydney loss to Townsville (might be hard to imagine), and a Perth win over Wollongong (much more likely) and hey presto, the Breakers are headed to Perth for the playoffs.  

Play of the Game:

Wilkinson to Johnson, behind the back to for the layup. Glorious.

Match MVP Points

Gary Wilkinson 3

Tom Abercrombie 2

Kerron Johnson 1

CJ Bruton 1

Season MVP Standings

Gary Wilkinson 36

Tom Abercrombie 36

Mika Vukona 35

Kerron Johnson 30

Up Next

Friday, 7.30pm: NZ Breaker vs Cairns Taipans, Vector Arena (NZT)