Perth Wildcats 87-89 (2OT) NZ Breakers

Sometimes, as a sports fan, there are moments of absolute mindless awe. When you witness something so transcendently incredible that you’re left a flubbering mess of wild hand gestures and unintelligible screaming. That didn’t just happen. There’s no way that happened.

Ladies and gentlemen, it happened.

With just seconds on the clock (who really knows how many, the match clock was a disaster) in double overtime, Perth had just taken the lead thanks to a pair of DeAndre Daniels free throws. The man has ice in his veins, he and fellow guard Jermaine Beal went 8-10 from the charity line in 4Q & OT. The Breakers had no time outs, a point down, and there was nothing to do but put something up and hope for a miracle. Cedric Jackson did just that and through some intangible combination of immense skill and divine intervention, it went in. It went in. From two-thirds of the court back he lobs one up and it drops in off the backboard. Breakers win.

And what a game! Not a high quality one for around three and a half quarters, but once they rounded that final straight it was as close to playoff intensity as you can possibly imagine. The game had so many twists and turns, so many huge plays that affected the outcome. It’s almost impossible to list them all.

TGBTG! Truly a prayer shot extremely happy and humble it went it. Thank you all for your support!!! #breakernation
— Cedric Jackson (@CedJackson9) February 16, 2015

The less said about the start of this game the better, though. Turnovers and poor shooting from both teams. The Breakers narrowly led into the second, where there was a flash of quality with a couple triples from Cedric and at half time NZB were up 35-32. Points were hard to come by.

A flurry to end the third gave Perth a little buffer, scoring 11 of the last 14 points, however the Breakers replied by scoring the first 6 of the fourth. The lead was never again more than 4 points for either team. It was that close. Corey Webster hit a big three pointer, Jermaine Beal hit one of his own.

Had Mika Vukona’s long jump shot landed with 26 seconds to go (to put NZB up 4 points) then things would have been very different. Instead Jermaine Beal had the chance to tie things up and force overtime and he did just that, landing a tough fade-away. Overtime it was.

Ekene Ibekwe had a couple of monster blocks early in 1OT. Still, both teams were having trouble edging ahead. Corey hit a 2 to open the extra period but the Breaks failed to score on their next four possessions - until a Cedric steal was succeeded by a layup in transition. And-One. Breakers back on top. However they couldn’t keep the dynamic duo of Daniels and Beal from the line and as the fouls tallied up, the toll began to tell. Uncle Kenny fouled out.

Mika put the Breakers up one with under two minutes left, having gathered an offensive board from a missed Tom Abercrombie jumper and finishing it nicely under the basket; that lead lasted as long as it took Jermaine Beal to nail a couple free throws. Both teams missed shots. Defences were zoned in. Corey Webster scored five straight points for the Breakers but missed a free throw that gave Perth the chance to tie and obviously Mr Beal went and took it.

And so, at 80-80, we were off to double overtime. Just like these two teams did, in the same city, back in the 2011 finals.

It was over a minute into 2OT before another point was scored, a TA jumper, and it two minutes into it when Mika fouled out. Tai Wesley replaced him but soon succumbed to the same fate himself. Reuben Te Rangi entered and immediately sucked in a rebound after a rare missed free throw from Beal that preserved a tender one point NZB lead, but then he isolated himself driving to the basket and his pass out had no chance. Beal scored and Perth were in front. Then with 25 seconds left, Corey Webster sliced his way to the rim for a simple layup. His 26th and 27th points of the night (a career high) and once more this clash had swung like a pendulum.

A missed two from Beal and he had no choice but to foul Tom Abercrombie. With 0:13 remaining, TA could have made it a three point game. He didn’t. He missed the first, then he missed the second.

The door was left open, so of course DeAndre Daniels drove to the basket, of course he drew the foul, of course he hit both free throws. And what’s worse was that Corey Webster had now fouled out and they had no timeouts remaining to advance the ball with only seconds left to play.

Yet this thrilling game had one last Hitchcockian twist in it. Cedric takes the inbounds pass, splits his man and launches. Deep, high, long… and in. Unbelievable. There was a long debate over whether or not he got the shot off in time, but being the ANBL there wasn’t a single camera angle that was able to show both the shot clock and the ball leaving his hand. The refs’ original call stood and the Breakers won. Somehow. Someway.

"It was just an amazing game with so many big plays that happened with a steal, a penetration, blocked shots and there was just some great basketball in those overtime periods” – Dean Vickerman

Cedric wasn’t exactly money with his shot over the game, going 6-16, though he did hit 3-4 trebles. He followed his triple-double last game with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals (with 5 turnovers). Corey Webster went 11-23 for 27 points, the second consecutive game in which he’s topped a career high for points. Ebekwe’s 11 pts, 7 rebs & 6 blks were noteworthy too, as well as Mika putting up 6/8/4, and Alex Pledger’s gutsy 8 & 9. For Perth both Daniels and Beal had 24 points, the later adding 10 boards too.

So, the table. Here’s how it stands: The Breakers winning kept alive their chances of finishing first, which means guaranteed home court advantage through the playoffs. Cairns had already won their 27th game, so they’re a full game ahead. If the Breakers beat them in the final game (at Vector) then the pair will be tied for winning percentage. Not only that, but they’ll be tied for head to head records too, with each winning twice against the other. But the next tiebreaker is head to head points differential, and that’s been well blown out by the Round 11 mauling that the Taipans dealt out to NZB (FBR 17 – a 83-59 loss). Which means to claim first place the Breakers will need to win by 26 points. It’s… well, it’s not impossible.

In the meantime, though, let’s settle for this.

Stocks:

Movin’ On Up Like Curtis Mayfield – Alex Pledger got some good minutes for once. Understandably his injury troubles have meant he hasn’t been able to play a big part this season. But with players fouling out left right and centre, Pledger not only found himself playing a season-high 24 minutes, but he played several of them down the stretch too. And he didn’t disappoint. Pledger’s size and strength were massive, grabbing some big rebounds and showing some impressive defensive quality as well. If he can repeat this in the playoffs he may just prove a handy little (not so little) wildcard.

Goin’ Down Slow Like Howlin’ Wolf – Tom Abercrombie’s two missed free throws nearly cost the Breakers this game. There were plenty of chances for both teams that went awry and plenty of stunning brilliance that couldn’t have been accounted for. But missing those two free throws was brutal. If he’d gotten both then this game was all but over. If he’d gotten only one, then we probably were headed for 3OT at worst. Missing both should have cost this team the game (once DeAndre Daniels hit those free throws of his own) but for a certain unaccountable Hail Mary shot. Abercrombie only had 9 points, shooting 3-11 and missing all four 3pters. Far from what we’ve come to expect from the former All-NBL First Teamer.