Optimistic Coach Says All Eight Remaining Breakers’ Games Will Count

BNZ Breakers Head Coach Mody Maor is urging fans to study the NBL league table closely before jumping to rash conclusions about where they sit on the table.

On first inspection, the BNZ Breakers are ninth after that loss to the champion Kings in Sydney, but look closer at the detail and things do not appear as grim as they seem.

“The table in the NBL doesn’t really depict the real situation of the league because teams haven’t played the same number of games,” says Maor who is now in his second season in charge of the team. 

“In the losses column we are two losses out from third place.  

“Playoffs is two games away from us and this a testament to everyone in this building caring about everything and allowing them to overcome the challenges they’ve been faced with.  

“That been said, the game against Sydney was not a good game for us and we never want to look like that when we step on the floor.  When we lose like this it accompanies a few sleepless nights.”

Maor remains confident his team will still make the post season, just like they did last year.

“The Breakers have eight more regular season games in the bank and if we win six of them, we have a good chance of making the playoffs,” he says.

“All we have to do is to take care of the next game and then the one after that.”

The BNZ Breakers’ Head Coach says a quick scan of the history books, from the last three seasons, backs up his strong belief that critics write off the New Zealanders at their peril. 

“The NBL season is so short, so compact and if there’s one thing we can predict with some level of certainty at the end, is that every game will matter,” he says.

“In the last three seasons, it’s been up to point differential between the teams that make the playoffs.

“From day one, we’ve always had this approach and obviously this is the same approach we are going to take into the next game.”

That next game is against the South East Melbourne Phoenix at Spark Arena on Saturday night with the game tipping off at 7.30pm.  Limited tickets are still available at Ticketmaster.

It is remarkable that despite entering the league five seasons ago as an expansion team, this will be the first time the Phoenix are making the trip to Auckland.

“South East are one of the more talented in the league,” says Maor.

“The last few times we’ve played them have been on the tail end of a back-to-back games.  We feel like we’ve never really put our best foot forward competing against them.  It’s something we really want to do at Spark.”

The game on Saturday is followed next Friday by an emotional home coming of sorts when the Breakers return to Eventfinda Stadium, formerly known as the NSEC, where the club used to play most of its games before a permanent shift to Spark Arena a decade ago.

That game will be against the rival JackJumpers whom the BNZ Breakers beat in Hobart on New Year’s Day, and at Spark Launceston on November 16.

“We are extremely grateful and happy to finally have a stretch of games at home,” says Maor. 

“It’s the first time this has happened to us all year, where we get to stay for a significant amount of time in Auckland, practice, and play in front of our fans.  

“I couldn’t think of a better situation and build-up coming into these next two games.”

With the next two games both winnable, the BNZ Breakers will be at full speed again on the Road to the Championship.