2065 days later: Sports writer returns to the Breakers

Sam Timmins, Will McDowell-White, Tom Vodanovich, Rob Loe and Rayan Rupert of the Breakers. Photo / Photosport.co.nz

The Breakers' long wait finally ended on Friday night. After 2065 days away, this humble correspondent returned to cover the team.

Much has changed in the intervening five years. My country of residence, for one, and apparently there was also a global pandemic that caused the Breakers to spend much of the last two seasons on the road, with the game against Tasmania their first at home in 489 days.

But with my OE experienced and Covid conquered, the Breakers' happy homecoming in downtown Auckland coincided with what was an equally eagerly-awaited reunion.

I attended almost every home game for six seasons covering the Breakers, a period that included the club's greatest highs and, in the last year, the beginning of the end of their dynasty.

My final night on the beat was a regular-season win over Melbourne United at the North Shore Events Centre to round out the 2016-17 campaign, with the Breakers' 14-14 record seeing them narrowly miss the playoffs.

In truth, little sticks out from that final year, aside from Akil Mitchell's eye sticking out of its socket. I know Paul Henare was the coach, Dillon Boucher was the general manager, and the American suffered a grisly injury that garnered the Breakers their most attention since the championship years.

Not much else remains lodged in the memory — such is the churn of a job with daily deadlines — and very little attention has been paid since.

Which made it a fresh start on Friday as I walked towards Spark Arena, using some keen journalistic insight to spot the first change: Spark. Really could have unleashed some awful puns if the venue had that moniker back in my day.

The forecourt was lively, with food options and games for the kids, and fans were filing into the building, undoubtedly ready to give their team a spark (see?) for the first time in more than a year.

General view of New Zealand Breakers v Tasmania at Spark Arena. Photo / Photosport.co.nz

Once on the media bench — much worse view than it used to be; thanks for caring — I was thrilled to discover that in these fickle times one constant remained: Cheeky the Kea.

The drum squad were also still in the building, though in more pleasing news for those of us with sensitive little ears, the once-ubiquitous thundersticks seemed to have been consigned to the trash, where they belonged.

The cheer team featured men now, a welcome addition and not just for equality. Those strong dudes made the show much more elaborate.

And in another keen observation, I soon noticed the Australian NBL now included a team named the JackJumpers. For any readers unfamiliar with the wildlife of Tasmania, you're going to need more than three guesses to ascertain after which of God's creatures this group of large basketball men chose to name themselves.

With warmups complete and the ball tipped, it became clear the excitable MC would refuse to let fans sit down until the Breakers made their first bucket. That used to happen at the start of the second half. It's the little differences.

Those fans, no doubt buoyed by eventually being allowed to take their seats, were loud as the Breakers jumped out to a 15-5 lead, prompting the Ants to call their first timeout and providing the first opportunity for what makes going to a basketball game so fun: everything that happens when basketball isn't happening.

This, though, was a rather uninspired Crown Cam, keeping sponsors Burger King happy but pleasing few. The next timeout was Chemist Warehouse's turn and their big-screen game was similarly lame.

Half time Nerf gun action and activation. Photo / Photosport.co.nz

Couldn't help but be disappointed. I was expecting some showmanship given the club's new ownership group, or at least some cringe given the shitposting that comes from the club's Twitter account.

This was bland throughout, especially considering the occasion, and a definite downgrade over the entertainment regularly on offer in the Before Times. The bellydancing, in particular, lived long in the memory.

There were plenty of other reminders of that era, even if Rob Loe and the injured Tom Abercrombie were the only survivors from the last team I watched.

There were the four trophies on display — four more than won by the Warriors and Phoenix combined. And there were the four names hanging from the rafters: Henare, Boucher, Bruton and Blackwell, the previous owners present in spirit at least while Matt Walsh watched on from the United States.

NZ Breakers celebrate their win. Photo / Photosport.co.nz

And, in the biggest reminder of the good old days, the Breakers won, recovering from a shaky third quarter to snap a record-equalling 11-game losing run and delight their fans.

The crowd numbered 5340, perhaps a little low on a busy sporting weekend, but it was easy to imagine the vast majority being more than satisfied with the value for money.

Spark Arena really is the jewel in the rather shoddy crown of Auckland sporting venues. A 10-minute walk from Britomart and brilliant views (except from press row). No wonder the Breakers were happy to be home.

See ya next time at ... Trusts Arena? That's a bit different.