Basketball: Another loss but Breakers not broken

Mika Vukona was ejected from last night's loss against Adelaide after a confrontation with former Breaker BJ Anthony. Photo / Getty

The Breakers might be the best 1-4 team in the history of the Australian NBL.

But there are no trophies for sides whose records are unreflective of their ability, and the real prize is slipping further away with every defeat.

After last night's heart-breaker against Adelaide, the defending champions have fallen into a worrying slump which could worsen when they visit Wollongong on Sunday.

While the method hasn't been all bad this season, the results are far from pretty.

The Breakers lost just four games during their last campaign, which brought a third consecutive title. It's a total they have already equalled after three weeks.

Since winning on opening night, they have dropped four straight to sit last on the ladder. The last time they experienced such a slide was the last time they missed the playoffs.

The champs can say they were within one shot of beating Cairns, that James Ennis' individual brilliance was the difference against Perth, that a second-half comeback against Adelaide would have been completed had Mika Vukona avoided ejection ... but four losses are still four losses.

"There's a lot of positives and we're making little improvements every week,'' said centre Alex Pledger. "But we need to start turning those moral victories into actual victories.

"Our record doesn't suggest it but we are really close to where we need to be.''

It's true that a winning run doesn't feel far away, that this stumbling start could soon be nothing more than an unpleasant memory. While the Breakers have been poor in patches - last night's first quarter was appropriately ghastly for Halloween - the core elements that created this dynasty have also been on display.

They still have a multi-faceted offence, they've produced rousing revivals and belligerence on the boards, but the positives have been negated by the perfect storm of circumstances which brought about this disastrous start.

Separately, none is enough to sink their season but, together, the combination of a new coach, new players and new rules have resulted in a flood of defeats.

A bit of bad luck most also be thrown into the mix, along with a diminished aura of invincibility. With each defeat putting a dent in their armour, opposition sides now come to the North Shore Events Centre and Vector Arena - once twin fortresses - with legitimate hopes of emerging with a win.

The Breakers' own hope comes in the form of Sunday's opposition, with Wollongong the only side they've had the wood over this season.

"We have a short turnaround and Wollongong are a team we played well against last time,'' Pledger said. "So we'll go into that game feeling pretty confident we can walk out with a win.''

Even if that confidence proves misplaced, the Breakers still won't be in danger of missing the playoffs. Half the teams in the competition will play in the postseason, and two sides with losing records made last year's semifinals.

But another defeat would be another blow in a season already full of them.