KEY POINTS:
BREAKERS V SLINGERS
North Shore Events Centre, 7.30 tonight
The Breakers will be looking to set the seal on a satisfactory first phase of the NBL season when they take on the lowly Singapore Slingers at the North Shore Events Centre tonight.
A victory would level the
eighth-placed New Zealand basketball team's record at 5-5, with a third of the 30-game season completed.
That would represent a significant improvement on previous seasons.
The club's most successful season came in 2003-04, when they won 12 of 33 games for a winning percentage of 36 per cent.
But it would also slightly mask the disappointment of the team having failed to win a game in Australia this year.
Their two most recent outings across the Tasman have been particularly galling, losing to the then winless Melbourne Crocodiles and an Adelaide 36ers side who had lost five straight.
That Adelaide defeat came on the back of one of the finest displays in franchise history - last week's one-point victory over defending champions Brisbane Bullets.
Marquee player Kirk Penney stopped short of labelling the defeat the low point of the season but did concede the Breakers had tailed off dramatically in the space of 48 hours.
"After the good win against Brisbane it was a different point in the wave," Penney said. "We are going to have these moments. It is about trying to avoid them and trying to squeeze a win even when we are not playing well. We'll have to keep working at it."
Tonight's match against the Slingers would be a chance for the players to "free the Adelaide game from our minds", he said.
Their efforts so far would have earned the Breakers a tentative pass mark but their inability to win in Australia suggests they are still some way from becoming a genuine force in the league.
The lack of familiarity among this year's playing staff meant the club had not expected the early stage of the season to be smooth sailing, Penney said.
"Early on we kind of felt that we were going to have some good wins and some bad losses. I do expect our record to improve.
"That win in Australia is going to come very soon.
"We have dropped three over there but we can turn that around fairly quickly. Our focus will shift there after Singapore. "Now we are coming into the second third of the season it is something that we want to address.
"Next time we hit the road we will be very focused because the last couple haven't gone the way we wanted."
Travel woes aside, the Breakers have produced some encouraging displays in composing a three-match unbeaten home run.
"It will be good to get back home and get back on the horse. Because that is what happens when you have your own fans and a comfortable environment," Penney said.
"The fans at the [North Shore Events Centre] have just been awesome. There was a great atmosphere at that Brisbane game and there was some pretty good quality basketball too.
"To pull that win off was neat. It showed us that we are able to play the way that we want to play and that we are progressing. We can play with the best and beat them."
The Slingers (2-10) might be propping up the NBL ladder but they do come to Auckland on the back of a second season win, against Perth last Sunday.
Slingers imports Mike Helms and Ron Grizzard were dangerous customers, said Penney.
Helms notched 44 points in the overtime victory over the Wildcats, while Grizzard had a double double of 24 points and 12 rebounds.
"It is going to be a challenge for us defensively to limit their touches and limit their opportunities and then continue to execute at the offensive end.
"It is important that we take care of business and keep that home stand going before we worry about the road or anything else."
