KEY POINTS:
Andrej Lemanis is confident his Breakers team can cope without their two American imports in tonight's Australian National Basketball League match against the South Dragons.
Point guard Wayne Turner is out for the season and his replacement Orien Greene does not arrive until tomorrow while big centre Rick Rickert is having a break to allow a bulging disc in his back to settle down.
Coach Lemanis said the remaining personnel were more than capable of maintaining their momentum without changing the style of game they play.
"Even though we're playing without our two imports, we're a good team," Lemanis said, "and we expect to go out and play well and perform well.
"Offensively, we're not a team that throws it to someone and asks them to make a play. We rely on team plays and good execution to get the job done and that won't change.
"Last week we played without Rick and Wayne and scored 101 points against a team holding [other] teams to 90 points on average - evidence that we score as a team.
"The area of most adjustment for us is rebounding. Rick is one of the league's best on the boards, but we won't have his athleticism to fall back on. Everyone on the court needs to take responsibility for picking up the scraps."
Breakers forward Tony Ronaldson said the team's big men were well aware they had to step up after being dealt to on their home boards 52-29 by the Taipans last week.
"Losing Rick's average of 10-12 rebounds a game is a huge loss," Ronaldson said. "But if someone is missing you make adjustments and step up - like the team did when Wayne and I missed the previous match in Cairns.
"We haven't had any group meetings about it, but we all know what we need to do.
"I'm not a great rebounder so I have to put some focus on it, but Mika Vukona is outstanding and Tim Behrendorff has put his body on the line when he has received more court time in the last few games.
"I have a lot of faith in the people we have involved and this is a team we should put away on our home court.
"The Dragons have some talented players but we have to win these games."
The Melbourne team, newcomers to the league last season, are 11th on the table compared with the Breakers' fourth place, but they have a great record against their New Zealand rivals, having beaten the Breakers three times in a row, including a 102-90 victory in Melbourne last month.
"That loss still grates," Lemanis said, because we let ourselves down and didn't play to our ability. This is an important game for keeping the personal series with the Dragons alive," he said.
"A couple of wins or losses can have a marked impact on where you are on the competition ladder."
- NZPA
