KEY POINTS:
They're calling the past week one of the most torturous in the Kings' franchise history.
And that is what's worrying New Zealand Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis ahead of tonight's NBL showdown against the Sydney heavyweights at the North Shore Events Centre.
Under normal circumstances, you might expect Lemanis to be quietly thankful for the problems that have beset the Kings; a couple of tough losses on the road against South Melbourne and Perth, and the sacking of point guard EJ Rowland.
That's right - EJ Rowland, the man who almost single-handedly sunk the Breakers last month with 30 points during this team's 99-95 third round win.
Add to that the Kings' inexplicable second-half melt down against Perth last weekend, when they somehow conspired to shoot just two from 26 field goals in 24 minutes of action, and it seems reasonable to assume they're not in vintage form.
However, Lemanis is worried. He knows the Kings will be boosted by their inspirational skipper Jason Smith, who returns after a long injury layoff, and then there's his deep-rooted respect for the Kings' fighting spirit.
"Good teams step up in times of adversity and, with five Boomers in their ranks, this is a very good side," Lemanis said. "They do what we talk about - come out and play hard, especially at the defensive end. They also execute their transition offence very well and will hurt you from the perimeter, so we need a sense of urgency sprinting back on defence."
Presuming the Kings don't have a ready-made replacement for Rowland tonight, the expectation is that Luke Kendall will take a starting role in the back-court, with support provided by BJ Carter. That, at least, should diffuse some of the scoring potency seen at the Events Centre when the Kings last visited, and possibly offer a slightly less-challenging assignment for Breakers point-guard, Paul Henare.
The New Zealand franchise fell to eighth position on the ladder after last weekend's loss to the Snakes, a result that could be partly attributed to a nightmare travel schedule that had them arriving in Cairns at 1am on the day of the game.
For all that, the Breakers continue to impress as their strongest incarnation yet, and have several more milestones on the line tonight:
* Carlos Powell needs 26 points for 300 and six rebounds for 100 for the season.
* Paul Henare needs just one steal for 100 NBL career steals.
* Aaron Olson requires 14 points to become the first Breaker to score 1500 NBL career points.
* Breakers v Kings, North Shore Events Centre, 7.15pm
Breakers: Paul Henare, Brian Wethers, Oscar Forman, Carlos Powell, Ben Pepper; Aaron Olson, Mika Vukona, Tim Behrendorff, Adam Darragh, Brent Charleton
Kings: Luke Kendall, David Barlow, Rodney Elliott, Mark Worthington, Russell Hinder, Ian Crosswhite, Brad Sheridan, Cameron Tovey, BJ Carter, Blake Borgia
