Paul Henare puts one in the net during the Breakers' walkover against Cairns Taipans. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey
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The Breakers must tread a fine line between protecting their key players and having a decent tilt at a morale-boosting victory in tonight's final regular season NBL game against the Spirit in Sydney.
In some ways the result means nothing. The Breakers are guaranteed to finish third and
will face Adelaide in an historic first home playoff game on Thursday, while the Spirit's season was done and dusted long ago.
However, having not won on Aussie pine since December 20 - a streak of six matches - the Breakers will be keen to prove they can win on the road before the playoffs begin.
"We want to take some momentum going in," coach Andrej Lemanis said.
"I don't think you can just flick the light switch on and off."
But whether keeping the momentum gained from Thursday's thrashing of Cairns Taipans is worth risking the health of Kirk Penney and CJ Bruton is debatable.
It was, after all, the absence of the star duo that sparked the losing streak that cost the club a top two finish.
Lemanis is most likely to want to have his cake and eat it too. If he can get enough out of Penney and Bruton early to subdue a Sydney side that has lost seven straight, he is likely to go extensively to his bench.
Thursday's victory against a Cairns side that simply didn't show up did little to prepare the Breakers for the step-up in intensity sure to be required on Thursday.
Backup point guard Paul Henare, who should get plenty of game time deputising for Bruton, was hopeful the Spirit would provide the workout the Breakers are looking for.
"They are going to give it everything," Henare said. "It is their last game and there are guys that are going to be playing for jobs."
Thursday's victory, which snapped a five-game skid, was certainly cathartic for the Breakers.
"The last few weeks have been pretty tough," Henare said. "But the beauty of this group is that we haven't fractured. I have been on teams where the same thing has happened and you ... go your own ways. But with this group we kept doing the right things."
Having led the league at the mid-point of the season, the Breakers may have got ahead of themselves. But they were still proud of their efforts so far this season, Henare said.
"Last year third place would have been a dream.
But I think we have done a pretty good job finishing up where we are. It is a tough league and we've said all along that we believe we can go all the way."
