Basketball: Breakers mixed on 'favourite' tag

Oscar Forman (left) reckons the Breakers are the best team. Photo / Paul Estcourt

They may have been installed as title favourites by the bookies but the Breakers are keen to dampen down expectations a little before tomorrow's season opener against Cairns Taipans on the North Shore.

Well, some at the club are.

"We've got a great team, we've got a great shot of taking this thing out," guard Oscar Forman said.

"I personally like [being favourites]. I think we are the best team. Being tipped to win? I tip us to win it. There is no reason to try and hide. I've got absolute faith in our team and our abilities.

"We are not where we want to be yet. But we have a decent base and most guys are on the same page."

That may be true on court, but Forman and his coach Andrej Lemanis aren't exactly singing from the same songsheet when it comes to assessing their campaign prospects.

"What external sources are saying about us, good or bad, really doesn't affect us," Lemanis said. The club wouldn't buy into the favouritism talk "because it is not something that affects us in what we do each day".

But it is a reality. With the contraction to eight teams having claimed the likes of champions South Dragons, Brisbane and Sydney Kings, the Breakers appeal as one of the more stable and powerful clubs in the league.

The TAB has them at $2.75 favourites to lift the title, while even Australian oddsmaker Centrebet has them second at $4, behind only the powerhouse Melbourne Tigers.

Last year's beaten finalist, the Tigers recruited Boomer Mark Worthington from their now-defunct conqueror the Dragons to link with the likes of Sam Mackinnon and Luke Kendall. But star import Ebe Era is among the departures and no further imports have been brought in, while injured forward Chris Anstey is expected to miss the first three months of the season.

Others, such as the Gold Coast and Perth, have also recruited well but, on paper at least, the Breakers have compiled a squad that should be a match for any in the league.

Avoiding the New Year slump that saw the team lose eight of its last nine matches heading into the playoffs will be the key to bettering last season's semifinal exit.

Forman, whose personal form mirrored the team's fortunes, is particularly conscious about the need to produce a level campaign.

"It was all my fault," he quipped when questioned about his loss of form coinciding with the team's flat finish.

It was said in jest, but there is no doubt Forman was left hurting when his usually dependable stroke deserted him at a crucial stage of the season.

"All three years that I have been here I've had a terrible month, where my production has been terrible and I've hurt the team," he said.

That he began last season shooting so well he was on pace to smash the league's single season three-point shooting mark only made the drop-off more pronounced.

After an off-season when he had ankle surgery and established himself as a regular in the Boomers, Forman is well-placed to put last season's woes behind him.

He also believes the club has added some critical pieces and has the depth to sustain a challenge right through to the playoffs. "It's early days but I believe [we are a better team], absolutely ... We are really deep."