Basketball: Weak end to Breakers' year

The Breakers will have enjoyed muted New Year celebrations last night after seeing their two-game winning streak come to a dramatic halt.

Having shown good form in their previous two encounters, the Breakers looked like they believed just turning up to Waitakere yesterday would be enough to win.

They quickly discovered that the magic only comes when there is a foundation to support it.

They failed to fire offensively or defensively and were out-thought by a Pirates side that realised they needed to pressure Breakers stars Brian Green and Rich Melzer. The ploy was smart and, by getting in Green's face, the Pirates never allowed the American to find his range.

So hot in recent weeks, Green had an afternoon to forget. His shooting percentage barely reached double figures.

By the final quarter, his confidence was so shot, the Pirates could have let him stand under the basket and be confident they would not regret their generosity.

Green was not alone, though. The Breakers posted a shooting success of 35 per cent, which really isn't good enough to win.

It just so happened that, as Green and Melzer were having personal meltdowns, The Pirates' Mike Helms delivered a masterful performance.

By the final quarter, Helms was taking the ball to the hole at his leisure. His trickery was too good for any of the Breakers to cope with when one-on-one.

He was ably backed by fellow import Aaron Trahair, who scored 25 points and added a calm authority to their offence.

Still, coach Andrej Lemanis was not distraught at the performance, believing that an easily rectified attitudinal problem was at the core of his side's troubles.

"It came down to the attitude we brought into the game," said Lemanis. "I'm not sure if we just expected to go out there and continue to play well without bringing that intensity to it.

"We weren't executing anything offensively. We didn't have any flow about what we were doing. You can't ride one week's game into the next. You have to start each game fresh and bring the same intensity and energy. That is how you get results. We were making lazy passes."

Pirates coach Adrian Hurley preached along similar lines to Lemanis. He was clearly delighted his side had won, not just because it means they have already bettered last season's away record but also because he believes the Breakers have ability.

Hurley reckons if the Breakers can keep the core of their squad together and give Lemanis more time, they will be challenging those higher up the table.

The more immediate challenge for the Breakers, though, is the daunting road trip they face, starting with Townsville.

"We go back to work on Monday," says Lemanis. "We got a good lesson against the Pirates. We have to bring some determination to this road trip. It is going to be tough but we have to get through it."


Result:
Breakers 82 (Aaron Olson 21, Rich Melzer 13)
Pirates 105 (Mike Helms 32, Aaron Trahair 25)

- HERALD ON SUNDAY