Basketball: Coach Mody Maor hopes NZ Breakers get fairer travel deal from NBL bosses

Breakers head coach Mody Maor - we need some "logic" up there. Photo / Photosport

It’s the professional sports schedule from hell, not that Breakers coach Mody Maor wants to portray it that way.

New Zealand’s NBL basketball side will play a 4pm game in Auckland this Sunday, after arriving home from Australia in the early hours of the morning.

It was a similar story last week when another two-flight situation meant they got home around 3am on Sunday, having played in Tasmania on Friday night. The Breakers still managed to beat the Adelaide 36ers, but it’s not a situation any sports club wants to, or should, endure.

After playing against the Cairns Taipans this Friday night, the Breakers will return to Auckland in the wee hours of Sunday morning, before playing the Brisbane Bullets later that day.

“I have a newborn, I need to watch my pocket,” said Maor, keen to avoid any potential fine when quizzed about the crazy travel schedule.

“This is life in the NBL for a team from New Zealand — it has its challenges. I don’t feel I am being stitched up.

“The NBL has proved it is an incredible organisation that has created a high-level league and competition. This is not above their grasp. We need more logic.

“I think they could get a better product from a quality standpoint [with a better travel schedule].

“[But] we will overcome any challenge anybody throws at us. It is what it is; these are the hands we are dealt, we need to deal with it.”

Maor hopes the crowds will come back to support the Breakers if they can keep performing consistently, and a fairer travel schedule will also help with that.

A brilliant start to the season under the new head coach has the Breakers touted as title prospects.

Maor said the team’s long absence from Auckland because of Covid created a break with their audience that is still being repaired.

“It’s complicated — people found other things to do. All we can do is put out the best product we can [then] people will come because it is fun.”