Basketball: Momentum key for Breakers

Kirk Penney has led the scoring for the Breakers. Photo / Getty Images

The Breakers don't look like they can be caught at the top of the NBL table this season, despite their defeat to Gold Coast midweek- but can't break the record for the best winning season.

The North Shore side held a healthy four-game lead over their nearest rivals Townsville heading into this weekend and need to win just two of their last six games to guarantee top spot for the play-offs.

They have an incredible 81.8 per cent winning record this season; significantly more than their 60 per cent success rate in 2008-09.

They've lost just four games this campaign but have no chance of eclipsing the 90 per cent winning record Sydney established in the 2007-08 season.

The Kings won 27 of their 30 games that season but, in a result that should flag caution to Andrej Lemanis' side, were beaten by the Melbourne Tigers in the final.

This week has been an important one for the Breakers. The finals format this season is more congested than in past years with teams expected to play as many as three games in a week. Today they meet the Hawks in Wollongong, their third game in seven days.

The coaching staff will also have learned a fair bit in the past week. They will know Cairns, their possible opponents in the first round of the play-offs, will be no pushovers. Cairns and Perth are two of the hardest places to win and the Breakers cannot afford to drop a game at the North Shore Events Centre, like they did to the Gold Coast on Wednesday night.

Kirk Penney has also underlined his importance to the side on the back of a 35-point haul in the first game against Gold Coast and 21-point return in the second game. He won his fourth NBL player of the week award for the season and it's imperative both Penney and fellow scorer CJ Bruton stay fit for the playoffs.

Lemanis will know they need to continue to improve their performances on the boards. The Breakers are a relatively small side, aside from the 2.13m-tall Alex Pledger who doesn't get many minutes anyway, and have been out-rebounded at both ends of the court recently.

Against Melbourne recently, the Tigers pulled down 19 offensive rebounds while Perth secured 21 to earn themselves significantly more shots than their opponents.

They were improved in the double-header against Gold Coast but Lemanis will need to get more out of both Gary Wilkinson and Dillon Boucher to back up Mika Vukona.

The coaches will also have learned they have a side capable of turning around an 18-point deficit in a short space of time.

They did it on Wednesday night on the back of a full-court press and could have won the game in the final seconds. The Breakers are the team to beat.

They have proved that throughout the season.

But they would do well to remember 2008-09, when they nearly gave up a home playoff on the back of just one win in 10 games in February and were then beaten in the first round of the playoffs.

Momentum is a powerful thing and the Breakers would do well to pick it up again.