Basketball: NZ Breakers coach Dan Shamir coach opens up on scary Covid-19 battle

NZ Breakers coach Dan Shamir missed the team's season opener due to Covid-19. Photo / Photosport

New Zealand Breakers coach Dan Shamir has opened up on his battle with Covid-19, saying he was "dysfunctional" with the virus.

Shamir was among a number of members of the Breakers travelling party who caught the virus and were forced into isolation, spending the last two weeks away from the team.

"Just mentally, I was so worried; I couldn't even sit down to watch a TV show. I didn't have the focus or the mental energy," Shamir recalled.

"Obviously the things you're thinking about while you're sitting for 10 days with a high fever in the middle of a world pandemic, the things that go through your mind are not great. All of a sudden, you're thinking 'what's going to happen if something bad happens?'

"A lot of bad thoughts, and in life we all know that we don't think about the bad things until it hits you, then the only thing that matters is getting back on your feet and feeling good."

For the first time in his coaching career, Shamir was unable to be on the sidelines, and instead had to watch the Breakers' 24-point loss to the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Saturday night on TV.

After a disrupted week, the Breakers struggled early and fell behind at halftime, only converting on 23 per cent of their field goal attempts in the first half, and a woeful seven per cent on three pointers.

But for all their struggles in the first half, they held their own in the second half which gives them something to build upon ahead of their next game — a rematch against the Phoenix on Friday night.

It was the first game for the Breakers in two weeks and saw them tumbling back to the reality of the regular season after stringing together some impressive wins in the preseason.

Shamir said things had to be put in perspective.

"If you judge it only by the games, there's been a setback, obviously. But it's hard to judge after those two weeks. People had Covid; it's a physical game and people were flat, so physically there is a gap to fill and to recover from.

"It's a setback, and at the same time, us as coaches and sportsmen have to think about what's in our control and what we can do. I believe we're going to have a list of things we have to do better next week. We'll get right back at it and deal with it from tomorrow, and hopefully next week we look different."