Leading by seven midway through the fourth quarter and with a fingertip on their fifth NBL championship, the Kings stormed back with 14 unanswered poiints to snatch the lead and the title from New Zealand’s grasp.
“That was tough,” Le’afa says. “Obviously, it was a different team but still tough losing that game five when the game was going our way.”
This time, there aren’t five games, just one shot for the Breakers to get revenge in tonight’s sudden-death playoff in Sydney.
“We know what’s at stake, it’s basically win or go home. We’ve done everything able for us to put ourselves in the best position possible. ‘Everything’ might not be an exaggeration.”
Izayah Le'Afa of the Breakers in action for the Breakers. Photo / Photosport
It’s been a stop-start season for last year’s finalists due to several injuries to key players at less-than-ideal points in the campaign.
Will McDowell-White, Zylan Cheatham and Finn Delany have all faced extended stints on the sideline.
All-NBL First Team player Anthony Lamb is out for the season after rupturing his Achilles.
Le’afa, however, has remained a constant for the Breakers.
The 27-year-old is one of four players to play in all 28 games for the New Zealand side this season, alongside fellow guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, big man Mangok Mathiang and skipper Tom Abercrombie.
“I’ve been lucky enough not to have any injuries, but it has been tough for us as a collective group, just the number of injuries we’ve gone through this year and losing Lambo for the season has been tough.
“But the guys that we’ve got, we trust in each other, and we’ve got all that we need. Everyone’s got to step up.
“Our bench is deep too, so just being able to rely on each other and get us through the line.”
Le’afa leads the charge for the bench mob, with his 3-and-D ability a perfect fit for his defensive-minded coach Mody Maor.
That’s despite the Breakers’ defensive rating going down from last season (from a league-leading 104.8 to 113.0 in NBL 23-24).
His prowess on that end of the court has developed over his career through experience.
“When I was at the [South East Melbourne] Phoenix a couple of years ago, I had Adam Gibson, he was an Australian legend, so just being able to pick people’s brains.
“We’ve got Parker and Will, so just being able to take what they know about the game and translate it to mine.”
His 31 steals this season is second in the team behind Jackson-Cartwright, who has an NBL-best 53.
The sharp-shooting Tall Black also leads his side in three-pointers, with 53 makes from behind the arc.
The guard was named Defensive Player of the Year at the Breakers awards last week, but Le’afa dismissed the achievement.
“It was a good accomplishment, but at the end of the day, it’s just an award and I’ve got to credit my teammates, they were the ones who allowed me to do what I do.
“The goal is to win the championship, but always grateful for those individual accolades.”
Despite the Breakers’ struggles on the defensive end this season, Le’afa is determined to set the tone for his side in the post-season, starting with Sydney.
He’s expected to shadow Kings leading scorer Jaylen Adams throughout the do-or-die match-up.
“They got some good imports and guards, so you can’t really stop them, but you can slow down and contain them.
“He [Adams] is the head of the snake and being able to guard their best player, it’s not just an individual job, but the team.”
Adams has already proven to be a problem for the Breakers this season, after scoring a season-high 39 points during Sydney’s 105-76 drubbing of New Zealand last month at Qudos Bank Arena.
“If we don’t go in with confidence, then it’s going to be like our last game there, we got smacked and lost by 30, so I think all the boys are pumped.”
