Breakers with firm focus on Bullets this Sunday

The SKYCITY Breakers are back at work this week, with their focus very much on the visit of the Brisbane Bullets on Sunday at Spark Arena.

While the Hungry Jacks NBL is awash with talk of the Breakers eight game winning streak and position on top of the ladder, the team are talking only of one thing, preparing and being ready for their next game - the visit of the Andrej Lemanis coached Bullets this Sunday.

Head Coach Paul Henare says the experience in the group ensures they dont get ahead of themselves, or live on past glories.

"Nothing changes for us. For us as a group, we remain focused on our jobs, one game at a time. That has been a strength of this club in the past and remains one with this group, our ability to not swing with the highs and lows throughout a season, but to stay true to our course and who we are as a team and club.

"What matters is the work we are doing and what we are saying to each other internally."

Neither is it a distraction to the team that club owners Paul and Liz Blackwell have announced this week that this season will be their last as new investors are sought to take the club into its next stage.

"We have known for some time that Paul and Liz are looking to wind down their involvement, so that news was not such a big surprise to most of the team, and regardless, we have enough experience in the group to just get on with what we do.

"The time will come later in the season for a little more emotion to come into those conversations but for now the boys are heads down getting ready for a big challenge from an improving Brisbane side on Sunday, they are going to be a handful."

After a slow start, the Bullets are indeed showing signs of finding their mojo under Lemanis, with their 82-74 win over the Cairns Taipans built on a miserly defence - typically a strength of Lemanis coached teams.

But offensively as well there are signs that the Brisbane back court is starting to click, with American import Travis Trice leading his side to a final quarter 33-point haul to defeat the snakes, and get their season very much back on track.

Team introductions at Spark Arena will also be that little bit more special this week, with a chance for the fans to recognize Mika Vukonas achievement of notching 400 NBL games in the road win over Perth on Sunday night.

While Vukona himself is typically reticent to talk about himself, others have been full of praise for the talismanic power forward, with a number talking to NBL write Liam Santamaria, including his former coach at the Breakers and the man who will try and mastermind his undoing this Sunday in Andrej Lemanis.

"What Ive seen over the course of time is his growth and understanding about how teams function and how he can make an impact on the success of a team.

"He sets screens for his teammates and gets people open, he covers peoples backs defensively when there are breakdowns, he makes up for the errors of others. That gives teammates a lot of confidence."

Long time team mate at club and national team level Tom Abercrombie spoke about the influence Vukona has on him and any team he plays for.

"Mika embodies everything that our club tries to stand for. Hes an unbelievable teammate. You see how much of a competitor he is on the court, but he is the ultimate family guy off the court and really makes everyone feel welcome."

Paul Henare had nothing but praise for his championship winning teammate.

"Mika makes people around him better by his actions," Henare said.

"When his teammates see him diving on a loose ball or going after rebounds like he does when they see that sort of commitment it empowers them to puff their chest out a little bit more and think, oh man, look what Mikas doing for us again.

"Maybe I can set screen a little harder or maybe I can get down in front of my man a little bit better and all those types of things. He has that type of influence just because of the example he sets."

SKYCITY Breakers v Brisbane Bullets

Sunday 19 November

Spark Arena

3pm tip off

tickets at www.nzbreakers.basketball

- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Basketball New Zealand