Cedric Jackson had a triple double for the Breakers against Melbourne. Photo / Getty
Cedric Jackson had a triple double for the Breakers against Melbourne. Photo / Getty
Melbourne 87 Breakers 86
On the verge of a victory about as famous as they come in the regular season, the Breakers were denied by a refereeing call that instantly became infamous.
Leading the unbeaten Melbourne by a point with 10 seconds to play this afternoon at Hisense Arena, an inexplicable unsportsmanlike foul saw the defending champions defeated in agonising circumstances.
The Breakers (4-4), short of Mika Vukona and Tai Wesley, were combining offensive class with defensive pugnacity to outplay Melbourne (9-0) and scrap their way towards what looked like being a hugely-impressive win.
Tom Abercrombie had poured in a game-high 24 points in his 200th appearance for the club and Cedric Jackson had recorded yet another triple-double, but the Breakers' best efforts were left in tatters after a contentious call from the officiating crew.
With the champs in-bounding and looking to close out the game, Corey Webster and Chris Goulding came together in an off-the-ball clash that saw the Melbourne man dramatically fling himself to the floor.
Most observers saw the incident as an obvious instance of flopping - basketball's moniker for simulation - but the referees instead whistled Webster for unsportsmanlike conduct, handing the home side a pair of free throws and the resulting possession.
Melbourne gratefully seized the reprieve to earn their ninth win of the season, leaving the Breakers to head home with a sour taste in their mouths ahead of Friday's showdown against old rivals Perth.
"I'm not going to comment on anything that happened at the end of the game" said assistant coach Paul Henare. "We're pretty disappointed, obviously, and I just really feel for the guys. They played some really good basketball after we came in a little bit under-manned.
"We played well enough to win but, unfortunately at the end, it just didn't go for us. It's something that I'm sure plenty of other people will have an opinion on."
Henare was proven correct on that last point, with players from across the competition taking to social media to voice their displeasure at what unfolded.
Breakers big man Wesley, who remained in Auckland while on baby-watch, tweeted it was the "worst call I have ever seen". Adelaide 36ers captain Adam Gibson used the same forum to call the decision a "joke", while Sydney star and NBA veteran Josh Childress labelled it "insane".
Whatever the description, the decision spoiled what had been shaping as the best game of the season, as the leaders and champs stood toe-to-toe and traded body blows with playoff-like intensity.
Abercrombie, who followed the injured Vukona into the Breakers' 200 club, supplied the inspiration to account for the absent skipper, while Jackson provided the all-round production to ensure the red-hot Wesley wasn't missed.
Abercrombie had been quiet but consistent so far this campaign but picked the perfect time to burst to life, draining four three-pointers and finishing with an efficient 10-of-18 shooting line.
Jackson, meanwhile, performed exactly how everyone has come to expect, stepping up when the Breakers needed him most to grab 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. It was Jackson's fifth career triple-double for the club, and since the league switched to 40-minute games, no other player in the competition has more than one.
Unfortunately for the Breakers, Goulding's play-acting and some egregious officiating eventually ensured it all went to waste.
Melbourne 87 (Holt 21, Goulding 21, Jackson 10) Breakers 86 (Abercrombie 24, Jackson 16, Webster 15)
