KEY POINTS:
New Zealand Breakers super sub Phill Jones says this week's doubleheader across the Tasman will have a huge bearing on the team's playoff aspirations in the Australian National Basketball League.
The Breakers play the Hawks in Wollongong tomorrow night before backing up 24 hours later against the West Sydney Razorbacks in Sydney.
Although the Breakers, in seventh spot, are higher on the championship points table than the Razorbacks (10th) and Hawks (11th), the Australian sides head into the new year on a high after superb wins last week.
Sharpshooting guard Jones admits this week's road trip looks a lot trickier than it did just seven days ago.
"It reaffirmed that at home any team can beat any other in this league. It's that close," Jones said. "These two games are very big for us. This trip could have a huge bearing on making the playoffs for the first time. Lose, and the pressure really goes on."
The Breakers lost 104-96 to the Razorbacks in their second outing of the season, but have beaten the Hawks twice, the most recent a 105-103 success a fortnight ago in Auckland.
Jones was instrumental in that win, nailing six of seven three-point attempts in recording his first ANBL double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds.
He is averaging 17 points a game coming off the bench compared with 14 points a game when he was a starter in the 2003-4 season.
"Since I've been in Europe [on off-season contracts] I've been playing that role and I'm happy with it," Jones said.
"It's not about when you're on court. It is what you do when you are out there, particularly if the game is on the line. I relish those occasions."
The Breakers have played back-to-back games just once this season, in Melbourne in October where a fighting loss to the Tigers preceded a humbling defeat to the Dragons, but Jones is sure they're up to the task.
"Given where we're at as a team there's no doubt we can share the minutes. We have the bench depth to rotate personnel and stay relatively fresh."
Breakers coach Andrej Lemanis is confident his team will operate at the standard they showed in pushing the table-topping Sydney Kings into overtime last Saturday.
"Every game is tough as hell. West Sydney is still in the hunt for the playoffs, so they're thinking about things like us - every game's a war," he said. "If we win these two games we'll be nudging the top four."
- NZPA
