KEY POINTS:
The Breakers have six games left in the Aussie league and desperately need to win three to stay in playoff contention, including tonight's home contest against the West Sydney Razorbacks.
The Razors have played 25 games for 10 wins, the Adelaide 36ers 24 games for 10 wins, the Breakers 24 games for 12 victories. Only the Razors and 36ers can push them out of the eighth and last playoff place.
It is the first time since their inception that the Breakers have reached this stage of the season with playoff destiny in their hands.
"We have the opportunity to finish fourth or fifth if things go our way but what we need to focus on is our own business, not what the others do," said coach Andrej Lemanis.
He is pleased the team is starting to gel with replacement import Derrick Alston because Rick Rickert has no chance of a return this season after injuring his back.
With point guard Wayne Turner also ruled out for the rest of the season with a thigh problem, the team has at times looked lost, Lemanis said. "It takes time to recover from the loss of players like that, our rotations and understanding of each other's game and what we were trying to achieve hasn't been there."
He's noticed that pick up lately. "We're starting to enjoy playing with each other again because that understanding is coming back and everyone can feel the chemistry improving, which is a good feeling."
The Breakers will start without forward Tony Ronaldson who yesterday was walking gingerly on his strained Achilles. Lemanis hopes he will be fit for their next encounter, against the Perth Wildcats next Thursday.
"It is his experience that is hard to replace," Lemanis said.
The Breakers really need to win those two home games, because it gets much tougher after that. They then face the last-placed Melbourne Dragons - another good chance of a win given their player-coach and game-runner Shane Heal has stood aside because, with no chance of making the playoffs, he wants to give his young squad experience.
To end they face the second-placed Melbourne Tigers home and away and the top-placed Kings in Sydney, good tests going into finals but much harder games to win.
Lemanis expects the Razors to bring an up-tempo and aggressive game.
"They'll push the ball and they'll shoot early. They get a lot of points from three-point range and if you force them to half-court they drive aggressively at the basket."
Rebounding would be a key.
The Breakers will start with confidence given home court advantage at the North Shore Events Centre and their place above the Razors on the ANBL ladder.
"But I expect us to come out with some desperation," Lemanis said, "because this could be the nail in the coffin for them so they'll be desperate too."
