KEY POINTS:
The Tall Blacks promise to throw everything at Australia's Boomers tonight, knowing a loss could consign them to oblivion next year.
New Zealand have to bounce back quickly from a deflating 79-67 loss in game one of the Oceania Olympic qualifying series in Melbourne when the two sides resume battle at theSydney Entertainment Centre.
Boomers coach Brian Goorjian predicted the Tall Blacks would "come out swinging", knowing a second consecutive defeat would make Friday's final match in Brisbane academic and leave them a torrid route via Europe and South America to qualify for Beijing next year.
"We got caught up too much in worrying about their pressure rather than just worrying about what we were doing," senior Tall Black Dillon Boucher said. "We don't want to just match what they're doing. We want to come out of the blocks hard and set the standard for the game. "
It was a far cry from a year ago at the same venue when the Craig Bradshaw-inspired Tall Blacks seized control for a memorable breakthrough win on Australian soil.
The United States-based Bradshaw was subdued last night in the face of the Boomers' suffocating defence, which forced 18 Tall Blacks turnovers.
Shots began to miss and the game was over just after three-quarter time when the hosts' lead reached 15 points.
It had all looked so promising when New Zealand claimed a 31-25 lead in the first half with Pero Cameron in the driver's seat.
"I was pretty frustrated and I know the guys were frustrated with each other because it wasn't running as smoothly as what we wanted," Boucher said.
Self-belief wasn't a problem, he insisted.
They had lifted for the pressure matches against Australia, notably their narrow loss in the 2006 Commonwealth Games final, the win in Melbourne last July, and the 2001 series victory which booked them a place at the world championships where they finished fourth.
The Boomers are without four injured frontliners including NBA star Andrew Bogut and key guard C.J. Bruton.
"We've always stepped up against Australia and played above our weight. This time we know we're as good on paper as these guys and we know we can beat them," Boucher said. "To come here and not come away with a Beijing qualifying spot will be hugely disappointing and considered a failure by us."
Free-throws and three-pointers are areas for improvement after poor success rates of 64 per cent and 33 per cent respectively.
Meanwhile, Boucher rejected the theory that a torrid buildup in Europe then a 40-hour journey from Croatia which ended only on Friday had sapped them.
"A lot of people have said we looked tired out there but I don't think the travel had anything to do with it. If we were tired it was probably because their defence was intense."
Boomers captain Sam MacKinnon, who was among their stars with 18 points, said: "Momentum is the key for us right now. We want to wrap the series up in Sydney."
- NZPA
