If the Breakers' first two games were reminders of the glory days, today's humbling loss provided painful memories of last year's lost season.
The Breakers looked like a side coming off a second-bottom finish at Hisense Arena, being dispatched 95-74 by the previously winless and currently coachless Melbourne United.
Just as they refused to get carried away after beating both of last season's finalists in their opening fixtures, the Breakers will chalk this up as an off night, take their 2-1 record and move on.
And the signs did indeed point towards the loss being a solitary slump, rather than a harbinger for a second straight disappointing campaign. There was the truly horrid shooting display, a lapse in the effort areas on which they pride themselves, and underwhelming performances from key players.
Similarly to two nights ago against Adelaide, the Breakers' radar was seriously askew in the opening minutes, starting two-of-12 from the floor to allow Melbourne to seize a double-digit lead.
But, unlike the big win over the 36ers, there was no revival. By the end of the half, the Breakers had made only two three-pointers from 12 attempts, being held to 34 points in 20 minutes.
Melbourne's advantage by that stage stood at 19 points, with the offensive woes exacerbated by a defence that waved through opponents with worrying frequency. The 53 points the Breakers ceded in the half were the most by far this season, and although the second half was better -- it could hardly have been worse -- the damage was done.
Absent was the suffocating defence that restricted Perth and Adelaide to tip off the season, replaced by a unit that allowed far too many open looks, but assistant coach Paul Henare thought the issue in that area began at the other end of the court.
"You look at the game and you'd say 95 points was a problem for the defence but I think it was equally both," he said. "We just couldn't put the ball in the hole and that's obviously going to put your defence under pressure, if they're always coming at you on the fly without having to in-bound the ball."
In another call-back to last year, the Breakers also struggled with their fouling and, by sending Jordan McRae to the line 12 times, they allowed the import to pour in 31 points.
There were no such masterful efforts from the Breakers' best. Corey Webster again led the team with 21 points but he was among the chief culprits in his side's wayward performance from deep, making four but taking 12 attempts.
Cedric Jackson chipped in with eight points, nine rebounds and six assists but never threatened to take hold of the game like he had in patches of both the Perth upset and the Adelaide thumping.
On a rare positive note, Tom Abercrombie made his first start of the season, while the Breakers would have also liked what they saw from a limited Alex Pledger, scoring 13 in as many minutes.
Melbourne United 95 (McRae 31, Worthington 20, Kickert 19), Breakers 74 (Webster 21, Pledger 13, Abercrombie 9). HT: 53-34.
