An awful lot needs to happen between now and then for that hypothetical to become reality, but there is no doubting the Breakers blew a golden chance to sneak in front in the race for top spot in the Australian NBL.
After fellow pace-setters Cairns were felled by Perth to begin the weekend, the Breakers were unable to take advantage of their foes' slip, falling to the second-last Crocs.
The twin defeats leave the Breakers and Cairns locked on 18-7 with three games to come, but the Kiwi club have a decidedly more difficult run-in. That begins with the visit of in-form Adelaide on Thursday, before clashes with Perth and Cairns to close the campaign.
Top spot, which could very well be decided at Vector Arena on the last day of the season, brings with it home advantage in the playoffs, a potentially pivotal edge in a three-game series.
The Breakers enjoyed that edge in their three title-winning campaigns but the knowledge of its importance was insufficient to inspire a victory across the Tasman last night. The visitors were guilty of poor shooting (39 per cent the floor and six-23 from deep), wayward ball-handling (21 turnovers) and failed to enjoy a significant contribution from any of their key players.
Mika Vukona led the Breakers with 12 points and 10 rebounds and, along with Tai Wesley (13 and eight) and Ekene Ibekwe (10 and eight), accounted for the absence of the injured Alex Pledger. But Corey Webster and Cedric Jackson (both 14) were kept relatively quiet as Todd Blanchfield blitzed the opposition with a game-high 27 points.
Blanchfield single-handedly swung the game in the second quarter when he exploded for 14 straight points in five minutes, overturning an early deficit by torching the Breakers from both inside and out. The power forward finished with 16 points in the period, leaving the Breakers trailing by six at the major break and needing improvements at either end.
But the visitors' shooting remained inaccurate in the third and the deficit stood at nine approaching the final 10 minutes. While a 7-0 run to start the period raised hopes, that was as close as the Breakers came as the Crocs closed out the win.
Crocs 79 (Blanchfield 27, Conklin 13, Henry 9)
Breakers 71 (Jackson 14, Webster 14, Wesley 13)
HT: 42-36
NZME.
