If tonight's shootout between the Breakers and Adelaide is indicative of the new ultra-competitive Australian NBL, two things are certain.
First, the defending champs, who walked away 98-88 winners from a wild night at the NSEC, are in for one hell of a fight if they wish to retain their crown.
And second, the playoff-like intensity of these ostensibly everyday games will be sure to fray the fans' nerves as the season progresses.
In easily the pick of the Breakers' seven outings so far the season, the Kiwi club barely advanced their record to 4-3 in the fact of some unrelenting pressure from the 36ers.
The game swung back and forth for 37 of the 40 minutes, with leads changing hands and supporters in the stands given whiplash from following the fast-paced action. Then, as the clock began to tick down, the Breakers finally established some breathing room.
Their winning run, naturally, was kick-started by Corey Webster, who drained a trio triples in little more than a minute to turn a deficit into a lead his side wouldn't cede. But this one, in every essence of the term, was the ultimate team win.
Adelaide, led by lightning quick point guard Jerome Randle and buttressed by an imposing front-line, showed just why they thumped the Breakers in round one and why they too must be considered title contenders, even at 3-4.
But the Breakers, short of injured skipper Mika Vukona, soaked up every blow before throwing the knockout punch. Tai Wesley was the chief aggressor, matched last week's personal-best of 26 points, leading all scorers on 50 per cent shooting.
Webster, fresh off a career-high of his own, added 20 invaluable points while having every move shadowed by attentive coverage, while both imports showed their abundant abilities by recording double-doubles. Charles Jackson managed to limit his fouling to grab 21 points and 10 rebounds, with Cedric Jackson's 11 coming with 13 assists in an influential display of ball-handling.
Every contribution was needed for the Breakers to see of an Adelaide side who started fast and, until the final minutes, never let the Breakers break free. Wesley's 11 points in the opening quarter helped the Breakers reign in their red-hot opponents, who took the slimmest of advantages into the major break as a couple of effective offences took charge.
The rollercoaster half saw the lead change hands 12 times in 20 minutes and, incredibly, both teams were in front for the exact same amount of time in the half -- nine minutes and 27 seconds.
That trend continued in the third as neither side managed to boost their buffer beyond a possession or two, with a last-second triple from Randle seeing the visitors ahead by three heading into the fourth. Adelaide's lead soon swelled to six as they threatened to seize the initiative before Webster's deep ball sparked his side to a hard-fought and well-deserved win.
Breakers 98 (Wesley 26, Charles Jackson 21, Webster 20) 36ers 88 (Johnson 20, Walker 14, Randle 12) HT: 48-49
- By Kris Shannon of the New Zealand Herald
