Why "you do not want to play" Breakers

The New Zealand Breakers have turned a corner with an almost fully healthy roster at a vital point of the season, and head coach Mody Maor isn’t the only one who can see the club making a Finals push.

With three straight wins under their belt after Wednesday's 81-71 victory over Brisbane, Maor applauded the unselfish nature of the group, with the return of Will McDowell-White and Zylan Cheatham adding to a dangerous line-up.

“The talent shines. It doesn’t matter if it’s Anthony (Lamb) or Zylan, or Mantas (Rubstavicius) or Dane (Pineau), or Parker (Jackson-Cartwright) or Will - it’s all the same,” Maor said.

“This is a game that was won through energy and effort.

“When we let the ball move and we create multiple actions, it means we’re playing in an unselfish manner, where everybody creates a little advantage and moves it onto the next guy.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Return ??<br><br>In his first game back after missing 2 months due to injury, Zylan Cheatham came up clutch against the Bullets going 4/4 in the final 3:25 of the 4th quarter, sealing a Breakers win.<br><br>Welcome back Z.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UNBREAKABLE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UNBREAKABLE</a> <a href="https://t.co/UwFX6OrIfq">pic.twitter.com/UwFX6OrIfq</a></p>&mdash; BNZ Breakers (@NZBreakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/NZBreakers/status/1740160633675419719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 28, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

2018 NBL champion Peter Hooley, a firm believer in the Breakers, believes the threat of having a fully-healthy New Zealand roster will be dangerous for the rest of the league.

“Their top-end talent is some of the best, if not the best in the league,” Hooley said on NBL Now.

“Combine that with role players who are doing their thing at the right time, and if they get to the six, which they’re on the trajectory to do so…they’re going to do some damage.”

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Mid-way through the season the Breakers picked up former Golden State Warrior Anthony Lamb, who has made a huge impact for the team.

Cheatham was an instant go-to guy to start the season, but had a long stint on the sidelines with a leg injury. In his first game since late October, and with the scores tied at 67 with under three minutes left, Cheatham scored six of the Breakers’ next eight points to secure the win. 

“They have some legit talent. They have an unbelievable coach, and if they can ride this out and stay healthy, have everybody’s roles figured out by the time the business end of the season comes around, you do not want to play the New Zealand Breakers,” Hooley said.

The Breakers will face the Tasmania JackJumpers on Monday for a New Year’s Day clash at 4:00pm AEDT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN via Kayo.