NBL GF preview: NZ Breakers out to cause ‘wicked’ upset over Sydney Kings
The New Zealand Breakers are huge underdogs but believe they can beat the NBL’s most hated team, the Sydney Kings, in the Grand Final.
Very few basketball fans are giving the New Zealand Breakers any chance of beating the Sydney Kings in the NBL Grand Final, but the team from across ditch is just fine with that.
The Kings have been favourites all season long to win back-to-back championships, with MVP Xavier Cooks and new import Derrick Walton Jr running a deep, well-oiled machine under the watchful eye of coach Chase Buford.
Watch the NBL23 Championship Series between Sydney Kings v New Zealand Breakers LIVE and FREE on ESPN on Kayo Freebies. Series begins March 3. Join now and start streaming instantly >
Sydney is aiming to become the first team since the Perth Wildcats in 2016-17 to win consecutive NBL titles, and there’s a belief that Cooks and Buford could be headed to the NBA if they secure a second straight championship.
But the Breakers are determined to flip that script by causing a shock upset in the five-game Grand Final series that tips off at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Friday night.
The Breakers have shown they can take it up to the Kings, winning their most recent clash — and captain Tom Abercrombie believes they have the defensive prowess to stifle the Kings’ offensive weapons in Cooks, Walton and sharpshooter Dejan Vasiljevic.
“It’s going to be a great battle,” Abercrombie told news.com.au.
“They’re obviously a very talented team. They’ll back themselves to go at us and we back ourselves to be able to hold our ground and defend them.
“It’s two heavyweights going at it. We’re really excited by the match-up. We’ve had some really good games with them this season and we’ve seen how those different styles have gone at it.
“Throughout a five-game series, it’s going to be fascinating to see how both teams play and adjust.
“We’re fully aware of the challenge they pose, especially at the offensive end with the weapons they have. We’re going to have to be at our absolute best to hold them down.”
Asked how the Breakers can win the three games needed to lift the trophy, Abercrombie said: “The same way we have all season. It’s pretty obvious the way we play.
“We play tough physical basketball, love to get after teams on the defensive end and offensively we’re more than capable of dissecting teams at the other end.
“If we can play our basketball, we match up really well with Sydney and we’re confident we’ve got what it takes to get the job done.”
That defensive, gritty style of play has endeared the Breakers to the New Zealand faithful.
“It’s been cool to see that come to fruition,” Abercrombie said.
“Kiwis respect that style of play and how tough we’ve been. We certainly pride ourselves on it.
“It’s built as the season’s gone on because we were basically starting from scratch in building up a fan base again from the last couple of years. So it’s been wicked to see how Auckland and the rest of the country has got behind us and especially in this final push.”
Sydney’s dominance and Buford’s temper tantrums on the sidelines has sparked some serious hatred towards the Kings, but Abercrombie and the Breakers have enough motivation as it is.
“I’m sure Sydney doesn’t care too much about what people are saying about them,” he said. “You don’t get to this stage of the season by worrying about what other people think.
“Obviously both teams are confident and back themselves. I think we’re the two best teams, we’ve shown that throughout the season. Now we’ve get a finals series to prove who the real champ is.”
If the Breakers win, 35-year-old Abercrombie would win his fifth NBL championship, adding to New Zealand’s 2011-2013 three-peat and a title in 2015.
It would be a remarkable achievement for the veteran, given his team finished as wooden spooners just last season.
“It would be incredible,” Abercrombie said.
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“It’s one of those things. I had a lot of success early on in my career, being able to win some championships. You go through a patch where you don’t experience success for a little while and you long to be back at that stage.
“It’s awesome to be back here to be hungry to go all the way. Winning a championship, there’s no feeling quite like it so it’s certainly something I’m hungry to taste again.”
Watch the NBL23 Championship Series between Sydney Kings v New Zealand Breakers LIVE and FREE on ESPN on Kayo Freebies. Series begins March 3 at 7.30pm AEDT. Join now and start streaming instantly >
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