After dealing to business at home, NZ Breakers now face two weeks of "team bonding", as they embark on a slightly inconvenient three-game road trip into the NBA pre-season.
The Auckland club have begun their Australian NBL campaign with two dramatic wins — their first 2-0 start in a decade and fifth in their history. Three of those previous four occasions ended in championship crowns.
Up eight points with three minutes remaining, they watched their advantage slip to just one point in the dying seconds, before finally suppressing South East Melbourne Phoenix 81-79 in their home opener at Spark Arena.
Now, the Breakers risk losing any momentum gained from the winning start, as they take on Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder on a swing that now seems ill-timed in the overall scheme of things.
For the second week, they let a lead slip away, but survived. (Source: TVNZ)
Their ANBL schedule resumes on October 17 against Brisbane Bullets.
"We'll make the most of it, but these are the best players in the world," said co-captain Parker Jackson-Cartwright. "We take the competition for what it is, and we go out and play like we play.
"We don't take it as their pre-season or a vacation, we go out and continue to get better, and we enjoy the trip together. Keep bonding, keep growing."
Traditionally, the Aussie teams have struggled to compete with the Americans, who are only now assembling to prepare for their season. Since the annual exchange began in 2017, Adelaide 36ers are the only touring team to taste victory, defeating Phoenix Suns 134-124 in 2022.
The Breakers' best showing came in 2018, when Tall Blacks guard Corey Webster starred with 27 points in a 91-86 loss to the Suns.
Last season, they fell heavily to Portland Trailblazers (106-66) and Utah (114-94), and then returned home to drop their next two ANBL games, sliding to a 1-3 start that put them on the back foot early.
The fixtures are a chance to test teams against a different style of play, while providing players a chance to showcase their skills for recruiters. One Breaker under the spotlight will be Mexican teenager Karim Lopez, touted as a future NBA draft prospect.
"It's another challenge for our travelling schedule," reflected coach Petteri Koponen. "At the same time, it's a great experience for our guys to play against some of the best players and teams in the world.
"We take it as a team-bonding trip. We'll do some off-court stuff there to make this group stronger, our chemistry better, because that's what we need with this new group.
"We're showing great character during our games. Of course, you can't forget the basketball side — we want to improve and implement some things more, and get on the same page — but outside of the court, make this group even more together."
With only two players returning from the roster that reached last season's play-in rounds, the Breakers have gelled surprisingly quickly, despite a winless pre-season.
"This is a really special group, we're really tough," insisted Jackson-Cartwright, one of those holdovers. "We had a really tough week, with guys in and out with sickness, but we have a next-up mentality, a next-day mentality.
"We trust this process everyday, it's an absolute grind. Early on, to win games like this, when it's close and we have adversity in the last minutes, it tells a lot about your team and its character.
"We definitely feel good about how we've started this season."
Watch all of the New Zealand Breakers games in the 2024/2025 season live and free on TVNZ+
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