Hawkeye - Illawarra Hawks v NZ Breakers R6 Preview

THE MUST KNOWS 

When: 5pm, Monday 22 February

Where: John Cain Arena, Melbourne

Broadcast: ESPN, SBS On Demand and Twitch

Last Time They Met: New Zealand 65 (Henry 17, Delany 16, Hopson 12) d Illawarra 56 (Boone 14, Blanchfield 11, Naar 7), Round 18, 2 February 2020

THE PRELUDE

The Hawks enter this clash with the current cellar-dwelling Breakers having won their first four games of the season but having lost three of their last four since - so to say this clash is a must-win is an understatement. 

On Saturday night, the Hawks seemed destined for another relatively straightforward victory, leading the Taipans by 12-points midway through the third quarter before being outscored 56-38 over the final 15 minutes. Most of the damage was done at the three-point line where the Hawks gave up 18 makes at 51%.

The defensive collapse causing coach Brian Goorjian to call the display 'depressing'.

"When we’ve been good we've got out on transition off our defence and the two wins we had up there [in Cairns] we really defended and got a lot of easy buckets...and tonight giving up over 100 points in a forty minute game is just disappointing...if we don't defend we're not going anywhere," Goorjian said.

Saturday was the first time the Hawks had given up 100-points this season but they also posted their own highest score of the season with 95-points.

Today, they face one of the league's great unknowns in the New Zealand Breakers.

A team that at it's best, would contend for the title. And at it's worst, will find itself rooted to the bottom of the NBL ladder.

The Breakers are the last team to play their first game of the NBL Cup and have played the least games of any team with one win from their five games. The fresh legs sure to be one advantage against a Hawks lineup that's played three more games in total.

In what could be good omen, The Hawks are the only team Dan Shamir has not lost to as Breakers coach after sweeping them 4-0 last season by a total of 58-points and New Zealand have won their past six games overall against Illawarra by an average margin of almost 18-points.

The Breakers have not played since a 10-point loss in Sydney on 12 February in a game they led by 5-points with six minutes to go, but were outscored 5-20 over the final run.

THE FUN FACTS

The Hawks dry spell in John Cain Arena continues with none of the current Hawks players have played in a winning team in a Illawarra uniform.

In their entire NBL careers, Hawks players are collectively 1-from-30 wins at this Arena with Cameron Bairstow winning a game with the Bullets in December 2018 registering the only success. AJ Ogilvy has the worst record with a winless ten visits in his career.

The Breakers are the lowest scoring team in the NBL at 79.4 per game. Last season they averaged 89.8 per game. NZ have not gone past 85 in their past four games since they posted 91 in Adelaide after overtime in their season opener.

The Hawks are averaging 89ppg this season.

The Breakers average the most fouls this season at 21.4 per game while the Hawks foul the least at 14.5 per game - and the Breakers only win so far this season was also the only game they were in front at quarter time.

THE MATCH UP

The Hawks Bench v The Breakers Bench

Both side's starting fives are laden with bonafide NBL talent, but it's the bench units that could go a long way to deciding which side registers it's first NBL Cup win today.

Coach Goorjian poured the acid on the Hawks bench unit after it failed to fire against the Taipans on Saturday, the verteran coach calling on his second unit to find the form they displayed in the club's 4-0 run to start the season.

"The second aspect of our team's success so far has been the bench and we've got great contribution. And I thought tonight, everytime I went to it, we went backwards….always putting pressure on the first group," Goorjian said.

Goorjian had to be encouraged by the breakout performance of Deng Deng last start - the backup wing notching a career high 17-points as he desperately tried to keep pace with Cairns' Scott Machado. Cam Bairstow is also rounding into some great form, with back-to-back double doubles coming despite starting from the pine.

The likes of Emmett Naar, Isaac White and Justin Simon have been experts at fulfilling their roles so far in season 2020-21 - but with the rapid fire nature of the NBL Cup meaning teams will have to play 8,9 or 10 deep for the next few weeks - Goorjian will be hoping for more punch and better performances against the bottom of the ladder Breakers.

For the Breakers, the likes of Rasmus Bach, Jarrad Weeks and Kyrin Galloway have had limited opportunity in a Breakers system heavily reliant on its starters so far in #NBL21. Coach Dan Shamir will have heard Goorjian's comments about the bench unit and how the mastercoach has been struggling with his rotations, so will no doubt be backing his benchies to keep the pressure on the Hawks starting unit.

That task becomes even tougher now that big man Robert Loe has headed back to NZ for personal reasons. Loe was averaging 6.4 points and 4.4 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. Loe was also leading the NBL in fouls per game at 3.4

THE SPOTLIGHT

Deng Adel – we're buttering up with Adel as our 'Spotlight' player tonight after his struggles from the field in Saturday's loss to the Taipans.

Adel is too good a player to go 0/15 from the field ever again, with the Hawks only member of the Boomers claiming an unwanted record during his rough trot last start.

It's no secret the former Cleveland Cavalier has had to overcome some niggly injuries in his first stint in the NBL, but with his minutes increasing along with his opportunity (Adel has started the last two games after coming off the bench to open the season), the time is now for Adel to spring out of his funk.

His stats so far this season look like this:

Goorjian stuck fat with Adel for most of the second half in Saturday's loss and has already backed one of his marquee men to find his stroke sooner rather than later.

"He's putting a lot of pressure on himself and now they're really laying off him. One of the things we've talked about is getting involved in the game on the glass, get to the foul line, get a steal. The depressing part from him at halftime was the fact he had one rebound. Regardless of if he's hitting his shot or missing his shot, he can really help us on the defensive end of the floor and the glass. I think he'll loosen up from the perimeter if he gets some easy stuff but tonight that didn't happen," Goorjian said.

THE QUOTES

Sam Froling on how the Hawks can help relieve some pressure on Tyler Harvey and Justinian Jessup...

"Those guys are gonna get trapped like that all the time. I think we stick with our system. Us big guys [need to] set some better screens and get them open. If we get them running off on ball or off ball screens and just be more aggressive. Some of the other wing guys can take the pressure off those two guys [Harvey and Jessup} who are getting pressured all the time. When DA [Adel] and Justin [Simon] start getting on the rim and stuff it free's up Tyler and JJ," Froling said.

Breakers coach Dan Shamir on the difficulties his team is facing this season...

"I would like to share my thoughts and speak openly, but I don’t want to sound like I'm making an excuse or anything like that but I think it's tough. I see it in our guys and I think it's tough for them to play," Shamir said.

"We are just in our hotel room all the time but it's not an excuse. I miss my family too but it's probably harder to play basketball than to coach. At least from what I see they don’t really have a moment of life, they are either with their teammates or alone in their hotel room. "