Emotional Breakers Cherish Finals Spot

An emotional New Zealand Breakers coach Mody Maor has expressed adulation towards his players after they locked in a finals spot after Saturday’s 80-74 win against Melbourne United.

Maor was thrilled with the result for the Breakers as they now head into their remaining two regular games with confidence and a chance to qualify directly for the playoffs with a top two spot.

“16 wins has been up on my board for a very long time, it was the number one goal,” Maor said.

“Happy we accomplished it, we’re onto the next one now.

“I told myself when we get to 16, I’ll have fun for a little bit, enjoy it, and tomorrow I’ll go back to regular.”

New Zealand has not made the finals since 2017-18 and Maor is proud of where the team is at after another season of curveballs, following two years ruined by COVID.

“It’s all of the emotions, it’s exactly the reason why,” Maor said.

Centre Rob Loe echoed Maor’s comments on the feeling of clinching a finals spot.

“It was a goal all season, making the playoffs. We wanted it really bad,” Loe said.

“The first goal is ticked off and now we’ve got to refocus and get back on.”

The Breakers are ready to finish the regular season strongly and their next task is against the Illawarra Hawks on Thursday at 7:30pm AEDT.