Simon Says History Means Little

Sydney Kings import Justin Simon has declared history means little to his side, who are facing the challenge of bouncing back from a 1-0 deficit in the Championship Series.

In 25 of the past 26 Championship Series, the team who has won Game 1 has gone on to raise the trophy, placing history firmly in the corner of the New Zealand Breakers.

However, Simon says the Kings aren’t focused on the historical numbers heading into Sunday’s Game 2 in Auckland.

“I really don’t pay too much attention to that, you don’t want to count yourself out and we’re looking forward to making something happen in Game 2,” Simon said via Newscorp.

“It’s a quick turnaround, so we can’t really dwell on it. We’ve got to have a short-term memory, learn from it, keep moving forward and get a W on their home court.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The <a href="https://twitter.com/NZBreakers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NZBreakers</a> are in the box seat after Game 1 ?<br><br>Incredibly, 25 of the last 26 winners of the series-opener have gone on to win the Championship. <br><br>Can the <a href="https://twitter.com/SydneyKings?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SydneyKings</a> defy history? <a href="https://t.co/PrKKALmUKM">https://t.co/PrKKALmUKM</a></p>&mdash; NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1631819244227657732?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Simon added Sydney’s medical staff will have banged-up star duo Xavier Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr “ready to go” despite the pair limping off in Game 1.

The crucial Game 2 between the Breakers and Kings tips-off at 4pm AEDT on Sunday at a sold-out Spark Arena.

The game will be broadcast live and free on ESPN via Kayo Freebies, 10 Peach, 10 Play, Sky Sport in NZ and free-to-air on Prime in NZ.