3 Peat Perfection

Last night the NZ Breakers solidified their place in the ANBL record books with a historic 3rd Championship in a row, defeating the Perth Wildcats 70-66. What made it all the more sweeter was that it was done away from home in the new Perth Arena in front of 14,000 fans. It was a fitting end to the career of Breakers stalwart Dillon Boucher, the ultimate team player and one of the original Breakers from the inaugural season.

Dillon, is not the flashiest of the Breakers players, a lot of the time it’s common to forget he is out on court, so good he is at quietly doing his job and providing the ball and space for his teammates that he will certainly leave a big hole next season. 

The grit, determination and intensity was evident from both teams in Game 2 but it was the Breakers who did enough to survive a late onslaught from the home team in the final quarter.

With a roster as impressive as the Breakers its not hard to see why they have been such a successful franchise with the impressive depth and combination of youth with experience it has been a recipe for success.

In typical champion style CJ Bruton lead off the bench with a game high 16 points, breaking Wildcats hearts with his 4/5 from the 3 point zone he was unstoppable, top it off with 2/2 at the free throw to seal the victory it was the CJ show. He was aptly joined by finals MVP Cedric Jackson who after a quiet first half kicked into gear and contributed 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals ensuring the Breakers stayed in the drivers seat. 

One of the Breakers greatest weapons has been the ability for all of the players wether it be starting or off the bench to score. If 2012/2013 MVP Cedric Jackson is having an off night you can rely on Thomas Abercrombie, Alex Pledger, Darryl Corletto and CJ Bruton to slot the baskets. The unselfishness of the team is a testament to the culture and environment that the Breakers organisation has been able to create and it is certainly a huge factor behind their on court success.

As our most successful franchise in an Australian competition they represent our country with tenacity, drive and professionalism that we should all be proud of.

We believed :) Congratulations Breakers, here is to the 4th championship in a row next season.