GAME of the year? After a long weekend of mesmerising action, Round 15 of the National Basketball League (NBL) concluded on Monday night with a clash between the New Zealand Breakers and the Perth Wildcats at MyState Bank Arena. It was shaping as a one-sided affair as the two teams are in the midst of contrasting seasons, and the Wildcats came in heavily favoured given the awesome form they have shown throughout the year. The Breakers had other ideas, producing one of their most complete performances of the 2021/22 season and looking likely to deliver one of the most impressive upsets of the season. Instead, they got a hard lesson on how tough it is to take on a team as classy as Perth.

In one of the most remarkable finishes to the year, the Wildcats produced a seriously clutch performance to close out the game, forcing overtime in the dying seconds of the fourth and then snatching the win at the end of overtime in dramatic fashion. Despite there being no crowds, this still ended up being one of the best contests of the 2021/22 season, and one of the most entertaining finishes of recent memory.

FIRST QUARTER

The match opened with some entertaining back-and-forth action, as the two teams got rolling in the first few minutes of the game. Star Wildcats forward Victor Law got his game going early with a six-point burst over the space of a minute. The second half of the term saw Perth break away a little bit, as the starters pushed the tempo of their offence whenever given the opportunity, while New Zealand’s scoring dried up. The visitors took a seven-point lead into the first break, getting off to the start we all expected.

SECOND QUARTER

Things looked as if they were going from bad to worse for the Breakers, as Perth extended their lead thanks to the efforts of Law and Bryce Cotton. Each time New Zealand looked to make a charge, every basket was almost immediately answered by the Wildcats duo. Breakers big man Yannick Wetzell was vital in keeping his side in the contest at this time, proving dominant inside the paint and getting to the free throw line a number of times. Despite these efforts, the lead remained unchanged at the conclusion of the first half as New Zealand was hanging in by the skin of their teeth.

THIRD QUARTER

The Wildcats looked to put the contest away early in the third period, jumping out to an 11-point lead behind the continued efforts of Law. However, a new hero emerged in Breakers’ young gun Hugo Besson as the NBA prospect got his side back in the contest with an explosive scoring burst in the second half of the quarter. He was simply outstanding as he gave New Zealand a much-needed scoring boost to chip away at the margin. Scoring 14 points in a row for the Breakers, Besson single-handedly got them not only back in the game, but in front heading into the final term as they took a one-point advantage into the fourth.

FOURTH QUARTER

The fourth quarter saw more see-sawing action as the lead changed hands on multiple occasions with some excellent play from both sides. There were some big shots down the stretch, as the Wildcats looked to once again break away on the scoreboard, but were matched by a determined Breakers side. Leading by four points with 30 seconds remaining, New Zealand looked likely to emerge winners. However, Cotton and Law had other ideas, with both hitting clutch shots in the last few plays to send the game to overtime.

OVERTIME

The bonus period did not disappoint, as the Breakers stormed out of the gates with Thomas Abercrombie draining a three on the first play. It looked like New Zealand were going to sneak away with the win as they held the lead for much of the last minute. Enter the reigning MVP. Cotton showed why he is arguably the best NBL import of all time as he drained one of the most clutch shots of the last few years. Trailing by a point in the final 10 seconds of the game, Cottton ran the ball up the court with time running down, pulled up for three and his game-winning shot found the bottom of the net. To top it all off, he was fouled too so he headed to the charity stripe to seal the win. Although his free throw missed, his effort still won Perth the match in dramatic fashion.

CLOSING THOUGHTS …

For the victors, the stars of the show were clearly Law and Cotton, with the duo producing their best performance since Law joined at the start of the 2021/22 season. The duo combined for 71 points, with Law delivering a statline of 39 points and seven boards while Cotton finished with 32 points, nine rebounds and eight assists as the pair were simply unstoppable. Wetzell was fantastic for the Breakers with 17 points and 19 rebounds in a mammoth triple-double, while Besson was terrific as well with 23 points off the bench.