'A lot to work on': Forde reflects on gritty Breakers win

Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans Head Coach Adam Forde admits his side was far from its best but was pleased with Sunday afternoon’s 86-84 win against New Zealand Breakers at the Cairns Convention Centre.

The Taipans stormed home in the final quarter, overcoming multiple double-digit deficits to snatch a thrilling two-point win.

Forde said the result was more about character than execution.

“We'll take it, we'll take the win,” Forde said post-game.

“It was clunky, a lot of things to work on, but the guys found a way to win at the end.

“There's a lot to work on.”

Despite Cairns producing a much-improved second half, Forde refused to describe the performance as a tale of two halves.

“We just started to hit some shots at the right time, and that's where the guys got to back themselves and trust it, and trust themselves with the shot,” Forde said.

The Taipans trailed for virtually the entire afternoon before finally regaining the lead during a decisive final-quarter burst.

Reyne Smith proved the difference, knocking down all three of his triples in the last 10 minutes, while Keanu Pinder's three-pointer gave Cairns its first lead since the opening quarter.

Smith's late heroics helped spark an 11-0 run that transformed the contest, before the Taipans held their nerve in a frantic finish.

Forde was impressed with the return of Jaylin Galloway, who made his debut in Taipans’ colours and finished with 18 points, six assists and three rebounds.

“He was probably the only one really giving us something at the back end of that first quarter,” Forde said.

“The game was in touch. We subbed him out and the game got out to eight or nine points. Then we brought him back and he helped bring it back into touch again, making some big shots.”

Forde was particularly thrilled by the three-time NBL champion’s production given the offense wasn't designed around him.

“For someone that just didn't have anything run for him to score 18 points and have six assists, to virtually just play a very well-organised pickup game, he did pretty well,” Forde said.

Pinder also drew praise from Forde after battling through illness to contribute 15 points and five rebounds.

“When he came in on Thursday, he literally looked like he was stung by a bee. He was not in good shape,” Forde said.

“He got through a very light practice yesterday and made himself a game-time decision, and he wanted to play.”

After a slow start, Pinder became increasingly influential and played a key role initiating offence during the second-half comeback.

“It was a bit like one of those road trains. It took him a while to get going, but once he got going, he was really impressive for us,” Forde said.

“He came up pretty big. There's a real level of resilience with him that he had to toughen up a little bit today, and it was great that he did.”