Snake Eyes – Taipans v Breakers Monday

For two straight games now, the CQUniversity Cairns Taipans have seen wins slip through their fingers and the Snakes are going to be more determined than ever to not let that happen again on Monday night.

If snapping a six-game losing streak isn’t enough motivation for the Taipans, the last two games they've lost in Brisbane to the Bullets and at home to the New Zealand Breakers on Saturday have been especially hard to take.

That's because they have been largely impressive showings from the Snakes. Against the Bullets they were 10 points up with seven minutes to go and against the Breakers, six points to the good with three and-a-half minutes remaining having earlier led by 12.

Now the way those games finished have been frustrating and disappointing, but the fact remains the Taipans have done a lot right to put themselves in those winning positions.

The Snakes just have to finish the job now to return the winner's list and the next opportunity presents on Monday night against the same Breakers opponent back at the Cairns Pop-Up Arena.

Here are five things to look out for:

1. SNAKES EXCITED FOR CHANCE TO IMMEDIATELY RESPOND
Saturday night's game might not have finished how the Taipans hoped but coach Mike Kelly is excited to have a chance to hit back 48 hours later

Coming away without a win the last two games means nobody at the Cairns Taipans is happy, but the fact does remain they have played two good performances for the most part despite the rough endings.

It's that reason that the Snakes are feeling like things aren’t too far away from clicking. Being 1-6 and having lost six straight games is hardly ideal especially with six of those having been at home, but it would be much worse had the Taipans not felt those wins were well within reach.

The Taipans played their first road game of the season last Saturday in Brisbane. The Snakes delivered a brilliant first half putting up 55 points to lead by 15 on the back of shooting 54 per cent from the field and 8/12 from deep.

The Snakes still led by 11 at three quarter-time, by 10 with seven minutes left and even by six with 5:40 on the clock. But the Bullets went on to lead by three before Jarrod Kenny hit a huge three to force overtime.

Kenny hit another huge triple to start overtime and then Scott Machado hit two of his own to tie scores up, but the Bullets had the last say to win 105-103. The Taipans were left to think what could have been after playing so well in large parts and then missing Cam Oliver and Majok Deng in overtime.

Then on Saturday night back at the pop-up against the then winless Breakers, the Taipans put together a 16-6 run during the second quarter to take control. That turned into a 12-point lead during the third period and still by eight early in the fourth, and by six with 3:30 left.

But the Breakers ended the game with 15 of the last 18 points to win 85-79.

That was tough to take for the Taipans but the positive is the short turnaround to the rematch on Monday which coach Mike Kelly is looking forward to.

"We've played some really good basketball in both our last two games especially and we just need to do that consistently through four quarters," Kelly said.

"I love the way our guys fought through some early mistakes as a group and toughened up and got some stops. In the end you need to get stops and we didn’t do that in the fourth quarter and it showed on the offensive end. 

"We just need to be consistent through four quarters, keep scores down and when we do get rebounds we're good to go on offence and the ball gets moving, and we have more pace. This is a good group of players and guys, and I'm excited that we get to come back to play on Monday."

2. TAIPANS LEARN SOME LESSONS THE HARD WAY
The Breakers changed things up in the third quarter to turn the game in their favour but the Taipans can learn from that and not let it happen again on Monday

With the Cairns Taipans in control up 12 against a New Zealand Breakers staring down the barrel of a 0-3 start to the season, the visitors had to change things on Saturday night and they did.

Taipans coach Mike Kelly noticed the Breakers take a more physical approach as they tried to turn the tide of the contest, and unfortunately for the Snakes, it worked for New Zealand.

The Breakers made the necessary adjustments to turn the game around to record their first win of the season and they got their superstar recruit Lamar Patterson going in the process.

But at the same time, the Taipans learned some tough lessons from what worked for the Breakers and now coach Mike Kelly knows what to look out for in the rematch on Monday night, and to have his team ready to handle it better and make sure it's not as successful.

"I definitely think the Breakers got more physical from the middle of the third and through the fourth," Kelly said.

"We handled it well through a patch in the third when it hit us and we made some nice plays, and the guys did some good things. Then in the fourth quarter they got downhill, got to the line, made some shots and I didn’t adjust well enough defensively for our guys. 

"They made some tough plays and then offensively I think they did a good job of being more physical and we allowed ourselves to get out of our shape, and then get the ball back to Scott and the ball didn’t move as freely as it was earlier in the game. Shots became tougher as a result."

3. STAYING POSITIVE NO PROBLEM FOR PLAYING GROUP
The Taipans might be on a losing streak but the playing group remains positive and confident that they have the right pieces to get things back on track

The Cairns Taipans playing group had great chemistry last year, had a good off-season together and that tightness and positivity within it hasn’t changed even if the wins haven’t been quite coming to start the 2021 NBL season.

The chemistry created within the Taipans group last year was impressive and the unit worked so well together that it was a big focus on the back of that to bring as many members of that group back again in #NBL21.

Jarrod Kenny is one of those now back for his third season with the Taipans and having seen what success looks like as a championship winner in the Perth Wildcats, he has no doubt things with the Snakes have all been put together to give the group the best chance to succeed.

Obviously any losing streak is never fun to be part of and it's especially not enjoyable losing in front of the loyal and passionate Orange Army fans, but what Kenny has seen that is encouraging that the playing group has remained positive and confident that things aren’t far from turning around.

That's why Kenny is now already looking forward to the chance on Monday night against the Breakers for the Taipans to get back to winning and snap that losing slide.

"After the success we had last year we knew there was that expectation there for us, but in the locker room everyone is still super positive," Kenny said. 

"We know what we're doing wrong and we have to do the little things better, and the wins will come. Everyone's still on board and ready to go, and are keen to get up and ready for the next one. 

"The good thing about this season is that the next one comes around quick and as a playing group we probably need to get better at making those adjustments from game to game. But overall we're still positive and we know there's a long way to go."

4. SNAKES HOPE TO BE BACK AT FULL STRENGTH
The Taipans did miss the energy and shooting ability of Mirko Djeric on Saturday and there is a chance he'll return against the Breakers on Monday 

Quite often since he arrived in Cairns has Mirko Djeric been the barometer for the Taipans, and as a result his energy and shooting ability was missed on Saturday night against the New Zealand Breakers.

A tight hamstring meant Djeric was ruled out of the game and it was a significant loss for the Snakes given not only has the shooting guard been delivering 11.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists a game, but his tenacity, defence and all-round energy is impossible to replace or replicate.

Jordan Ngatai did step into that starting role in place of Djeric and he played a good game in his first match up against his former Breakers team. 

Ngatai ended up with eight points and five rebounds while producing a strong defensive performance so he will take confidence out of that increased role both with or without Djeric in the line-up moving forward.

But with a couple of more days to get his hamstring right, Taipans coach Mike Kelly is confident Djeric will be right to play on Monday night against the Breakers.

"We hope he'll be right. He didn’t come up on Saturday and he's got a little bit of a hamstring strain, but he's doing everything he can and he wants to be out there," Kelly said.

"When you're one down, I thought Jordan Ngatai came in and played well, and JK has been playing great off the bench all year. 

"We had guys that got opportunities and made some nice plays, but you feel it when you're missing one of your guys and you just have to step up and kind of replace that as a team."

5. PATTERSON ANSWERED THE CALL FOR BREAKERS
There was growing pressure on Lamar Patterson to deliver for New Zealand and he did that on Saturday. Now the Taipans need to find a way to stop it happening again

The Cairns Taipans knew to be mindful of the sleeping bear Lamar Patterson coming into Saturday's game and now two days later, they need to find a way to shutdown the former MVP candidate.

Patterson spent the past two seasons with the Brisbane Bullets before being a significant off-season signing with the Breakers. It's fair to say things didn’t start ideally and a scoreless last up outing meant he had to deliver something in Cairns on Saturday night.

He started on the bench and didn’t really show a whole lot, that was until the Breakers needed a spark late in the third quarter with the Taipans in control of the game.

Patterson went on to deliver 13 of his 22 points in the game in the fourth quarter including seven in the final three minutes as his confidence grew possession after possession.

He went from a player devoid of confidence with no faith in his shots from the field or free-throw line earlier in the game to someone who by the last quarter had all his old swagger back and just didn’t look like he could miss no matter what shot he would take.

So now the challenge for the Taipans is to stop him coming out and firing again in the quick rematch on Monday night.

"We didn’t get on top of him and we didn’t stop his rhythm, and he made shots and got to the foul line so it was really difficult," Cairns coach Mike Kelly said. 

"We need to do a better job of that on Monday because he really got going."