NZ Breakers captain Tom Abercrombie wants his team to harness that "chip on the shoulder" mentality that has powered them to the precipice of another Australian NBL title, when their finals series begins on Friday.
The Breakers tip-off game one in the best-of-five series against the Kings in Sydney on Friday night, where the hosts will begin their quest for a second-straight title.
The Auckland-based franchise have rebounded from a despondent two seasons of COVID-19 exile across the Tasman to earn their place in the league's showpiece series, where they'll vye for their fifth championship.
Victory over the highly favoured Kings would complete a remarkable fairytale, although Abercrombie isn't quite ready to get caught up in sentimentality.
"The time for reflection will come, but obviously you did look back a little bit on what we've been through these past couple of years and all the adversity, as a team and personally," said Abercombie.
"It's wonderful to be back in this position and be playing with a team and a group of people who are about the right things, and who have gone about things the right way this year.
"It's just a really tight-knit group and it's awesome we've been rewarded for all of our hard work with a chance to go for another championship."
In fact, only a handful of players remain from the squads that endured the misery of their past two campaigns, which reached rock-bottom with their wooden-spoon finish last season.
But Abercrombie - who's been involved in all four of the Breakers' titles - believes some of the fortitude shaped by those struggles has rubbed off on the newer members of the squad, who have adopted a similar mindset.
"In a lot of ways we're a relatively new group this year," he noted. "There aren't a whole lot of people that went through what we went through the past couple of years.
"But those that did certainly have a slightly hardened, grittier nature about us now, and the guys we've recruited to come along on this journey with us this year buy into the same ethos, I think.
"Everyone's got a bit of a chip on their shoulder and something to prove, and it's made us a very tough and resilient group."
The Breakers have won one of their three contests against the Kings - the only team to finish above them in the standings - prevailing in their most recent encounter last month, which is a result that should give the side plenty of belief they can cause an upset.
And with the Kings holding homecourt advantage, Abercrombie admits making a statement in Friday's opening game at Qudos Bank Arena will be critical.
"You want to come out and set the tone for the series and play the right way," he admitted.
"We're under no illusions about the challenge in front of us. Sydney have been the best team all season long and defending champs, and we're going to have to be at our absolute best to beat them."
