Wildcats in whirlpool of quirky NBL season
What a difference a week makes.
This time last week after three straight losses, Perth Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson questioned his side's top-four ambitions.
Going into today's game against New Zealand Breakers at North Shore Events Centre, the championship coach now says the Cats are a sneaky chance of finishing inside the top two.
The third-placed Wildcats have gone 1-1 in the first two matches of their current three-game road trip, defeating Townsville Crocodiles before being overrun by Cairns Taipans.
Adelaide 36ers (fourth) and Melbourne United (fifth) are hot on their heels with six games left in the Wildcats' regular season.
However, Gleeson said their punishing schedule and recent injury woes had made them ready for the top-four fight.
"When you go through adversity it either makes you or breaks you," he said.
"The strongest steel has got to go through the hottest fire.
"We're going through that now and I'm pleased with how the guys have been reacting."
The Breakers will be fired up after slipping to second following a shock loss at home to Sydney Kings last weekend.
It will be the first of two games between the sides on the run home, with the Wildcats also facing the ladder-leading Taipans.
Gleeson said the scheduling meant the reigning champs would, with some luck on the injury front, still be a chance of grabbing home court advantage in the play-offs.
"There's still a rough chance that we can sneak up into the top two and I'm confident with how we've bonded on this road trip," he said.
Injured forward Greg Hire (calf) is expected to play after getting through training in Auckland yesterday, but the Wildcats are down another rotation with development player Louis Timms hurting an ankle.
"It's a big game for us, they're always big games with the big rivalry we have," Gleeson said.
"We've got numbers down, we've got to scrap and fight and get after it. We need to win those 50-50 balls and for things to go our way with our work ethic.
"We know it's going to be a tough battle."
·Sydney Kings star and NBL MVP favourite Josh Childress will miss the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
The former NBA player was injured in the third quarter of the Kings' loss to Adelaide 36ers on Sunday.
He will undergo surgery today and is expected to be sidelined for up to six months. Did you know? 59 The Wildcats' winning percentage this season, with 13 victories from 22 games
