2008-09
Prior to the 2008-09 season, the collapse of the Brisbane Bullets saw the Breakers swoop and sign influential players CJ Bruton and former Breaker Dillon Boucher, whilst losing Kiwis Paora Winitana and Mika Vukona.
The Breakers started the 2008-09 season with a roar, sitting atop the NBL ladder with a 15-4 record heading into 2009. Bruton joined forces with Penney in what turned out to be the All-NBL First Team backcourt, and had support from Oscar Forman, Tony Ronaldson and Phill Jones.
However after Bruton suffered a high ankle sprain in a victory over the Perth Wildcats - the Breakers last match in 2008 - the Breakers stuttered through January 2009 without their talismanic leader, losing eight of their next nine games as his ankle fully recovered.
After a successful last week of the regular season, the Breakers finished with an 18-12 record (surpassing the 2007-08 record of 16-14), setting the team up with their first ever home playoff in the NBL. The Breakers went on to win their elimination playoff, routing the Adelaide 36ers 131-101 to set up a best-of-three semi-final series with the defending champion Melbourne Tigers. Sadly, the Breakers dreams of winning the championship were stopped at the semi-final stage, beaten 2-0 in the best-of-three series by the Tigers.
Read more about this topic: New Zealand Breakers