While the rest of the NBL might be looking forward to the next instalment of the Perth-New Zealand rivalry, Wildcats coach Rob Beveridge knows that his team must instantly refocus on playing in Cairns this Friday night or that March 4 clash with the Breakers might not even matter that much.
The Wildcats' six-game winning run was put to a halt last Thursday in New Zealand, but there were plenty of positives to take from the six-point loss at the North Shore Events Centre.
Click here to listen to the post-match press conference with Rob Beveridge and Damian Martin
That's certainly how Beveridge is looking at it, but he now also fully understands that the Wildcats can't afford any sort of drop away coming off such a big game.
The focus now turns to the Cairns Taipans again on the road this Friday night. While the 'Cats did win there 70-64 back on November 13, that was the first win in Cairns for the Wildcats since November 22, 2008.
Beveridge knows it won't be easy again this Friday with the Taipans coming off a win over Townsville last Friday and desperate to keep winning themselves in the race for a top-four spot.
While the 'Cats remain focused on trying to finish with a top-two spot and hopefully overtaking New Zealand for first place in the run home, Beveridge knows it could be fatal to only focus on the Breakers now.
"It probably will end up coming down to that last game we play, but we have to now focus on bouncing back against Cairns," Beveridge said.
"We aren’t feeling sorry for ourselves because we lost against New Zealand, we identified some areas to work on and we have to take the emotion of losing out of it, and focus on Cairns. We played well, had no passengers and now have to get on with it.
"We have to focus on Cairns and keep on winning or else it won't matter how we go against New Zealand. If we don’t keep winning and keep pace with them, we won't have a chance for that top spot. If we think too much about New Zealand, we won't get there, so all our focus is now on Cairns."
Cairns has been one of the best teams at home in recent seasons and made last year's grand final largely based on their form on their floor. That's why Beveridge knows it will take all of the Wildcats' attention to win this Friday.
"Next week against Cairns is really important for us. We are on the road to Cairns and it's not that we can't lose to them, but we have to go in with the attitude that the Breakers are ahead and we need to keep winning," he said.
"If we circle the March 4 game with them we might lose focus on other games. Right now it's all about Cairns. We have eight games to go and there's plenty of time for those other teams to catch us."
With Cairns, Townsville and Gold Coast all breathing down the Wildcats neck for second spot on the ladder, Beveridge knows that his team just needs to keep winning now that the Breakers game is out of the way to keep those clubs at bay.
"We don't want to get ahead of ourselves and right now we have to concentrate on bouncing back against Cairns. We have to make sure that we keep winning to make sure we finish in that top-two to get that home court advantage," Beveridge said.
"We don’t want to think that we have lost to New Zealand and that it's a crisis at all. It's important that we continue to win and that we stay ahead of Cairns, Townsville and Gold Coast. That's going to be our goal."
