For years the Manawatu Jets were one of the few teams the Otago Nuggets could actually beat.
The Nuggets' 33-game losing-streak was book-ended by a win against the Jets. And like the Nuggets, the Jets fell on hard times. The franchise narrowly avoided the wooden spoon from 2007 to 2010. The Nuggets saved the Jets from that dubious honour in 2007, 2008 and 2010, while the Taranaki Dynamos chipped in during 2009 with a winless season to claim last spot.
How times have changed. When the teams do battle at the Edgar Centre tonight it will be as two heavyweights.
The Nuggets have been the form team in the competition with nine wins from 10 matches. The Jets are 6-3 and have been perhaps a little up and down for a team with so much talent.
But they have a tremendous upside and showed that with a 112-96 win against the highly-rated Wellington Saints in the capital early last month.
Centre Nick Horvath is the best rebounder in the league and his battle with Nuggets equivalent Antoine Tisby promises to be a highlight.
American point guard Chris Hagan is one of the fastest men in the league and got the better of Lindsay Tait in the win against the Saints. Not many can claim that.
Hagan's match-up with Mark Dickel also promises to deliver some excitment. Dickel is on 36-year-old legs but his defence and passing game is one of the major reasons the Nuggets find themselves at the top of the standings.
Nuggets power forward and former Breaker BJ Anthony has been a force in the paint this season and he will be keen to make a point against Breakers new signing Jeremiah Trueman.
Nuggets coach Alf Arlidge said his side was approaching the game as if it was a playoffs match. The Nuggets have not reached the playoffs since 1997 but are poised to break the drought this season. With nine wins in the bank, they may already have enough points to qualify.
But Arlidge believes his side will need at least two more wins to be safe.
''They have still been winning but they haven't played too well lately,'' Arlidge said.
''Chemistry can be broken quite easily and there can be no reason for it. But on any given night they can be dangerous. They are very capable. Absolutely.
''They have a very good starting five and depth on the bench with Matt Te Huna and Zane Meehl.''
The draw has not been kind to the Jets. It will be their third game in six days. But Arlidge was not so sure that would be a disadvantage for the visitors.
''They should be tired, but then again, when you play three games in a week you should be starting to gel really well.
''If it was us, then, hopefully, by that last game the chemistry building through the week would be really good.''
''And they'll be doing all the right stuff after game to recover and to prepare themselves. So I don't see it as an advantage or disadvantage.''
The Nuggets have a tough end to the regular season with away games against the Jets, Nelson Giants and Southland Sharks before returning home to host the Saints. The Nuggets complete the round-robin with an away game against the Taranaki Mountain Airs on July 6. The finals are the following weekend in Napier.
''We want to just keep winning games. If we start thinking we only need to win one more - well, I don't want the boys to start tapering off. We set lofty goals for ourselves and we just feel we need to keep the momentum going.''
A win against the Jets would probably seal a playoffs berth for the Nuggets and, likewise, the Jets could go a long way towards booking their spot. That means this game has the look and feel of the post season.
The teams
Otago Nuggets: Antoine Tisby, BJ Anthony, Akeem Wright, Riki Buckrell, Mark Dickel (captain), Hayden Allen, Brendon Polyblank, James Ross, Matt Trueman, Luke Aston, Hayden Miller, Tony Fisher.
Manawatu Jets: Chris Hagan, Matt Te Huna, Nick Horvath, Troy McLean, Kaine Hokianga, Jeremiah Trueman, Zane Meehl, Marcel Jones, Tia Temata-Frost, Zeke Meehl.
