Breakers guard CJ Bruton boiling over refs

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CJ Bruton has called for more consistency from referees as the Breakers walk a knife-edge over the final stages of the Australian NBL season.

The 34-year-old veteran guard, who's looking to make an international swansong with the Boomers at this year's world championships in Turkey, has revealed his frustrations over what he perceives to be unfair treatment from the league's whistle-blowers.

The Breakers survived a third-quarter scare to end a four-game losing streak with a 103-89 victory over the Adelaide 36ers on Thursday in Auckland, thanks to a career-high 49 points from Kirk Penney.

That win took the North Shore-based club to 10-13 for the season as it headed into a potentially defining road double against the Gold Coast Blaze late last night and on Wednesday at Townsville.

The Breakers need to win both to keep alive their push for an unlikely playoff spot.

Bruton, who backed up Penney with an efficient 20 points against the 36ers, could not hide his frustration during that game.

He explained why to the Star-Times afterwards.

"For me it's boiling point. I'm not getting any more calls," said the fiery three-time Olympian who has pushed over to the two-guard spot for the latter part of the season.

After a long rant about his frustrations and his belief it could come back to haunt Australian and New Zealand players at the upcoming world championships, Bruton was asked what he wants from officials.

"Consistency," he shot back. "If it's a foul call it. They can't start saying `you're making the contact'. My job is to drive to the basket and if he's holding me it's a foul.

"You can't change it and just say this is how we're calling it this year.

"I feel like in a game they'll tell me to get my hand off or say `CJ don't bump him'. But they do that to me then don't say a word to him. You're singling someone out, and that's not right.

"I know I've been in the game a long time but you don't have to single me out. You give [Melbourne star Chris] Anstey calls – he still gets the same calls he was getting six or seven years ago. I'm not getting any."

To be fair to Bruton, one of the best players in the league, he appears to have a point. He cops a hammering in games, and the latitude that he has to endure on offence doesn't always seem to be afforded the Breakers when they're in stop mode.

Meanwhile, Bruton dished out high praise for Penney's record-breaking performance against the 36ers – arguably the finest in a Breakers singlet. Penney went 16-of-23 from the field, nine-of-14 from long-range and had five boards and five assists.

"I've seen some great shooting displays in my time, and it's definitely up there, especially at this time of the year when we need buckets," he said. "If he doesn't score that we don't win the ball game. Even if he halves that we don't win this ball game. It's important for him to stay aggressive."

- © Fairfax NZ News