New Zealand need to develop a killer instinct before they meet Australia according to assistant coach Pero Cameron in the wake of their satisfying tour of Europe.
The Tall Blacks beat Great Britain before suffering narrow losses to 12th and 13th-ranked Croatia and Slovenia this week.
Their final-buzzer 70-68 loss to Croatia on Wednesday was followed 24 hours later by a 73-68 defeat in Slovenia, a game which New Zealand led for large chunks.
Cameron says while countless positives emerged from both defeats, the fact New Zealand couldn't close out victory is a concern as they build towards the two-leg Olympic qualifying series against the Boomers in mid-August.
"Both were there for the taking. We just need to be tougher down the stretch and tougher on ourselves, especially defensively," Cameron said.
"We did manage to get some open looks (against Slovenia) but we weren't able to knock them down late in the game when we needed to."
They were 38-33 up at halftime and 51-49 clear entering the final stanza when Slovenia hit consecutive three-pointers in the closing stages to power ahead 69-62.
The physical nature of the game surprised former Tall Blacks great Cameron, who believes the referees let too much go.
He was impressed with how his young players responded and says it will be difficult to trim their squad of 14 to 12 to face Australia.
Cameron believes his world No.21 side can challenge the 11th-ranked Boomers, even without the services of unavailable NBA centre Steven Adams.
The key will be matching their superior size under the basket and allowing key scorer Corey Webster time and space.
Shooting guard Webster tallied 19 points in both losses while his veteran NZ Breakers team-mate Mika Vukona was a key contributor with his rebounding muscle. Europe-based Isaac Fotu also impressed with 22 points across both games and some top defensive work.
"We've been able to find a group of players who can play at this level and guys like Corey and Mika have cemented their strength," Cameron said.
"These games have been a very high level and the quality was there. We just need to be thrown in the deep end more and more."
Their last warm-up games are at the Stankovic Cup tournament next week in China, featuring internationals against the hosts, Mexico and Venezuela.
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