The much-anticipated NBL match-up between Andrew Bogut and Shawn Long will definitely happen at one end of the court but Sydney coach Andrew Gaze isn't so sure about the other.
Last week former NBA player Long exploded for 28 points and 18 rebounds against Adelaide and torched Perth for 33 points two days later.
Across the NZ Breakers three losses to Sydney, Long has tallied 53 points, 26 rebounds and four blocks, while Kings linchpin Bogut has posted 53, 35 and six.
Gaze said Bogut would definitely man up on Long when the Breakers are in offence, but wasn't so sure what the visitors would do in defence at Qudos Bank Arena.
'He (Long) has been unbelievable, the last couple of games he's really found his groove," Gaze told AAP.
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'He was running into a lot of foul trouble early on in the season, but it seems like the zone is protecting him a little bit and he's going to be a tough assignment for us.
'New Zealand are playing a lot of zone, so I'm not sure how much you'll see of this specific matchup, but last time we played them they tried a bit of zone and we were quite good, so they got out of it
"If they've been watching our games recently, we've had to face some pretty tough man defence and we've had some problems, so it's an interesting one for them to decide."
Despite Sydney's ladder-leading position, Gaze stressed they still had a lot more to give in some areas.
"Particularly on the offensive end and we've got to tidy up some work on the boards,' Gaze said.
Some pundits have already declared Sydney are a certainty to make the playoffs, an assertion Gaze disputes.
"There's a lot of anomalies in the fixturing.. We've still got some really tough games to go so we're under no illusions that we're in the playoffs or we can expect to be in the playoffs,'" Gaze said.
