Pero Cameron knows what it takes to slay the Aussie giant, and how hard it is going to be to repeat the heroics of 2001 and 2009 in the Olympic qualifying series which starts in Melbourne on Saturday night.
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But the former Tall Blacks legend and now national assistant coach also understands that it can be done if you get some key things right – a message he'll be seeking to impart to his players before they run out in front of an expected crowd of around 15,000 at Rod Laver Arena for the first of two games in four days.
Cameron played in the stunning 2001 upset when the Tall Blacks beat Phil Smyth's Aussies 2-1 in New Zealand to gain passage to the 2002 world championships in Indianapolis, where they eventually finished fourth.
That was the first ever series win over Australia by a New Zealand team, and has been repeated only once since, in 2009 when the Tall Blacks thumped the Boomers 100-78 in Wellington to complete an unexpected triumph.
"My first year with the Tall Blacks was '93, and we had a couple of close games, and one good experience in 2001. But I don't think I've had too many others," he said of a rivalry that's been closer of late, but still remains weighted heavily in Australia's favour.
Cameron sees many of the qualities needed in this year's largely young group, but also accepts that against a side featuring four NBA players - Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova and Cameron Bairstow - and with some world-class support acts, they're going to have to find close to the perfect equation to turn the hoops world on its head once more.
"There's a lot of things you've got to get right," he said. "We've got a younger group, and their enthusiasm helps. You just don't know. It's a chemistry thing, the way the group gels on game day, all the preparation that goes on before. It's everything, from everybody involved. It's about what we all do together."
Cameron likes the buildup they've had through Europe and China, and feels the group has made significant progress. But the reality is they're missing serious size in Steven Adams and Alex Pledger, firepower in the unavailable Kirk Penney, and class in youngster Tai Webster, and they start a long, long way back of the Boomers on the talent front.
But, then again, that's how it's always been. In Corey Webster and Isaac Fotu the New Zealanders have two emerging stars who will certainly take it to the Aussies, Mika Vukona thrives on this sort of challenge, and others such as Tom Abercrombie, Reuben Te Rangi, Lindsay Tait and Rob Loe are capable of shining moments. They will all need to be somewhere very close to their best to contain, let alone, defeat what will be a supremely confident Boomers outfit.
Results suggest they have a chance, with their unorthodox style, and high passion quotient. The Tall Blacks went very, very close to rolling a Slovenia side that beat the Aussies one out of two, and they enter this series on the back of a 4-0 run through the Stankovic Cup.
They are not big – Loe is a centre in height only, and Vukona and Fotu can expect to log a lot of time in the four and five spots – but Cameron feels like they can turn that potential weakness into a strength.
At last year's World Cup in Spain, Turkey had to pull NBA star Omer Asik off the court because he could not deal with the mobile New Zealand big men who could all shoot from range.
Cameron's hoping Bogut, David Andersen, Nathan Jawai and Brock Motum will experience similar issues in Melbourne, and again in Wellington next Tuesday.
"They bring a few things to the table that are tough to deal with, but we'll try to use their size as an advantage to us. That's the game. You are who you are, you choose your team and that's the way you play.
"We have a lot of good things in our favour.
