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Taipans (16-12), Breakers (22-6)
The Cairns Taipans are fighting for survival, while the Breakers are eager to take the Dr John Raschke championship trophy to New Zealand when these teams clash in Game 2 of the 2011 iiNet NBL Grand Final Series on Sunday afternoon.
A frenzied sea of orange will set the scene for the first ever Grand Final game in Cairns, which sold out in just over two hours.
In the final NBL game in Australia this season, the Taipans will rely on their fantastic fan base one last time in an attempt to make a complete turnaround from their disappointing showing in the series opener.
After a grinding opening quarter where both teams combined for a staggering 6-of-29 (21 percent) shooting clip from the field, the Breakers exploded in the second stanza to seize control of the game.
Thomas Abercrombie's rare four-point play highlighted a run of 11 unanswered points to start the quarter and New Zealand went on to outscore Cairns 24-13 in the period.
In his post-game interview, Taipans point guard Ayinde Ubaka clearly stated his team played soft and warned they would be destroyed on their home floor if they played like that again.
Ubaka played lone-hand for Cairns in the first half, but the visitors failed to make any inroads in the second half as the deficit blew out by as much as 31.
Surprisingly, both Alex Loughton and Daniel Dillon were kept scoreless on a combined 0-of-9 shooting clip in 44 minutes of court time.
Aaron Fearne needs steady contributions from his entire roster and rectify a dreadful 17-12 turnover to assist ratio if Cairns are to push the series to three games.
The Breakers are now on the cusp of becoming the first team from New Zealand to win a major Australian sports competition.
They'll take confidence from being only one of two teams to steal a victory in the Snakepit during the season.
The Taipans have won their last four home games, for an overall 13-2 campaign in what has become one of the most challenging venues in the league for visitors to prosper in.
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