The grand final series kicking off tonight in Cairns marks the second straight year the Breakers have concluded their campaign with a clash against the Taipans.

The Breakers know history will be against them when they hit the road for game one of the grand final series, but they see the next week as a new and enticing challenge.

Two crushing wins against one of the hottest teams in the history of the competition - who saw that coming?

The New Zealand Breakers last night continued to resemble the side the dispatched every challenger for three straight seasons, sweeping their semifinal series against Adelaide to advance to the grand final.

The Breakers' last playoff appearance started with the ball in Cedric Jackson's hands and ended with a ring on his finger.

Cairns clinched top spot in the Australian NBL with a four-point victory at Vector Arena this afternoon, leaving the Breakers narrowly short of achieving their first goal of an impressive bounce-back campaign.

The New Zealand Breakers have made a splash in the prestigious New York Times.

One number consistently cropped up this week at Breakers training after Cedric Jackson's miraculous game-winning shot against Perth.

This was a playoff test for the New Zealand Breakers and it took a moment of magic from Cedric Jackson to push them past the Perth Wildcats.

There were plenty of positives to emerge from the Breakers' 93-88 Australian NBL loss to Adelaide in Auckland but Tom Abercrombie cut through the noise to find the cold truth.

Adelaide tonight won their eighth straight game in thrilling fashion at Vector Arena, emerging on top of a Breakers side who did little wrong.

If the Breakers are forced to hit the road in next month's grand finals, they will look back and rue last night's loss in Townsville.

A couple of pieces of the puzzle remain to be arranged before the Breakers begin their playoff campaign.

Past history will warn the Breakers of the danger posed by Perth if the sides meet in next month's semifinals.

The Breakers tonight dealt defending champions Perth a third straight defeat this season, riding a red-hot offence at the NSEC.

It was better for the Breakers to endure such a sloppy night now than next month when a similar performance could see the season end.

The Breakers were tonight blown out by a Kings side scrapping for their playoff lives, with the two teams' respective comfort levels surrounding the postseason reflected on the Vector Arena floor.

He's coming off a triple-double, his parents are in town and he leads the league's best team - life is pretty good for Cedric Jackson.

Cedric Jackson recorded a triple-double to lead the Breakers past Melbourne at Vector Arena this afternoon.

Vukona will today play his 200th consecutive game in the Australian NBL, a streak that will surprise few who have played with or against him.

The Breakers this afternoon repeated their efforts from the NSEC on Thursday night to claim a tight and tough road victory over the last-placed Hawks.

The Breakers were made to work exceptionally hard before beating the last-placed Wollongong Hawks in overtime.