The New Zealand Breakers, with Cedric Jackson again a standout, have booked their ticket to another NBL grand final with a 91-78 win over Melbourne United in Auckland.
Jackson had 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals on Saturday night as the Breakers clinched their semi-final series 2-0.
The Perth Wildcats lead the Illawarra Hawks 1-0 in their semi-final series ahead of Sunday's game two in Wollongong.
Both the Breakers and Melbourne started in aggressive mood and the intensity didn't drop in a contest between the defending champions and the minor premiers.
But the home side, who had came into the playoffs as the fourth and last qualifiers, produced a big final quarter to break open a tight contest and give themselves a shot at a fifth crown in six seasons.
Tom Abercrombie top-scored for the Breakers with 23 points, while Tai Wesley added 16 and Corey Webster 13.
Although they conceded 12 turnovers, the Breakers again dominated the boards with skipper Mika Vukona once more leading the way with nine.
Vukona said there had been confidence within the squad that they could wrap up the series early after their 91-82 game-one victory on Thursday at Melbourne's Hisense Arena.
That belief didn't waver when United struck back to turn a six-point first-quarter deficit into a five-point halftime lead.
"We got off to a rough start but the boys did a great job bringing it back," he said.
"Tommy got hot, Tai Wesley - they couldn't stop them down there. And Ced - Ced is an amazing player at the moment.
"When you get guys firing on all cylinders, it's always going to turn out positive for us."
For Melbourne, Chris Goulding had 23 points, including five three-pointers, while Hakim Warrick (17), Daniel Kickert (16) and Stephen Holt (12) also scored in double figures.
The opening exchanges at Vector Arena were tight before the Breakers moved ahead over the latter stages of the first quarter to lead 23-17.
They increased the margin to nine points, but their play then became loose and Melbourne took advantage with a 12-point run, going on to win the quarter 29-18.
The high tempo didn't drop as the teams went basket for basket and the lead seesawed with the Breakers edging ahead by a point going into the final quarter.
But a combination of strong defence and some more deadly perimeter shooting from Jackson (who finished with four-from-seven from three-point range) and Abercrombie (four/six) at crucial moments helped the NZ side to pull away.
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