MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy's View from Downunder) - There is a lot happening in Australian basketball at the moment to get distracted by, most of it not good.

But I'm going to put my blinkers on and concentrate on the pointy end of the NBL and WNBL seasons.

On Friday night, we saw the New Zealand Breakers' incredible mix of talent, selfless team play and experience overwhelm the Taipans despite the best efforts of 5,300 electrified Cairns fans.

The grand final series heads to Auckland on Sunday, and after two convincing double-figures wins over a red-hot Adelaide in the semis, and tonight's clinical 15-point triumph, who would bet against the heady Tall Blacks crew and their dynamic imports Cedric Jackson and Ekene Ibekwe?

Adelaide have exceptional talent and good team play, Cairns the other way around. But the Breakers are exceptional in both areas, complemented by an abundance of FIBA Basketball World Cup experience. That's a deadly mix.

More about that next week.

Sunday also sees the third straight WNBL decider between Bendigo and Townsville, making it arguably the greatest rivalry in Australian post-millennial women's basketball.

More about that next week too, but for now, here are my WNBL award winners for 2014/15:

All-WNBL First Team
Cayla Francis (Townsville, 17.9 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks) - The Opals big has been a revelation, her combination with Suzy Batkovic and ability from range making it impossible for most opponents to match-up, as evidenced by her ranking fourth in scoring, first in boards, second in blocks and shooting 43 per cent from range.

Abby Bishop (Canberra, 23 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists) - With Lauren Jackson sidelined for the most part, Bishop produced a season for the ages. Everyone knew Bishop was the player to stop to beat Canberra, but few could do it, as she score in the post, on the drive, from outside and dominated the o-boards.

Penny Taylor (Dandenong, 19.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.4 blocks) - With Dandenong listing at 1-4, Taylor stepped in with her incredible talent, but also her skills as a teacher, glue player and mentor. Had she remained fit, the Rangers would probably be in this Sunday's decider.

Cappie Pondexter (Dandenong, 17 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4 assists) - The WNBA great brought a combination of skill and athleticism the WNBL had never seen before. Pondexter could have averaged 25 points had she chosen, but was instead a classy team player in Dandenong's run.

Leilani Mitchell (Sydney, 12.5 points, 5.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals) - With Kristi Harrower retiring, Mitchell assumed the mantle of WNBL assists queen and number one point guard. While her scoring was inconsistent, the Flames certainly wouldn't have made the playoffs without her ever-present floor game.

All-WNBL Second Team
Suzy Batkovic (Townsville, 18.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 1.3 blocks) - Francis' super year took some attention away from Batkovic's remarkable all-court game at 6’4, but there is no doubt the veteran was the rock Townsville’s incredible season has been built around.

Kelsey Griffin (Bendigo, 16.3 points, 9 rebounds, 1.4  steals) - The two-time Grand Final MVP could possibly be the most dominant player in the competition with her mix of strength, skill, floor game, shooting and board-work, but she sacrifices individual glory for the betterment of the Spirit.

Steph Talbot (Canberra, 13.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists) - Ranking 13th in scoring, 8th in boards and 10th in assists, Talbot showed the WNBL the form that made her a junior international star. Teaming with Bishop, the 20-year-old was a consistent and impressive force all season.

Katie Ebzery (Sydney, 16.8 points, 3.0 assists, 45 percent three-point shooting) - For some years Ebzery has promised to go to the upper level of WNBL talent, but this year she delivered, coach Shannon Seebohm's high-speed system perfect for a player who is lightning in the open court.

Tess Madgen (Melbourne, 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists) - The Boomers couldn't quite repeat last season's achievements, but that was no fault of Madgen’s, who took her game to a new level in both guard spots, and amazed with her ability to make big shot after big shot.

Defensive Player of the Year
Louella Tomlinson (West Coast, 12.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, 1.1 steals) - Without all games broadcast this is a tough award to judge - and both grand finalists have worthy candidates – but the difference in West Coast's interior defence with Tomlinson's shot-blocking absent was so marked she gets the nod.

Most Improved Player
Steph Talbot (Canberra) - Talbot improved her scoring by 8.3 points, rebounding by 3.2 rebounds, field-goal shooting by six percent, triples by 22 percent and free-throws by 12 per cent despite attracting more attention from defences - enough said!

Sixth Woman of the Year
Deanna Smith (West Coast, 11.8 points, 41 percent three-point shooting) - It was great to see 'Doccy' back doing her thing after two injury-ruined years. Her pair of shoot-outs with Penny Taylor were magic, and in a season that didn't deliver many highs for the Waves, Smith was something to smile about.

Coach of the Year
Chris Lucas (Townsville) - Seebohm deserves special mention for his first-year performance at Sydney, but coach of the year doesn't factor in experience, it’s who can get their team performing at a disciplined high level the most often, and no one came close to Lucas and Townsville in that regard.

Runner-up MVP
Penny Taylor (Dandenong) - This award could easily belong to Cayla Francis, but for me the all-around nature of Taylor's contribution to both the functioning of her team and the stat sheet - second in scoring, 11th in boards, 8th in assists and second in blocks and steals - was simply remarkable. A legend of the game who we will hopefully see back in the WNBL next season.

Most Valuable Player
Abby Bishop (Canberra) - First in scoring and rebounding, 21 of 22 games scoring in double figures, 12 times above 20 points, five better than 30, 13-double-doubles, 18 games with multiple assists, 47 per cent from the field and 36 per cent from the arc. What more do you need to know? A dominant year that has earned Bishop a recall to the WNBA and the Australian league's highest individual honour.

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

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