"Everyone can see the kind of influence he is on our team," said Tom Abercrombie. "He really runs the ship."
2. Dean Vickerman building his own roster
There was a sense last season, even though the lines of succession were smoothly planned and employed, that Vickerman was still running Andrej Lemanis' team. Sure, the former assistant had made his own signing after succeeding his boss, but identity remained an issue.
"At the end of the year, we asked, what was the identity of the team?" Vickerman said. "And we all struggled with it - it was a little mixed. So this year we said, 'this is our plan'."
That plan involved being a defence-first team, emphasising athleticism and excitement at both ends, and that message was emphasised to every member of the roster throughout the season.
3. Maturation of Corey Webster
Two faces in the starting five are different to the side that last season found themselves in a tailspin and, while Jackson has hogged the headlines, his backcourt partner has been equally influential.
Webster's transformation from a streaky scorer off the bench into the Breakers' chief offensive weapon has surprised no one within the organisation, but his all-round improvement might have turned a few heads.
In addition to his team-leading 15.7 points per game, Webster has added leadership and boosted his defensive ability, exemplified by five steals in game two of the semifinals against Adelaide.
4. Depth in the bigs
With respect to Casey Frank, who performed admirably in the role, the sight of a commentator climbing from the booth to the court captured in microcosm the previous season's problems.
As did the opening-month mulligan of ditching Darnell Lazare and re-signing Gary Wilkinson - the Breakers were never comfortable with their big men stocks.
The year, by adding Ekene Ibekwe and Tai Wesley to the foundation of Mika Vukona and Alex Pledger, that scenario has completely reversed.
"It's what we missed last year, there's no doubt about it," Vickerman said. " So this year we went over the top to get more coverage."
5. A team for big moments
Be it a semifinal series against a team riding a 10-game winning streak, or an impossible deficit on the floor of their biggest rivals, the Breakers have excelled in big moments.
Adelaide were swept aside, Perth were vanquished with a miracle shot from Jackson, and now the former three-time champs find themselves on the biggest stage of all.
"I think there's a swell coming a little bit with this group right now," said Vickerman. "I'm just looking forward to the prospect of getting out there now it means everything."
