The team consisted of their imports (Scott Machado, D. J. Newbill and Cameron Oliver), eight regular roster players (George Blagojevic, Majok Deng, Mirko Djeric, Anthony Fisher, Nathan Jawai, Jarrod Kenny, Fabijan Krslovic and Kouat Noi) and their two development players (Tad Dufelmeier and Tai Wynyard).
[1] These predictions also coupled with the Taipans' previous season, during which they struggled to compile wins and finished with a 6–22 record (include a run of 14 consecutive losses).
After confirming their playoff spot, the Taipans lost their final two games by a combined total of 52 points.
[20] After a brief scoreless period for the Taipans, Newbill shot another three to draw the game before a free throw affair saw the scores slowly raised to 7–8 in favour of the 36ers.
Offensive work from Noi saw the game return to field goal shooting, with late points from Dillon handing the 36ers a three-point lead heading into the first break.
After their charge early in the quarter, Newbill took the reins and added five of his own points to hold back Johnson, the only 36er to score for the final four minutes of the half.
After a scoreless first minute, including three missed shots and one turnover, Deng kick started the game with back-to-back points.
It took nearly two minutes, five missed shots and a turnover before a Jawai lay up started the flow of points for the Taipans.
Scoring straight after the start of the third quarter, the Taipans seemed ready to continue on their dominant streak.
Despite this, the All Stars didn't last long before the Taipans started to rebuild their lead, with Blagojevic and Krslovic forming the backbone of this resurgence.
[24] Another scoreless minute passed before Machado was able to score again, with Deng, Newbill, Noi, Oliver (Taipans), Newley and Ware (Kings) unable to take advantage of multiple opportunities.
A sloppy start to the final quarter limited the Taipans attempts to rebuild their lead, with eight unanswered points from the Kings leveling the scores with five minutes left to play.
Not content with tying the game, the Kings began to build their lead, with three points from the Taipans in the final five minutes doing little to stop them.
Post game, Taipans Head Coach Mike Kelly commented on the missed opportunities, and stated that his team "didn’t take full advantage all the time of that tonight.
[citation needed] Starting strong out of the game, the Taipans quickly piled on points and fought their way to a 5–12 lead.
[26] After going down early in the game, the Bullets regathered and limited the Snakes' scoring opportunities whilst Braun and Gliddon puts points of their own on the board.
[citation needed] Starting strong after half-time, the Bullets dominated the opening minutes and out-scored the Taipans 7-1 and took a four-point lead.
During the regular season he was able to topple the NBL assists record and set up his teammates, whilst still scoring 16.11 points per game and shooting at 45% from the field.
[29] Fabijan Krslovic[30] – After spending one year as a development player, which included multiple appearances on-court due to injured teammates, Krslovic has worked his way throughout the season from playing the role of a bench warmer up to being in the regular rotations during games, including an average of 11.38 minutes during a game at the end of the regular season.
[39] Ash Constable[40] – Originally starting as a development player for the Cairns Taipans over the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons, Constable has since moved his role in the club off-court where he "tirelessly help[s] the Taipans admin [team], all while dedicating time to Cairns Basketball programs".
[41] Kouat Noi[42] – Throughout the season Kouat spent large amounts of time in the community, including at multiple school visits, his multiple visits to local basketball courts to train with kids, and his Mannequin Challenge series on Instagram (part 1 and part 2).