THIS story is being updated after each game.

The NBL’s 2016-17 regular season is entering Round 19 — its final round — and the race to the finals is as hot as ever.

Entering the last week of action, only two teams know their respective fate: the Adelaide 36ers are comfortably in the top spot on the NBL ladder and have already qualified for the post-season, while the Brisbane Bullets are uncomfortably at the bottom of the ladder and are out of finals contention.

That leaves six teams — the Illawarra Hawks, Melbourne United, Sydney Kings, Cairns Taipans, Perth Wildcats, and New Zealand Breakers — fighting for the three remaining spots in the league’s top-four.

There’s a very good chance we’ll be confronted with what we’ll call a ‘mini-ladder’, which is a scenario outlined in the NBL’s Rules and Regulation, that states: If two or more teams are tied, then the “final placings shall be determined by the win/loss ratio in only those games played between the tied teams”. This means that regular season series splits are no longer explicitly relevant, with a separate ladder created for the tied teams, their results against each other calculated, then placed back into the overall NBL ladder.

Every single game of Round 19 has post-season implications, so, here’s what needs to happen for each team to qualify for the NBL finals.

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ROUND 19 SCHEDULE

All times are AEDT.

CAIRNS TAIPANS 89 — ADELAIDE 36ERS 85

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS vs MELBOURNE UNITED (Friday, February 10 @ 5:30pm)

PERTH WILDCATS vs SYDNEY KINGS (Friday, February 10 @ 9:30pm)

ILLAWARRA HAWKS vs BRISBANE BULLETS (Saturday, February 11 @ 5:30pm)

ADELAIDE 36ERS vs CAIRNS TAIPANS (Saturday, February 11 @ 7:30pm)

MELBOURNE UNITED vs PERTH WILDCATS (Sunday, February 12 @ 3pm)

Every game is broadcast live on Fox Sports 3 (Foxtel Channel 503).

***

NBL LADDER (Updated, as of February 10)

1. ADELAIDE 36ERS — 17-10

2. ILLAWARRA HAWKS — 14-13

3. CAIRNS TAIPANS — 14-13

4. MELBOURNE UNITED — 13-13

5. PERTH WILDCATS — 13-13

6. SYDNEY KINGS — 13-14

7. NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS — 13-14

8. BRISBANE BULLETS — 10-17

***

CAIRNS TAIPANS (14-13)

Head-to-heads:

Adelaide (1-2, -25)

Illawarra (3-1, +21)

Brisbane (2-2, -6)

Melbourne (1-3, -5)

New Zealand (4-0, +33)

Perth (2-2, -6)

Sydney (1-3, -17)

The Taipans have, arguably, the toughest Round 19 schedule, and they opened it up with a bang.

Cameron Gliddon and Travis Trice led the Taipans to a win over the 36ers, giving them their 14th win, but they’ll travel to Adelaide for their final game, hoping to come away with the same result. A Taipans win will immediately see them qualify for the post-season, while a loss will put them at 14-14 and see them enter a mini-ladder.

The Cairns Taipans have a tough Round 19 schedule. Source: News Corp Australia

The teams likely to be on the mini-ladder would be among the Hawks, United, Wildcats, Kings, and Breakers. In that case, the Taipans would be hoping for a Kings loss, as well as either two United wins or two United losses; a scenario that would see them avoid both teams — whom they didn’t perform well against — in a potential mini-ladder.

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS (13-14)

Head-to-heads:

Adelaide (2-2, -1)

Cairns (0-4, -33)

Brisbane (3-1, +19)

Illawarra (2-2, -11)

Sydney (1-3, -28)

Perth (3-1, +15)

Melbourne (2-1, -13)

The Breakers have one game remaining — against United — and it’s the very definition of a must-win. A win, and the Breakers’ post-season hopes remain alive; a loss, and they’re out.

If the Breakers win and improve to 14-14, there’s a chance they could fare well in a mini-ladder. In this scenario, the hope for the Breakers would be that the Wildcats split their remaining games; preferably, a Wildcats loss to United, as well as a Wildcats win over the Kings. The Breakers would also like the Taipans to win their final matchup, because of the challenge they’d be in a potential mini-ladder.

That improbable, yet not unlikely, series of events — remember, the Breakers would still need to defeat United — would put New Zealand in an ideal situation entering that mini-ladder.

MELBOURNE UNITED (13-13)

Head-to-heads:

Adelaide (2-2, +7)

Cairns (3-1, +5)

Brisbane (2-2, +19)

Illawarra (2-2, -9)

Sydney (3-1, +7)

Perth (0-3, -8)

New Zealand (1-2, +13)

Like most teams that have two games entering the final round of action, two wins would see United qualify for the post-season, while two losses would end their season.

A win over the Breakers — their first game of the round — would likely seal United’s fate as a top-four team, due to their splits against the sides that could make up a 14-14 mini-ladder.

United’s series loss against the Hawks may not have an affect in a mini-ladder, due to Illawarra’s somewhat poor results against other teams who have the potential to be a part of the mini-ladder. United would also love to have the Taipans to win their final game so they’d be added to that mini-ladder, giving Melbourne a significant edge.

Chris Goulding and Casper Ware. Source: Getty Images

To sum up: if United is able to win their first game, the likelihood of them making the post-season increases dramatically, while a win over the Wildcats would then hoist them into the top-four. But, whatever ends up happening in United’s first leg of the round, their game against the Wildcats is still a must-win, because it would have major implications for the mini-ladder, especially if Perth is involved.

SYDNEY KINGS (13-14)

Head-to-heads:

Adelaide (0-4, -29)

Cairns (3-1, +17)

Illawarra (3-1, +15)

Melbourne (1-3, -7)

Brisbane (2-2, -5)

Perth (1-2, -8)

New Zealand (3-1, +28)

The Sydney Kings face the Perth Wildcats away from home — one of the toughest tasks in the league — and it’s a must-win for Andrew Gaze’s side.

A loss eliminates them from playoff contention, while a win would see them improve to 14-14 on the season, and likely thrust into a mini-ladder.

While the Kings have had a poor end to their regular season, they should be able to fare relatively well in a mini-ladder, depending on the teams. Their series wins over the Taipans, Breakers, and Hawks could play a huge role, potentially hiding their poor performances against United and the Wildcats. The Kings would prefer to have the Taipans, as opposed to United, in the mini-ladder, so their dream is that Cairns splits its two games against the 36ers, and United lose both of theirs of Round 19.

Another note for the Kings: a nine point win over the Wildcats would give them an edge in the season series, which could prove to be significant in a mini-ladder.

ILLAWARRA HAWKS (14-13)

Head-to-heads:

Adelaide (3-1, +16)

Sydney (1-3, -15)

Cairns (1-3, -21)

Melbourne (2-2, +9)

New Zealand (2-2, +11)

Brisbane ((3-0, +21)

Perth (2-2, -6)

Out of every team whose post-season fate isn’t already sealed, the Hawks have the easiest road to qualification: a sole game against the Brisbane Bullets.

The Bullets have been the NBL’s most underwhelming team, and the Hawks have already picked up three wins over them; a fourth on Saturday would hoist them into the playoffs.

Rotnei Clarke. Source: Getty Images

A loss, while improbable, would be bad news for the Hawks, who didn’t fair particularly well against the team that’ll likely round out the 14-14 mini-ladder. In that scenario, they would be cheering for the Wildcats in their matchup against the Kings.

PERTH WILDCATS (13-13)

Head-to-heads:

Adelaide (1-3, -18)

Cairns (2-2, +6)

Sydney (2-1, +8)

Illawarra (2-2, +6)

Melbourne (3-0, +8)

New Zealand (1-3, -15)

Brisbane (2-2, +13)

The Wildcats have two games in Round 19; the first against the Kings, along with the final game of the regular season against United.

As has been the case with every team with two games remaining: two wins will mean immediate qualification for the post-season, while two losses is elimination.

When it comes to the other results, the Wildcats would ideally like United to eliminate the Breakers straight off the bat. If that happens, then the Wildcats could put themselves in an extremely ideal position if they pick up a win against the Kings, later in the evening.

A win against the Kings wouldn’t seal a post-season spot for the Wildcats, but it would somewhat diminish the significance of their game against United. Now, while that may be the case, that final game isn’t one that either team can really afford to sleep on.

Olgun Uluc covers basketball for Fox Sports Australia. Twitter: @OlgunUluc