Even if Team New Zealand dig deep to finally win this America's Cup, their wobbles over the past week have been perfect ammunition for any legal push from Oracle in the wake of a Kiwi victory.



Oracle would love nothing more than to pull off what might be rated the greatest comeback in sport and successfully defend the Auld Mug on the scoreboard.



They struck a double blow yesterday, winning both races to take their streak to four since Team New Zealand earned match point.



Oracle need another four wins to hold on to the cup.



But the whispers around the waterfront in San Francisco continue to swirl that Oracle could push for legal action if they are not eventually successful on the bay.



That has always appeared a possibility after Oracle copped unprecedented penalties from the international jury in the wake of the cheating they were convicted of on the eve of their contest against the Kiwis. They lost two points and crucially their world-class wingsail trimmer, Dirk de Ridder, was banned from the final.



Apart from arguing that the penalties, which also included a US$250,000 fine and bans on three other team members, were too severe they will point to the disruption it caused to their buildup in terms of boat development and preparation.



And while Team New Zealand led 8-5 on the points table today, the reality is the results on the water have been 8-7.



It has been an incredibly close regatta, much closer than the scoreboard has reflected.



How much better would Oracle have been without all of that other controversy floating around them?



Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill has once again started raising the injustices they have battled a couple of times lately as their strength on the water grows against a wobbly Team New Zealand who have been unable to strike the killer blow since moving to match point at 8-1 last week.



"This is a team that has been through a lot in this campaign," Spithill reminded everyone again yesterday. "We have faced all sort of adversity ... the capsized boat one ... we had everything going on before this match ... they took two points away, they took a wing trimmer ... one thing after the other.



"But what did the team do?



"They didn't run off or wave the white flag, they just got stuck in and worked hard; it's made the team stronger."



Win or lose the cup now, their impressive comeback efforts have also made any retrospective view of their campaign stronger.



Team New Zealand really needed to nail this thing early, when their dominance was at its height, to put any issues beyond doubt.



The longer it has dragged on, the better Oracle have looked and the more convincing their arguments will sound.



Oracle, forced into a desperate game of catchup, have been impressive. Their crew work has improved markedly and their boat speed increased dramatically.



Despite the stresses that swirled around them, they appear to have made more gains over the same period of racing time than Team New Zealand have.



Oracle have had to take their punishment on the nose - for now.



They cried foul at the time, saying they were "shocked" and "astounded" at the "outrageous" punishments.



Under rules they implemented themselves for this regatta, they have had no recourse while racing is on. Activating court action would mean the end of their participation.



Appealing after the event is not beyond the realms of possibilities.



Lawyers for Oracle's penalised sailors have already spoken of their unease with the way the jury process worked - where jury members were both investigators and judges.



The stakes are huge here, given Larry Ellison's massive investment in this event.



To have his team fight back with such competitiveness and then fall agonisingly short might be too much to bear.

Getty Images ONE MORE: Team New Zealand need just another win to take the Auld Mug.