The Otago Nuggets (6-10) just had their best season since 2003 and there was something quite joyful about being part of that journey.
Satisfaction came not through success as such, but through the Nuggets' colourful and rich back story.
The beleaguered franchise endured possibly the worst losing streak in New Zealand sport, losing 33 consecutive games between 2008 and 2011.
The Nuggets dropped out of the league in 2009 because of financial reasons.
Had it not been for the passion of basketball stalwarts such as Todd Marshall, Gavin Briggs and Simon Clarke, the Nuggets' wonderful history might have ended there.
Getting a team back on court was only half of the battle.
Building a competitive unit proved more of a struggle.
The Nuggets' comeback season passed without a win.
There were some grim performances from a side that more closely resembled a high school team than it did a semi-professional outfit.
It took a lot of tenacity and an inspired performance from Lance Allred for the Nuggets to snap their terrible losing streak.
This year, relief came during the off-season with news home-town hero Mark Dickel was returning to where he got his start on a two-year contract.
And the signatures of Breakers duo BJ Anthony and Leon Henry helped lift belief in the camp and did wonders for the franchise's public relations, even if Anthony was not sighted on court and Henry played only a minor role.
When players of that calibre join a battling team, they pave the way for others to follow.
Recruiting top-level talent has long been an issue for the Nuggets.
Keeping both players on the books will be a top priority as the Nuggets look to build on this season's efforts.
The step from winning six games and finishing seventh to winning nine or 10 games and making the playoffs is not an insignificant one.
Four of the Nuggets' wins came against the two bottom-placed teams and the franchise was heavily reliant on its two American imports to do the bulk of the scoring.
Akeem Wright (22.4) and Antoine Tisby (22.0) proved their worth as the most devastating scoring combination in the league, finishing the regular season as the second and third leading scorers in the competition.
Tisby won the rebounding title when he was with the Nuggets in 2008 and was just as effective on the boards again. Only Manawatu's Nick Horvath prevented him from picking up the title again.
For a big man, Tisby is remarkably athletic, and he was the Nuggets' most consistent performer.
Wright arrived with a reputation as a quality all-rounder and left having enhanced his status.
A proven scorer, he kept finding other ways to contribute.
He led the Nuggets in scoring and steals and was second in rebounding, assists and blocks.
His only weakness was his outside shooting game, which proved to be an Achilles heel for the Nuggets.
The franchise had the worst three-point shooting percentages in the league.
Player depth was once again an issue, with the bench struggling to make an impact.
Sam King, Riki Buckrell and James Ross all made good progress and had games when they stood out.
But they were inconsistent and are still a work in progress.
Dickel's injury eight games into the season was a devastating blow for the Nuggets.
The classy point guard turned back time to produce some stunning performances before being ruled out with a knee complaint.
The team really lacked direction without him.
His replacement, Mike Fitchett, came out of retirement to help out but was not able to recapture the sort of form that saw him elevated to the Tall Blacks in 2009.
Henry's arrival with six games remaining helped strengthen the squad.
He was outstanding in the away win against the Taranaki Mountain Airs with 26 points and 11 rebounds, but the Nuggets did not always get the best out of the athletic swingman.
He struggled to find his range from the three-point line and had an off night against his former team, the Wellington Saints.
It is a great shame Henry arrived after Dickel was ruled out.
With some sharper passing and a little extra time, Henry can be quite deadly from the outside.
It is also worth noting the Nuggets won three of their six games when Henry was on the court, and three out of seven in the games Dickel was able to complete.
If the Nuggets can keep the core of the team together, they can certainly expect more success in 2013.
Who knows - perhaps they will even make a championship run and provide the ultimate happy ending.
Otago Nuggets' season in review
Record
Played 16, won six, lost 10
Home: Wellington L110-94, Southland W80-68, Manawatu L94-75, Hawkes Bay L82-72, Taranaki L90-81, Nelson W97-93, Auckland L101-81, Harbour W87-71
Away: Harbour W107-91, Auckland L84-74, Southland W85-74, Hawkes Bay L99-76, Manawatu L103-79, Nelson L89-77, Wellington L104-74, Taranaki W81-78.
Statistics leaders
Scoring: Akeem Wright 22.4, Antoine Tisby 22.0, Mark Dickel 14.4, Leon Henry 12.8, Sam King 6.6.
Rebounding: Tisby 12.1, Wright 9.3, Henry 9.0, Dickel 5.4, King 3.2.
Assists: Dickel 6.4, Wright 4.6, Henry 2.0, Mike Fitchett 1.9, Tisby 1.4.
Steals (total): Wright 35, James Ross 26, Tisby 17, Dickel 15, Henry 12.
Blocks (total): Tisby 26, Wright 19, Henry 5.
Appearances: Tisby 16, Wright 16, Riki Buckrell 16, King 16, Ross 16, Matt Trueman 13, Ethan Carruthers 13, Dickel 8, Fitchett 8, Steve Robinson 7, Tom Allan 6, Henry 6, Hayden Miller 3, Damon Cleverley 2, Olly Smith 1, Tom Ingham 1.
'ODT' AWARDS
MVP: Tisby.
Honourable mention: Wright.
Underachiever: Fitchett.
Best individual performance: Wright scored 40 points, took eight boards, provided four assists, and made three blocks and two steals in the 107-91 win against the Heat.
Best team performance: You cannot beat the 97-93 overtime win against the Nelson Giants for drama but, arguably, the home win against the Sharks was a more complete team effort.
Worst team performance: The second-half capitulation against the Saints in Wellington was just awful.
