Captain Brendon McCullum and his men beat the Ockers by a wicket in pool play at Eden Park, Auckland, on February 28, in what resembled a Twenty20-type game.
But tomorrow will be another day in a race that could drag on for eight hours.
Around 100,000 fans will eagerly await the outcome of the 50-over affair in the arena with one-eyed fervour, running out of superlatives as they ride the emotional rollercoaster.
Billions will be glued to their TVs and electronic gadgets around the world.
The Victorians refer to the world's largest cricket venue as "The G" and there's no disputing the Black Caps will need to put their A into G, as it were, if they are to do the plausible.
But whatever happens at the MCG shortly before midnight (NZ time), there is no running away from a couple of home truths.
Primarily, the power of international one-day cricket has shifted from its axis in the subcontinents and Europe to the south of the equator.
The Mike Hesson-coached New Zealanders' final fling against their temperamental cousins in the battle of the co-hosts is, more significantly, testament to the best two teams in the tourney.
Sure, people seldom remember the runners-up in sport but in this World Cup no one will forget the contenders in a hurry, win or lose.
From an organisers' perspective, it was always going to be the ultimate dream final - but not too many would have unequivocally accepted it was a done deal when the campaign began on February 14 between the Black Caps and Sri Lanka in Christchurch.
From New Zealand's perspective, powerhouse test nations should be clambering to come here to test their worth in the longer white-ball game.
Conversely, Kiwi cricketers who have aspirations to ply their trade professionally abroad will find their CVs look sharper after the Black Caps' gallantry.
It will no doubt take something exceptional from the All Blacks later this year at the Rugby World Cup in England to deny their national cricketers the Halberg Awards gongs.
Their exploits have brought New Zealand to a sporting climax that equals the 2011 Rugby World Cup here and the ill-fated America's Cup "choke".
But there is one tourney-defining game of cricket to go tomorrow and the burning question is: Can the boys do it?
Let's face it, the heart will say yes for new world champions; the head will steer you towards a raucous "Oi! Oi! Oi!" for the world No1 co-hosts.
There's merit in the depositions of the "yes-we-can" and "don't-get-carried-away" brigades.
If the rampant New Zealanders have shown one thing in this tourney, it is that a passion-fuelled heart can rule the head with dividends.
The MCG will demand a different mindset from the claustrophobic New Zealand venues. It will require controlled aggression, especially if the team lose the toss and bat second.
It will be a case of going back to the basics - simple drills such as crisp running between the wickets and making astute calls.
Hesitate Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor and you will be history, if Australia's slick fielding in the 95-run victory over India in the semifinal in Sydney on Thursday night is anything to go by.
No ifs and buts or making excuses for pedigree players such as Kane Williamson and Virat Kohli - catches win matches and must stick, even half chances.
Will the Black Caps win because of Hesson's clipboard methodology?
How about McCullum's bold captaincy tactics?
Those will be the undeniable contributing factors but, almost certainly, not the overriding ones.
It will be the Black Caps' propensity to find cohesiveness that will be paramount in a code that unashamedly masquerades as a team game but in which players live and die by their individual performances.
Against such odds, the men in black have brought a pool of skills to the table, best personified in the selflessness of Grant Elliott's winning six against South Africa in the semifinal.
Well before the cup tourney, it was made abundantly clear there was no room for a Jesse Ryder-type mould.
The Kiwis' unblemished run is the epitome of a sledge-free environment, compared with an Aussie one that came with the blunt force of a bouncer to the helmet against India.
When fans argue if McCullum's 50-odd is more important than a middle-order rear-guard action then it only means one thing - New Zealand have depth.
Like it or not, sticking to the first-choice XI throughout the tourney only reinforced that sense of cohesiveness in the team.
Tomorrow's game will be won and lost between the ears at a yawning MCG that will not reward players who have a rush of blood to the head.
Before the World Cup, former international Chris Pringle told Hawke's Bay Today luck would play a role, and some things will have to go the Black Caps' way - toss, another life on the batting crease, rain as a saviour, the Duckworth Lewis Method, umpires' call, the DRS.
If the Kiwis stumble, some may say India would have been a better proposition, considering they would have beaten another superpower.
You somehow get the feeling the Kiwis, hellbent on winning, would not have it any other way and are not going to be sucked into any mind swamp.
The media and fans have asked questions and they have answered them on the field.
That, my friends, is why cricket is such an enthralling game.