Even worse, Vukona had survived just three minutes before straining knee ligaments and seemed gone for the rest of the series.
The starting power forward was the club's leading rebounder and best defender, so his absence would surely spell the end of the dream.
But Vukona had other ideas.
"Everything we've worked so hard for this year was on the line, and we didn't want to go out the way we did on Thursday," he said at the time. "We know we're a better team."
Defying all odds and medical advice, Vukona did take the court in Perth, grabbing 10 rebounds - six at the offensive end - and helping the Breakers to a 93-89 victory that kept them alive. The rest is history.
They would close out Perth at the North Shore Events Centre three days later and then overcame Cairns Taipans in the final to become the first Kiwi sports team to claim an Australian league crown.
Shooter Kirk Penney netted 38 points in Perth and proved, again, that he was one of the world's best scorers.
Time and again, American Kevin Braswell knocked down clutch three-point baskets when they were most needed and young Tom Abercrombie took out Most Valuable Player honours for his other-worldly athleticism.
But it was Vukona who provided the season-defining performance in the spirit of Willis Reed.
"That was incredibly inspiring," said Penney.
"We heard the news three hours before tip-off and we were all in disbelief because we thought it was a two to three-week injury.
"He is such a warrior and an unbelievable guy."
For his part, Vukona was typically self-effacing.
"As a player, you live for moments like those where, as a team, you step up together. I thought, for the first time this season, we defended well for four quarters and that's given us a lot of confidence."
For captain Paul Henare - the only foundation Breaker who had played all eight years of the club's history - the title was a fairytale finale.
The feisty point guard had endured more than his share of criticism over the years but emerged as a spiritual leader on a championship team.
"I'm just so proud of my brothers," he said. "You couldn't write a better script. I've had a great career, I've enjoyed my time. My body is good right now but I look forward to the new challenges getting into coaching and seeing where that takes me."
Two of the features that have made the Breakers so successful in recent years have been their "family" environment and their commitment to developing local talent.
During the ANBL playoffs, Lemanis finally became a winning coach, edging over the .500 mark after six years in charge. That's a reflection of the club's patience and belief in him during his early years when he struggled to find his feet.
But the club's junior programmes also bore fruit with the continued emergence of Abercrombie and seven-foot centre Alex Pledger into key roles within the rotation.
As the Breakers prepared to defend their title this summer without Henare, they lost several other key personnel for a variety of reasons.
After four years as the club's leading scorer, Penney decided to take up a contract with Fuenlabrada in the Spanish league.
Braswell ruptured an Achilles tendon while playing for Southland in the New Zealand NBL and young Corey Webster, who was being groomed to step up in Penney's place, had his contract terminated after returning his second positive drugs test within 12 months.
But Lemanis made a smart pick-up in Melbourne veteran Daryl Corletto, signed lightning quick American guard Cedric Jackson and brought back the inside-outside presence of big import Gary Wilkinson.
They're currently on top of the competition table with a 9-3 record.
Elsewhere in New Zealand basketball, the Tall Blacks and Tall Ferns both failed to qualify for the London Olympics through the Oceania zone, and now face tough last-chance qualifying tournaments in Venezuela and Turkey respectively.
But there were still signs that, on their day, they could topple higher-ranked opponents.
The Ferns upset hosts China at a four-nation tournament in June and came within five points of the Australian Opals at the same event.
Meanwhile, the men took out the Boris Stankovic Cup, also in China, defeating the home team, African powerhouse Angola and the Russian Universities side.
