(Daniel Eade is a freelance journalist, BPL contributor and basketball fanatic)

The forever underachieving Cairns Taipans may just have the strength to legitimately put their name forward as a genuine threat for the 2011 NBL Championship, if their early pre-season form is anything to go by.

Last week the Taipans put together a pair of jaw-dropping wins over two quality oppositions as they jumped out of the pre-season gates, displaying a relentless approach on the defensive end and capped off with an ability to put points on the scoreboard.

With Alex Loughton (pictured above) added to the roster, after leaving the Perth Wildcats for a season in Spain, the Taipans now have a pure inside presence to feed the ball into, and with Loughton's flexibility he can also stretch the taller defenders by taking his game to the outside.

In last Thursday night's contest against the Townsville Crocodiles at the Murray Basketball Complex in Townsville, the Taipans came to life with a smothering defensive attitude to force the Crocs into 12 turnovers by the intermission, 16 for the night, as the Taipans jumped the Crocs early and never looked back on their way to a comfortable 79-68 victory.

Loughton was the main target on offence for the visitors, finishing the night with 17 points and also chiming in with a team high 7 rebounds.

For the Snakes, Deba George also came to the party with 14 points off the pine on 6/11 from the field in 16 minutes.

But what turned heads was the Taipans follow up contest against the Gold Coast Blaze on Saturday night at Carrara Stadium.

On the back of a bonkers night from George, 19 points, and a solid outing from the silky Dusty Rychart, 15 points, the Taipans destroyed the Blaze by a mammoth 34 points, 92-58.

And while the Blaze can be excused for resting players late in the game and throwing their line-up around, the killer mentality from the Taipans must be highlighted as they stamped themselves as a definite team to watch through the season.

Both Townsville and Gold Coast were eliminated in last season's semi-finals, and while both teams have experienced slight makeovers, they are still considered two of the top teams entering the upcoming season, which is why the Taipans back-to-back performances have raised the eyebrows of more than a few people.

Last season the Taipans were far and away the worst offensive team in the league, maybe close to the worst of all-time, but already they have put up some decent numbers against two sides that pride themselves as strong defensive units.

The off-season acquisitions of Ayinde Ubaka, and rising star Daniel Dillon, have added a breath of fresh air to the Taipans backcourt that is destined to see them take a giant leap forward.

And the Taipans may still be adding one more piece to the puzzle, which may come at the expense of George, with the team still searching for a replacement for guard Kerry Williams who will miss the year with a torn ACL.

The Taipans are openly looking at experienced back-up point guards to bring into the mix, with former Crocodiles guard Kelvin Robertson and former Wollongong Hawks dynamo Lindsay Tait being on top of the list.

If things have finally clicked in sunny Cairns, maybe their on-court success will breed fortune off the court and have fans flock to their home games and give the team the kind of support they deserve.

Which will come a lot easier if they are winning.