Illawarra have broken their 24-year NBL title drought with an emotion-charged 114-104 victory to seal a 3-2 grand final series win over Melbourne United in Wollongong on Sunday.
Melbourne guard Matthew Dellavedova was a surprise choice as series MVP and the former NBA championship winner became an instant legend in Wollongong when he handed over the Larry Sengstock Trophy to Hawks fan favourite Will Hickey after his breakout performance across the five games.
Boos rang out around the WIN Entertainment Centre after he was presented with the trophy before he said: “Hold on, Davo this belongs to you” and proceeded to present it to the Indigenous guard.
He looked sheepish as he accepted the trophy from Delly but the crowd went into raptures.
Hickey (21 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists) was instrumental in the game-five win and Trey Kell III added 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists as the Hawks, wooden spooners two seasons ago, completed a remarkable rags-to-riches turnaround.
The championship is only the second in 47 years for the NBL’s last remaining foundation club, and first since 2001.
Sunday’s result sealed United’s second consecutive 3-2 championship series loss after the perennial heavyweights fell to Tasmania in game five last year.
With Illawarra missing injured starting centre Sam Froling, Melbourne shot out to an early 10-point lead but the Hawks clawed their way back to level up at 26-26 by the end of the first quarter.
Hickey was inspirational for the Hawks with 12 first-quarter points after starting in place of Kell, who shone once he returned from the knee injury that rubbed him out of game four.
Illawarra held their breath when Kell hobbled after falling when Marcus Lee fouled him in the first quarter, but the American import played on.
With Hickey calling the shots, the home side went on a 34-24 run in the second term with veteran Todd Blanchfield (eight points, three rebounds) beating the buzzer with his second three of the quarter to restore a 10-point lead for Illawarra at the half, and the home side never trailed again.
With a total of 441 games under his belt, 33-year-old Blanchfield had previously been the most-capped active NBL player without a championship win.
United managed to stem the bleeding in the third quarter but Illawarra still led 82-72 heading into the final 10 minutes with the championship on the line.
With Hickey, Tyler Harvey and Kell running rampant, the Hawks led by 14 with four minutes left to have one hand on the elusive trophy.
It completes the final chapter in their rags-to-riches story, which began with a last-placed finish two NBL seasons ago.
They have sacked a coach since then, endured a heartbreaking elimination from last year’s play-offs, and appeared down for the count more than once in the ongoing championship series against Melbourne United.
Illawarra fought back from a demoralising game-one loss at home, injuries to Froling and Kell and headlines following coach Justin Tatum’s verbal attack on the referees.
In the absence of Froling, NBA prospect Lachlan Olbrich (12 points, four rebounds) was excellent as early foul trouble hampered fellow Hawks big man Mason Peatling.
Olbrich threw down a demoralising block on NBA champion Ian Clark (15 points) as United were scrambling for points in the third quarter.
He then put up a hook shot that gave the Hawks what was then a game-high 13-point lead.
Fighting to reassert themselves in the contest, United went more than five minutes in the third quarter without a field goal.
They missed seven consecutive attempts in that time, with star guard Matthew Dellavedova (five points, seven assists) also uncharacteristically butchering both free-throw attempts.
It didn’t help United’s cause that Lee and Clark spent time on the sidelines with apparent arm injuries in the third quarter.
Chris Goulding (21 points, three assists) finished as United’s top-scorer, with Shea Ili adding 20 on return from a concussion lay-off.
But when Kell raced down court for a lay-up that made it a 13-point game with 70 seconds remaining, the Hawks officially looked home.
They also became the first team to win at home in this series.
This was also the third consecutive championship series in which the loser of game one took the title in game five.
with AAP
The Roarhttps://https://ift.tt/uB3SWkb hands over MVP award to cult hero after Hawks snap 24-year NBL title drought in stunning fashion
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