The NBL championship series is locked in, with Melbourne United looking to go one better after falling just short last season while the Illawarra Hawks will aim to complete one of the league’s best stories since Justin Tatum took over as head coach.
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Here, foxsports.com.au looks at some of the biggest talking points and players to watch.
HOW TATUM COULD END HAWKS’ 24-YEAR TITLE DROUGHT
His son is an NBA champion and now, Justin Tatum is just three wins away from being an NBL championship-winning coach.
Illawarra was the NBL’s Cinderella story last season after Tatum spearheaded a stunning revival, leading the Hawks from a 2-7 record to the brink of the championship series.
Funnily enough, it was Melbourne United who denied the Hawks a shot at the title last season, outlasting Illawarra 100-94 in Game 3 after back-to-back overtime thrillers to open the semi-final series.
Tatum, who took over from former head coach Jacob Jackomas after he was sacked earlier in the season, inherited a similar playing group to the one that finished the 2022-23 season in last place.
Hawks produce comeback to take Game 1 | 01:15
But inherited or not, Tatum was emphatic after the loss to United that this was his team.
“I want everybody back,” he said.
That didn’t end up happening. Despite their best efforts, star import Gary Clark walked out the door. Justin Robinson, meanwhile, was singled out early on as an odd man out.
But Tyler Harvey agreed to a multi-year extension. Sam Froling, Daniel Grida, Mason Peatling, Todd Blanchfield and Hyunjung Lee were among those already locked in.
The Hawks then found their replacement for Robinson in guard Trey Kell III and then added their final import in Darius Days, who didn’t take long to make an impression on the rest of the league.
In fact, Days put up a double-double (20 points, 12 rebounds) in his club debut as the Hawks romped to a 102-75 win against the Cairns Taipans at HoopsFest.
It ended up being an ominous sign of what was to come from the Hawks in their first full season under Tatum, going on to clinch their first minor premiership with a 20-9 record.
Tatum has got the best out of the Hawks. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Tatum has got the best out of the Hawks. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
But Tatum was never satisfied. Not when the Hawks overachieved last year and certainly not when they finished the regular season with the best record.
After all this was the same man who, when hired as coach at Soldan High School, was told by the principal they weren’t necessarily looking at wins and losses but for someone who was going to “maintain the guys and keep them disciplined”.
And Tatum’s response?
“You’re hiring the wrong person.”
After three years under Tatum, the Tigers had won their first state championship in 31 years.
By the time Tatum finished as a high school coach in Missouri, he had three state championships and 10 conference titles from 16 seasons at Soldan and Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis.
But that first title with the Tigers was particularly special. It brought the city together.
“Brought life to the city,” as Tatum put it.
Now Tatum is trying to do the same thing on the other side of the world.
“We’re trying to bring life, not just within the team, but within the community,” he said.
Justin Tatum poses for photo with some fans. (Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)
Justin Tatum poses for photo with some fans. (Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
He hopes the NBL is a stepping stone to a future coaching role in the NBA. But that is in the future. That isn’t right now.
Right now, all he is focused on is delivering a championship to Illawarra and to a playing group who he made an effort to get to know on a personal level before he even took the job.
“Because that’s just who I am,” Tatum said.
“I don’t want to have to ask you to run these lines or rebound the ball or fuss at you about a play if I don’t know who I’m fussin’ at or nothing about you. I wanted to be able to know these guys for the rest of my life.”
While Tatum hopes to one day make it to the NBA to join Jayson, who extended with the Celtics on a $315 million ($A497m), five-year contract last year, he did get to watch his son lift the Larry O’Brien trophy when Boston defeated Dallas in the 2023-24 Finals.
Justin Tatum with son Jayson after he was drafted.
Justin Tatum with son Jayson after he was drafted.Source: Supplied
The Hawks coach described that experience as both “unbelievable” and a “blessing in disguise”.
“In that it also motivated me to bring something back to my boys and Illawarra,” he added.
This will be just the fifth time the Hawks have qualified for the NBL championship series in their 47-year history, while they are also shooting for their second title after going all the way in 2001.
“Any type of memory in Illawarra that you create is going to be great, like we did in the regular season, being number one and having all the accolades that we did,” Tatum said.
“So anything we can do, we want to be part of history with these guys, but at the end of the day, we want to make sure that we finish it up. And we want to finish off with a chip.”
IF THIS US IMPORT GETS GOING, THE HAWKS WILL BE ‘UNSTOPPABLE’
When All-NBL First Team guard Trey Kell III struggled in game two, scoring just six points, he took it upon himself to make sure the Hawks booked their spot in the championship series.
“Terrible” is how Kell described his performance in the loss to Melbourne United, where he went just one-for-10 from the field.
So it was important he found a way to get himself, and by extension the team, going from the jump on Wednesday. For Kell, that meant being aggressive from the opening whistle.
The result? A game-high 30 points, five assists and four rebounds. Kell had 16 points in the first quarter alone and coach Tatum said that sort of a start from their star import “ignites” the rest of the team.
“Seeing him with that energy, getting the crowd going, finding his spots and getting shots early, it does nothing but ignite us and gets everybody else going,” Tatum said.
“When he gets going like that, man, we’re unstoppable.”
Which begs the question, how does Melbourne United stop Kell?
Trey Kell III stepped up in Game 3. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Trey Kell III stepped up in Game 3. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
It will likely be on the wily veteran Matthew Dellavedova to take on the primary match-up, given Shea Ili would be at a size mismatch trying to guard the 6-foot-5 American guard.
Although from a team-wide standpoint, even if Bryce Cotton may be six-foot-tall, coming up against an elite shotmaker like the five-time league MVP where both Ili and even Ian Clark were called on to guard him should have United in the right mindset to try contain Kell.
“I thought he just had a lot of space to do what he wants to do and does a good job of selling fouls to get to the foul line,” United coach Dean Vickerman said of Kell ahead of game one.
“His shot-making off the bounce off the three was exceptional. We’ve just got to make sure we get our on-ball coverage right because he wants to get back to that area and play with his big and get into that two-man game.”
United down Wildcats in dramatic clash! | 01:34
HOW DO YOU TRY STOP CHRIS GOULDING?
Meanwhile, on the other side of the floor, sometimes you just have to accept that Chris Goulding is going to make tough shots.
Wani Swaka Lo Buluk did well to contain Goulding in Illawarra’s 117-95 win over United back in January, helping hold him to just 14 points after the Melbourne sharpshooter looked on track for a big night based on his first half.
That 14-point outing came just after Goulding erupted for 42 points against the New Zealand Breakers and while he had a stretch of games in late January where he failed to top 16 points, there was always a sense that the captain was due for another statement performance.
That came in game one against Perth as Goulding put up 41 points, including 10-for-17 from downtown.
The Hawks can do all they can to force Goulding to take low-percentage shots, but he’ll sink some of those and so it is a matter of doing what you can while also accepting that even that may not be enough.
Chris Goulding hits tough shots. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Chris Goulding hits tough shots. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
AND WHAT SORT OF RECEPTION SHOULD HE EXPECT IN ILLAWARRA?
Speaking of Goulding, for those just tuning into the NBL now for the championship series, there is already history between the United superstar and Hawks.
In case you missed it, Illawarra coach Justin Tatum unloaded on “incompetent” match officials after a 92-7 loss to United in October last year.
Tatum was particularly critical of a ruling in favour of Goulding, who has gained a reputation for flopping.
“We’re just happy Chris didn’t get hurt flopping in front of us,” Tatum said of the contact with Illawarra’s Wil Hickey.
“I’m glad he’s injury-free.”
While another three months passed before the Hawks hosted United in another game, the Illawarra faithful didn’t forget.
In fact, 30 fans turned up to the game at the Snakepit wearing specially designed Goulding T-shirts which read: “We’re just happy Chris Goulding didn’t get hurt flopping in front of us”.
There probably won’t be any special T-shirts or signs this time around, but there is no doubt the crowd will make their feelings known if Goulding is at the centre of another flopping controversy.
“The Perth crowd was absolutely amazing... and the Illawarra crowd is probably a little bit more on top of you and they looked like they got after it last night,” Vickerman told reporters on Thursday, speaking more broadly of the challenge of playing on the road in Illawarra.
“(It is) more about us saying, ‘Hey, it’s going to be a fun environment’, but sometimes it’s going to be so loud that your huddles have to be so good, your communication with each other points has to be so on point that we’re on the same page.”
Goulding ices game after tough foul | 01:15
HOW DO YOU STOP A MELBOURNE UNITED TEAM WITH SO MANY OPTIONS?
While a Goulding shooting clinic is worth the price of admission alone, the one thing to know about this United team is that it is blessed with a number of scoring options.
If Goulding, one of the greatest shooters this country has produced, is not firing then it could be former NBA championship winner and Boomers great Matthew Dellavedova making threes while fighting and scrapping his way to buckets at the rim.
And if it’s not Delly, how about Jack White? He was part of the Denver Nuggets’ title-winning squad in the 2022-23 season and is capable of big all-round games like the one he produced against the Wildcats in a 99-93 win in January, scoring 26 points to go with 16 rebounds.
It doesn’t even have to be any of Melbourne’s starters either. In fact, the bench — or more specifically one man — was the difference in the 113-112 win over the Wildcats which saw United book its spot in the championship series.
Ian Clark starred in Game 3. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
Ian Clark starred in Game 3. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Perth got just five points from its second unit compared to 51 for United. Ian Clark had 38 of them.
The American could be a starter for most other teams, but the NBA and NBL championship-winning guard is happy to do whatever is best for the team.
In the case of United, it is offering some scoring punch off the bench and he did just that against the Wildcats, shooting 14-for-19 from the field and 6-for-9 from deep to score 38 points in game three.
On the flipside, while the Hawks also have a strong starting line-up the depth of their bench unit could very well prove the difference against a United team stacked with talent and cohesion.
You only have to look at Illawarrra’s blowout win against South East Melbourne, where Darius Days (nine points), Will Hickey (11 points, seven assists, two blokcs) and Lachlan Olbrich (10 points, seven rebounds) all found a way to make an impact while Todd Blanchfield turned the clock back with a shooting masterclass to finish on 28 points.
NBL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES SCHEDULE
Game 1: Saturday 8 March
Illawarra v Melbourne, WIN Entertainment Centre, 8:00pm AEDT
Game 2: Wednesday 12 March
Melbourne v Illawarra, John Cain Arena, 7:30pm AEDT
Game 3: Sunday 16 March
Illawarra v Melbourne, WIN Entertainment Centre, 5:30pm AEDT
Game 4 (if required): Wednesday 19 March
Melbourne v Illawarra, John Cain Arena, 7:30pm AEDT
Game 5 (if required): Sunday 23 March
Illawarra v Melbourne, WIN Entertainment Centre, 2:30pm AEDT
You can watch the 2024/25 NBL Championship Series LIVE with ESPN on Kayo Sports. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.