Illawarra social Media:

"Scans confirmed that Trey Kell sustained an impact injury when landing on the court.

He remains day to day with a game time decision to be made ahead of Game 4."

In this GF series, the Hawks have won more quarters than Melbourne (by one, with one quarter tied). Just have to not stink it up in the quarter they lose.

Shea Ili also a game time fitness test following concussion symptoms.

Hopefully Melbourne get over the line tonight so we don't have to hear anymore Tatum’s comments anymore.
I think the Hawks have been the benchmark all season but in this series they have been outplayed by more experienced players & Vickerman has been more proactive in changing stuff on the fly when Hawks have had their runs.
Melbourne by 10+

I wonder how much Tatum is trying to copy Roth with his "us against the world" kind of attitude. It certainly united his team and they got to the top because of their teamwork, but now HE seems to the one cracking under the pressure

Apologies to LV - I hadn't read his comment along the same lines in the Game 3 thread

Per Michael Randall's socials:

An exciting day for the
@NBL

Not sure the last time the league has been on the front of
@theheraldsun
but it’s certainly not in my time covering it.
@MelbUnited
with a chance to close it out tonight but Illawarra hasn’t lost to them on JCA this season.
Can’t wait!"

Agree, this is massive for the league.

Live on FTA TV tonight too both 10 Bold and 10 Play.

Exciting times.

I'm going for a personal trifecta tonight.

United/Tigers going for their 7th title. This would only be the 3rd where they won the deciding game on their home floor.

I was at the first two- 1997, 2018.

Going for the trifecta tonight.

(I was also at Game 4 2007, Game 4 2019 and Game 5 2024 - but that's not the trifecta I wanted! :-) )

An incredible year where I never gave United much of a chance, unlike 2018 and 2021 where I thought we had the most talented roster and expected a title or close.

I've enjoyed watching this group. Grit, consistency, toughness, defense and smarts. Hoping they finish it tonight.

Hope United can get this done against the dawks on their home court. If we see another sook session from Justin Tantrum that would cap off a great night. Love to ask him if Harvey did travel in game 2.

If Kell doesn't play he needs a cup of concrete, just looks like he banged it and has some bruising. But they'll try and make it like a Willis Reed moment, or when Paul Pearce shit his pants.
The Hawks should have won easily if they had just a slightly below average last quarter in game 3, but like the aforementioned Pearce, shat their pants. If Hickey and Days be are going to be your leading scorers from the bench with 12 and 11 then the Hawks 3 all NBL team players need a kick up the butt.
If Ili's still out I give them a good chance. White finally showed up, but if he disappears then it weighs on others to pick up slack, Delly controlled things in the final minutes, maybe makes up for that turnover last year.
Think Hawks will come out blazing and win this one, but United in 5.

guitarist just put the crowd to sleep, geez.

No Kell, no Ili

Kell starred in the Hawks game 2 win- and the final regular season victory.

Someone else will really have to step up and play their game of the season. Or United gets this.

I remember last season with the Sixers Kell sat out the last game supposedly injured and then turned around and signed in Turkey as soon as the season finished.

I bet he just don-esn't want to risk agrravating whatever injury he has so it doesn't effect his next contract.

Hawks really need Days to step up tonight.

Trey Kell sitting out a GF game to preserve his contract lol , what a ridiculous comment !!

Goulding should have a tech for flopping, warning followed by another flop.


Tech

If Tatum was carrying on like Vickerman he would have been T'd up

Another flop

Technical!!

And the MU fans call for a flop

oh the irony

This is by far the ugliest game of professional basketball I've witnessed in 40 years. The sad part is one of these teams will limp away with a win.

YEESSS! GO HAWKS! SUCK IT HATERS!!!

Downright pathetic play from Melbourne, just like the Tassie series.

Everyone tries to do it themselves and when they're not on this is what they get.

Game 5 time.

"This is by far the ugliest game of professional basketball I've witnessed in 40 years. The sad part is one of these teams will limp away with a win."

Dunno wtf you're talking about. By far the best win of the season against all odds and a massive performance fron the Hawks.

There could be history made on Sunday as I don't believe a Grand Final series has ever featured no home wins.

Just got home in time for the last 15 seconds.
No Kell and hardly any Froling ... how did United manage to blow that at home?

There could be history made on Sunday as I don't believe a Grand Final series has ever featured no home wins.

Class post game interview by Hickey.
He gives thoughtful responses and looks at the interviewer when speaking.

Frogmanbaby's post is by far the dumbest I’ve witnessed.

How Goulding didn't get a flop warning for his collapse to the floor is baffling......oh wait, no it's not.

You got a better ddescription for the lowest half time score in the past 431 nbl games?

That game was terrible. If it wasn't a decider I would have switched it off.
As much as I can’t stand Perth, Perth Melbourne series was so much better
I am glad it’s going to 5 either way.

The COVID year featured no home Grand Finals wins, a forfeiture and some angry Kings fans.

Nice one Hawkiez shame about the injuries

Congrats in advance on winning the championship United

The first 3 games were high quality. Going to 5 feels fitting.

Hopefully a resumption of the high quality!

Gutsy gutsy win Hawks

That was a great game and a fantastic win. People who say otherwise don't understand basketball.

Only letting Hickey handle the ball and letting him shoot the 3 didn't work for Vickerman this game like in game 3 and probably cost MU. The no calls by the refs this game were also bewildering compared to all the air brush fouls called during the regular season to encourage high scoring. Don’t think that affected the result though. Hawks are just too deep and we’re too good.

No Kell and hardly any Froling

The biggest problem for United is the continuation of Jack White's Jekkyl and Hyde impersonation.

He just wasn't aggressive enough.

1 defensive rebound in 29 minutes. From a guy who led the league in rebounding for most of the year.

There was one play where he grabbed an O board in the middle of the key, with single coverage, not surrounded by a triple team wall up. Single coverage. And he dished it back out.

When they're overplaying CG and Clark, someone else has to be creative and try different avenues to score.

Delly got that memo tonight. White didn't. He just went into his shell again.

Wow! As a Hawks supporter I'm over the moon but I believe this game was rigged. To see Goulding shoot the free throw and it went left barely hitting the rim and seeing Goulding and Clark penetrate a lot more than usual which Isn't Goulding's game. The amount of Three's they both missed up until the start of the last quarter is very unusual from two world class shooters.

Yeah LV, White had another fizzer, but he'll make up for it next game.

I wouldn't mind seeing the Hawks win the chip, but I think United will win game 5.
They'll amend the mistakes from tonight and won't have two bad shooting games in a row.
Nerves will be ironed out and it should be a better game.

Johnson14 are you for real?

Tough series as it should be.

Expect MU to get it done in game 5 not sure if the Hawks can cover the loss of Froling for the whole game.

Game 4 was much like game 3- undermanned away team plays suffocating, physical D and home team has a shocker shooting night.

What a series.

And 7 away NBL Finals wins in a row!

@Perthworld -

The only other year no home team won a game: 1996

25/10/1996 SE Melbourne Magic 89 v Melbourne Tigers 100
1/11/1996 Melbourne Tigers 84 v SE Melbourne Magic 88
3/11/1996 Melbourne Tigers 70 v SE Melbourne Magic 107

But I think they shared the same stadium? I can't remember. It is a technicality.

Yeah, according to Wikipedia all three 1996 GF games were at what's now Rod Laver Arena.

Yes it was at Rod Laver - I was there sitting in my Melb Tigers members seats I think - watching the Magic win
Rod Laver was a much better venue to watch basketball than John Cain

Me too, and I agree re the atmosphere and seating

Indeed "Rod Laver was a much better venue to watch basketball than John Cain" especially since they turned the JCA court around by 90° because the raking of the lower level seating on the sidelines means you're constantly looking through heads in front of you.

Add to that an MC who demands the crowd to stand for inordinate lengths of time and there are plenty of shorter adults and kids who simply can't see the court!

Great to try and build some fan support, but we're there to watch a basketball game - at least I am, but perhaps I'm a dinosaur.

But I think they shared the same stadium? I can't remember. It is a technicality.

Rod Laver is easily better than JCA and its not even close

I suspect the reason United havent moved there is JCA has more corporate seating.

But for the everyday fan, RLA is in a different league