Series in Focus: Illawarra v Melbourne

The schedule

Game 1: Illawarra v Melbourne - WIN Entertainment Centre - Saturday, March 8, 8pm AEDT
Game 2: Melbourne v Illawarra - John Cain Arena - Wednesday, March 12, 7:30pm AEDT
Game 3: Illawarra v Melbourne - WIN Entertainment Centre - Sunday, March 16, 5:30pm AEDT
Game 4: Melbourne v Illawarra - John Cain Arena - Wednesday, March 19, 7:30pm AEDT (if required)
Game 5: Illawarra v Melbourne - WIN Entertainment Centre - Sunday, March 23, 2:30pm AEDT (if required)

How to watch & follow

Enjoy a half hour pre-game show 30 minutes prior to tip off for every game of the Hungry Jack's NBL25 Playoffs Series, live on ESPN.

All games are live on ESPN.

More information and international audiences >> NBL25: How to watch & live scores

Follow the NBL via social media to get all the behind-the-scenes access and information on the go. 

Get social >> Facebook | Instagram | Tiktok | X

Season results

Illawarra 117 defeated Melbourne 95
Illawarra 106 defeated Melbourne 93
Melbourne 92 defeated Illawarra 87

Stat leaders 

Illawarra
PPG: Trey Kell 18
RPG: Sam Froling 7.3
APG: Trey Kell 4.3

Melbourne
PPG: Chris Goulding 19.5
RPG: Jack White 9.3
APG: Matthew Dellavedova 7.4

Keep an eye on... 

After the exciting regular season and Playoffs, it is down to the two best teams to duel it out for all the glory. The Illawarra Hawks have been the benchmark of the competition for the majority of the season and booked a place in the Championship Series thanks to a demolition job of the South East Melbourne Phoenix.

The Hawks ticked off one more goal for the season as they make it one step further than last year’s heartbreak and now face the same Melbourne team that caused that pain in a five-game series.

Illawarra has arguably the deepest roster across the entire league and was once again sparked by some bench brilliance in their last series to get the job done. While Will Hickey has been a consistent product off the bench all season for Justin Tatum, it was 434-game veteran Todd Blanchfield who stood up and torched the Phoenix with some outstanding shooting. 

United had to dig deep in their series against the Wildcats and came out on top in what many described as the ‘greatest game of all-time’ on Tuesday. The experience of Melbourne's roster stood tall in the big moments to claw out a remarkable win over Perth and United now has a change to avenge last season’s Championship Series loss. 

Sparks are set to fly in this series after emotions reached boiling point early in the season. When you combine that with the fact that United were the team who put a stop to the Hawks’ fairytale last season, and this has all the makings of an instant classic. Tough shot-makers on both sides, exceptional big men and two coaches at the top of their game. Strap yourselves in. 

Players to watch

The All-NBL First Team backcourt of Trey Kell III and Tyler Harvey has been a potent offensive duo all season long. It was no surprise that the Hawks dropped Game 2 against the Phoenix when both guards struggled to be effective. As deep as this roster is, the Hawks still heavily rely on their superstar leaders to be dominant all over the floor.

They will be tested in this series, as they now face the best defensive backcourt in the competition in Shea Ili and Matthew Dellavedova. United’s defensive foundation begins with these two, who combined to slow down the five-time MVP in Bryce Cotton during their three-game series.

While Tatum was vocal in the media about how important Kell III is to their success, he will be hoping that Sam Froling can be the focal point against Melbourne. The All-NBL Second Team big man has enjoyed the matchup against United, including two straight double-doubles which led to wins for his team. Froling will be in attack mode against both Rob Loe and Marcus Lee in a big man battle that could very well dictate this series.  

With all the star talent above, perhaps the most exciting matchup of them all is between Wani Swaka Lo Buluk and Chris Goulding. The Hawks' premier defensive weapon will lock horns with one of the greatest shooters Australia has ever produced in a tantalising battle. At 36-years-old, Goulding torched the Wildcats at John Cain Arena, hitting 19 of 29 threes across both home games. 
 
The stat

Melbourne is number one in the league for assists per game (21.3). Illawarra is number two (18.8).

What's being said

Dean Vickerman: "We know we've got to win one up there and that's the message that I preached. The earlier you can get that, the better."

Trey Kell III: "They're (United) gonna be tough. They're never going to bow down regardless of the situation." - via The Illawarra Mercury

Justin Tatum: "Melbourne is a professional, great team. They have the same aim to win the whole thing, but they have to come here first. Hopefully, we can build off this game and find a way to pull one out on Saturday.