Starless Hawks beat odds in one of the greatest Finals

• The Illawarra Hawks levelled the series at 2-2 after beating Melbourne United 80-71
• Down 2-1, without Trey Kell and Sam Froling missing the last three quarters, set up Game 5
• Will "Davo" Hickey played the game of his career at the point, dropping 22 points

Shorthanded Illawarra Hawks have recorded one of the grittiest wins in franchise history — and NBL Finals history — beating Melbourne United 80-71 (Game Centre) at John Cain Arena and send the series back to Wollongong for a game five decider.

United came into game four as favourites to close out the series but the Hawks, who were without Trey Kell II and lost key big man Sam Froling in the second quarter with an Achilles injury, had different ideas as William "Davo" Hickey and Lachlan Olbrich stepped up to tie the series at two games each.

The road team has won each of the first four games of the series.

After the game, Tatum said everyone saw the team they had been all regular season in the game four victory.

"You guys finally seen my team that I had seen all year," he said.

"It's unfortunate not to have Sam and Trey but it's how we rotate guys in and out, we kind of got away from that the first couple of games because we wanted to establish ourselves but we got back to the old us.

"All year it's been about our bench, it's been our depth and the next guy up."

This season's Coach of the Year also praised Hickey's performance, saying he was "incredibly locked in" after knowing he may be moved into the starting five and loved his "energy and determination".

Asked if the Hawks could repeat the effort again on Sunday, Tatum said "we have to".

Froling will be out of Game 5 while Kell III's status remains uncertain. Shea Ili could return on Sunday but United coach Dean Vickerman said he had several hoops to jump through to play.

Hawks coach and NBL Coach of the Year Justin Tatum made his first chess move of the game, starting Darius Days instead of Mason Peatling to create more offense for Illawarra with Kell, who was replaced in the starting lineup by Hickey, out with a knee injury.

It was Illawarra giving United a dose of their own medicine for most of the first quarter with their suffocating and physical defence keeping the home side to just two points in the first six minutes as Melbourne struggled to create open shots with Chris Goulding going 0-from-3 from the field in the opening quarter.

Tatum's game plan was evident early, control the tempo for the usually high octane Hawks — he turned it into a half court wrestle.

Hickey got the scoring started for the Hawks while Sam Froling came out with aggression on the offensive end, attacking Marcus Lee for back-to-back baskets. But a Hickey three was enough for Vickerman, who called a timeout with the visitors leading 9-2.

In an old-fashioned defensive slugfest, it looked as though Illawarra were going to find themselves with a handy early lead before Matthew Dellavedova took things upon himself, scoring six points in the final 3:30 to have United trailing just 15-12 at the first break.

Doing his chances of a big contract in upcoming free agency no harm, Dellavedova continued his form on the offensive end to start the second, hitting another triple to have the fans at John Cain Arena on their feet and the scores level at 15-all.

The Delly show kept on rolling in the second quarter and the Hawks had no answer as the 2016 NBA Champion added another seven points, including his second make from beyond the arc, to lead United back into the lead and his teammates followed. The referees also made adjustments after the first quarter, not allowing the same physicality as earlier in the game with eight fouls called in the first 4:20 of the period compared to just six in the first 10 minutes.

Goulding's uncharacteristic shooting struggles didn't go away to finish the first half with one of the greatest shooter's in NBL history going 0-from-7 from the field and 0-from-3 from the three-point line in the first half.

The two-time Olympian had the chance to get his eye in from the free-throw line after an off-the-ball foul from Days, which was reviewed before being called a common foul, but he clanked the first off the side of the rim before knocking down the second.

However, Goulding's form from the field was matched by Hawks star Tyler Harvey as the All-NBL First Team guard created open looks but couldn't find the bottom of the net, scoring just four points in the first half while going 1-from-8 from the field and 0-from-5 from beyond the arc.

Highlight blocks from Tanner Krebs and Peatling on consecutive possessions was proof of the defensive slugfest both teams went through in the first half as United shot 37% from the field and Illawarra even lower at 26%. But a Jack White fadeaway on the halftime buzzer still brought United fans to their feet as Melbourne recorded a 20-12 second quarter to go into the main break with a 32-28 lead as Dellavedova dominated with 13 points. No Illawarra player had more than five points after two quarters.

An already tough task for Illawarra, who went into the game missing Kell with injury, got even tougher after Froling injured his calf early in the second quarter and would not return to the game.

A Hickey triple, his second of the game, as well as tough baskets in the paint from Harvey and Lachlan Olbrich triggers a 13-4 run for the Hawks, who climbed back into a five-point lead. But in danger signs for Illawarra, Goulding connected on his first three-pointer, which closed the gap to two points and forced Tatum to call a timeout.

Hickey would answer right back out of the timeout for the Hawks but the shooters came out to play in the third as Goulding hit his second three in a minute and Harvey found his touch from beyond the arc as well to extend the visitors' lead back to six.

Just like the entire series so far, both teams made big plays but late offensive rebounds cost the Hawks as United found their way to the free-throw line off second chance opportunities to finish the third quarter trailing 51-48. Hickey was the standout of the third period for Illawarra with nine points in the quarter.

Goulding started the final quarter in perfect fashion for United, hitting a three to level the scores at 51-all, and the momentum seemed all in Melbourne's favour but Hickey continued to punish the home side for giving him so much space on the offensive end, helping lead the Hawks back to a 60-57 lead with 4:42 remaining.

There were more problems though for Illawarra with defensive stopper Wani Swaka Lo Buluk on the bench with four fouls.

Olbrich is regarded as one of the brightest young talents in the NBL and he showed why, taking over as Illawarra's main offensive threat in the post in the absence of Froling, bullying Lee in the paint while Days hit one of the biggest threes of the game, extending the Hawks lead to 67-59 with just 2:31 left.

John Cain Arena holds good memories for Harvey after a game-winning triple in game two and he once again put a dagger in the heart of United fans, connecting on a fadeaway three from the sideline to force another Vickerman timeout with illawarra leading 70-59 with under two minutes in the game.

Clark couldn't find his form from the three-point line, unlike the rest of the playoffs, and neither could Goulding in the dying stages as the Hawks fended off the demons of their game three loss and closed out the game with a 80-71 win to force a winner-takes-all game five at home in Illawarra.

Vickerman said he thought the full-court defensive pressure Illawarra applied on Dellavedova didn't allow his team to find the rhythm they needed offensively, especially without another point guard in Ili.

Dellavedova echoed Vickerman's comments saying he needed to do a better job creating open looks for Goulding and Clark.

Game five will be played at WIN Entertainment Centre on Sunday at 2.30pm AEDT.

LEADING SCORERS

Illawarra: Will Hickey 22; Lachie Olbrich 13; and Tyler Harvey 12.

Melbourne: Matthew Dellavedova 17; Chris Goulding 17; and Ian Clarke 16.