1-0: United suffocates stagnant Hawks to steal series opener and home court

• Melbourne United overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to win Game 1
• United dominated the glass, winning the rebound count 54-39, including 17 offensive rebounds
• Chris Goulding found opportunities in the fourth, hitting two threes in the first three minutes of the final quarter

Melbourne United's trademark suffocating defence and a sharpshooting fourth quarter has helped them steal Game 1 of the five-game NBL Grand Final series and home court advantage, dominating the second half to record a 95-89 win (Game Centre) against the Illawarra Hawks at the WIN Entertainment Centre.

United held the high-octane Hawks to just 37 points in the second half after the home team dropped 52 in the first half, continuing the roll from Game 3 of the Semi-Finals against Melbourne Phoenix three days earlier.

United superstar Chris Goulding scored eight of his 12 points, including two three-pointers, in the final period as Melbourne overcame a 67-64 deficit at the three-quarter time to claim a 1-0 series lead and go within two games of the championship.

United coach Dean Vickerman praised Goulding's ability to come up big in the clutch.

"You know he's going to find a way," Vickerman said.

"If it's not him scoring and two people are doubling him, he's going to get rid of the basketball and share it.

"He's only about winning. It doesn't matter how many he has. And if that helps others get open, he's going to do it.

"We saw in the semi-final series, his ability to go grab a rebound, his ability to dive on the floor — he's going to do all those things that help you win."

Illawarra's ripped apart United's defence in the first half, scoring 53 points before the main break, with even Jack White criticising his team's attention to detail on that end of the floor during his halftime interview on television.

It was a tough night for Illawarra's All-First Team back court of Trey Kell III (six points, six rebounds, four assists on 3/11 shooting) and Tyler Harvey (nine points) who combined for just 15 points on 7-from-21 shooting, similar to Game 2 against the Phoenix but this time at home.

"When you lose a game you're always disappointed with how you played," Hawks coach Justin Tatum said.

"You wish you would have found a way to win, but I don't see it as a setback, just a learning experience."

As predicted by Lanard Copeland on Basketball.com.au, it was Sam Froling who was the x-factor for the Hawks in the first half with 12 points, causing all types of issues for United's defence as Illawarra held a 53-43 advantage at halftime.

But that all flipped in the second half as Melbourne increased their defensive physicality and intensity, keeping the high-powered Hawks to just 14 points in the third quarter with United coach Dean Vickerman making several key adjustments out of halftime, including starting Marcus Lee instead of Rob Loe and Ian Clark for Matthew Dellavedova.

The lift in intensity from United stagnated the ball movement for the Hawks, who struggled with their usually dynamic backcourt in Trey Kell III (four points) and Tyler Harvey (nine points) struggling to find any rhythm. The pair finished with just 14 points between them for the contest.

A strong third quarter put Melbourne within three at the final break and an 11-4 United run to start the quarter, including two triples from Goulding and one from Dellavedova, forced a timeout from Hawks coach Justin Tatum as the home side now trailed by four points.

Despite some big plays from William Hickey and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk in the final quarter, United were too good on both ends of the floor, carving up Illawarra's defence and creating whatever shot they wanted as the experience of Melbourne proved too much for the Hawks in front of a packed home crowd.

Tatum also made the decision to play the final minutes with Harvey, one of the best closers in the NBL, on the bench having shot 4-from-10 from the field and 1-from-6 from the three-point line.

Lee was a standout for United with a double-double of 14 points and 15 rebounds, helping limit Froling in the second half, while Dellavedova was also impressive with 18 points and nine rebounds. Goulding (14 points), Clark (13 points) and Ili (13 points) also scored in double figures.

Froling led the scoring for Illawarra with 16 points and seven rebounds and Hickey had 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Todd Blanchfield (13 points) and Swaka Lo Buluk (11 points) also contributed for the Hawks.

Game 2 (Game Centre) will be in Melbourne on Wednesday March 12, 2025 at John Cain Arena at 7.30pm AEDT.