NBL Grand Final Game 5: Melbourne United v Tasmania JackJumpers

Through a pair of losses that left Melbourne on the brink of grand final defeat, United lost its cool and struggled in big moments. A noticeable shift has them on the brink of glory.

Dean Vickerman is quietly confident ahead of Sunday’s NBL grand final decider. Picture: Getty Images

A noticeable calmness that had been missing throughout the previous two NBL grand final games helped Melbourne United keep its cool down the stretch of a tense eliminator in Tasmania.

And coach Dean Vickerman says that concerted effort to block out the referees, crowd and other in-game frustrations and remain locked in has United brimming with confidence ahead of Sunday’s championship decider at John Cain Arena.

Throughout the season, Vickerman had stressed the importance of finishing on top of the NBL table. The chance to play the last game of the grand final in front of a sold out home crowd has justified that effort.

“You could look at each of the last three games, we could have won one down there, we could have won one at home, they could have won that one there,” Vickerman said.

“All of it has kind of evened itself out and we’ve got back to where we started with home-court advantage.

“That’s what we wanted to get to, to play this game five, if it went that far, in front of our home crowd.”

Dean Vickerman is quietly confident ahead of Sunday’s NBL grand final decider. Picture: Getty Images

United had fluffed its lines in the big moments of games two and three but came up big in the clutch of Thursday night’s 88-86 win that squared the series at 2-2.

“What we take out of that game, there was much better calmness in the last three minutes,” Vickerman said.

“We felt far more prepared for the small-ball line-up that they had, felt a bit more prepared for how we attacked that line up.

“I think there was just a little anxiety in that last game (game three) down the stretch. I thought there was a calm (in game four). We knew what we were going to do and we went out there and did it.

“It’s been a constant for us throughout the series about focusing on the next play and, I thought in a couple of those games, we got too involved in worrying about ‘should we get a review, should we not get a review’ and different things and it took us too long to get back onto the next play.

Frustration often got the better of several United stars, including Matthew Dellavedova, earlier in the series. Picture: Getty Images

“There’s definitely a concerted effort from everybody to focus on the job at hand and the next play.”

On a short turnaround, United caught an early Good Friday flight out of Tasmania and used the rest of the day to take care of tired bodies and minds.

Chris Goulding and Luke Travers had injury concerns during game four, but Vickerman said both took part in Saturday’s session and would be good to go Sunday.

A United spokesman said outside concerns Ian Clark had suffered an injury when he was spotted going down the race were unfounded. The spokesman said it’s something he does when he gets subbed off.

It’s a limited prep, but United knows the challenge it’s facing — and what it needs to do to lift the Dr John Raschke Trophy.

“We had a good review then some light on court work, a lot of shooting and lot of a recovery massage, all those kindsS of things to try to get everyone’s body right,” Vickerman said.

“There’s been minor adjustments throughout the series but it still comes back to some key things: can we find pace in the game? Can we rebound? Can we guard the three-point line?”

United veterans Chris Goulding and Brad Newley have provided leadership as the group prepares for its last shot at grand final glory. Picture: Michael Klein

Messrs Goulding and Brad Newley — who has a chance at his first NBL title in his last game — drove home the importance of Sunday’s clash.

“There was a really good message from our leaders today,” Vickerman said.

“I thought Chris was fantastic, just summarised the year and who we are and what we need to bring tomorrow.

“Newley was great, this was exactly what he wanted, the opportunity to finish his career with a championship and a lot of our guys will go that extra step for him tomorrow.

“I’m feeling good, our coaching staff has done a magnificent job and you can keep diving in deep on what they do, what they adjust, but, again, it will all come back to some key things.

“It’s two physical teams and the one that has won the rebounding battle, right now, has won the game, so possession will be massive.”

Originally published as NBL Grand Final Game 5: Melbourne United v Tasmania JackJumpers