Jack McVeigh take us inside JackJumpers’ incredible last-gasp game-winner

Twenty-five metres from home. Less than eight seconds on the clock. All hope should have been lost. Step up Jack McVeigh, with a shot that was the furthest thing from a fluke, writes MICK RANDALL.

Tasmania’s hero Jack McVeigh says he “blacked out” in the frenzy of the remarkable grand final shot that is being hailed as the NBL’s greatest ever — and it was no fluke.

McVeigh’s insane Sunday night dagger from just inside half-court as time expired on game three of the NBL grand final snatched the unlikeliest of victories from Melbourne United and gave the never-say-die JackJumpers a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

Down 91-90.

Ball in hand.

Twenty-five metres from home.

Less than eight seconds on the clock.

All hope should have been lost.

But the game seemed to slow down for a composed McVeigh, who took his time with five dribbles up the floor, the packed John Cain Arena crowd on its feet, holding its collective breath.

Jack McVeigh came up clutch for the JackJumpers. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

Guarded by NBA champion Matthew Dellavedova, McVeigh feigned right, before bringing the ball back through his legs to go left, stopped, propped and, with two seconds left, launched a laser beam from the grand final logo over a desperate Dellavedova that never looked like missing.

Game over, Jackies win, 93-91, with a chance to claim the club’s maiden title on their home floor on Thursday night.

McVeigh’s Marvel has already been viewed 1.4 million times online. It is now a viral piece of vision destined to be replayed over and over — and one the man himself says he will have to look back on to truly appreciate its magnitude.

“To be honest, I’ve got almost absolutely no idea (what happened after the shot),” McVeigh told this masthead.

“Apparently, I was interviewed after the game and I thought I was saying ‘I just want to win’ but I was saying ‘I want to shoot’.

“I blacked out.

“I thought they (United) were going to call a time-out but they didn’t have one, so, all of a sudden, I was chucking the ball.

“Next thing you know, I was getting tackled by the team, so absolutely no idea what happened.”

Jack, what happened was the large contingent of travelling JackJumpers fans, who had turned several bays of a corner of John Cain Arena into a mini MyState Bank Arena, were sent into rapture, breaking out the trademark ‘March!’ chant, usually reserved for home games.

It’s without doubt the biggest bucket of the excitable 27-year-old’s career but he revealed it’s also one he’s worked hard to perfect.

“That’s the most special shot I’ve made,” he said.

“It’s a shot I’ve practised, that’s for sure, like the right to the left, but definitely never in that situation and probably (not) from that deep.”

How magic moment almost didn’t happen: Part one

In a game where thousands of decisions culminated in the McVeigh miracle, the banner moment in NBL history might never have happened, but for two very different, but equally crucial determinations.

The first came from JackJumpers’ coach Scott Roth.

Marcus Lee was out of the game with what the JackJumpers initially believe to be a medial ligament injury, suffered in some friendly fire when teammate Jordon Crawford slid awkwardly into the big man’s leg.

So Roth summoned the ghost of innovative coach Don Nelson, second all-time in NBA wins and an originator of run-and-gun ‘small-ball’.

Roth lived with Nelson during his time with the Golden State Warriors — the same year they drafted a guy called Stephen Curry — and, with the master mentor’s lessons in mind, inserted long and lean forward Majok Deng at centre, alongside McVeigh at the four in the fourth quarter.

JackJumpers Scott Roth got the call right in the game three. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images

An explosive offensive talent who had missed some two months of basketball with a serious ankle injury, the 31-year-old hadn’t taken a shot to three-quarter time. But United had no answers for the former Cairns Taipan, who exploded for 15 fourth-quarter points in a game-saving effort.

McVeigh said, just like his shot, Deng’s fluency at the five wasn’t a flash in the pan: “We’ve been practising it (Deng at centre) recently and he … can score with the best of them. He came out there, he was ready and he won us the game.”

United coach Dean Vickerman has already flagged adjustments, given Roth will almost certainly go back to the Majok well.

He took responsibility for some of his side’s late-game failings.

“That was a big problem for us … It’s on me to make sure that message gets across better about the structure about how we deal with the small ball,” Vickerman said.

“Even the last play of the game, having a different group in there, we didn’t quite get our responsibilities right for what we needed to do, so some of these things are on me.”

How magic moment almost didn’t happen: Part Two

Unlike Roth’s three-quarter-time strategic call, Milton Doyle had a split-second, sliding doors moment as Dellavedova’s errant inbounds pass with eight seconds left in the game missed teammate Chris Goulding and headed for the front row.

Convention would dictate the star import should have let the ball spill out of play, taken the inbounds pass and set things up at the other end for a shot at a game-winner.

But Doyle, crucial with 13 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals, had other ideas.

“I was thinking the same thing ‘What the hell were you doing Milton, trying to save it?’,” McVeigh said.

“Then he threw me the ball and I said (to myself), ‘Yes, I get to shoot this shot’ and then tried to get to a spot, let it fly, and, yeah, I’m glad it went in.”

Jack McVeigh and the JackJumpers land home after a stunning game three win.

On the other side, Vickerman acknowledged the feeling of dread as McVeigh launched.

“There was a million things going through my mind but obviously I know he’s made big shots before,” Vickerman said.

“Not much I can do, you just hope that it doesn’t go in.”

Wanting to leave nothing to chance, Doyle’s decision took the finish out of officials’ hands.

“I saw Seany jump and I couldn’t tell if he touched it or not but I wasn’t going to leave it up to the refs to make a decision,” Doyle said.

“So I saved it in, I looked and I saw Jack and just got him the ball.”

The rest is JackJumpers’ history — or will be, if they win the chip, Roth says.

‘Just another shot?’ — Sure, Scott, sure

Doing his best to keep a lid on things, Roth called McVeigh’s effort “just another half-court shot that went in” — unless they finish the job.

He’s on high alert, expecting a huge response from United.

“I expect a war,” Roth said.

“They have world championship guys over there, they have, in my opinion, the best coach in Australia … they’re coming to swing.

“It’s nothing that we’re not expecting when we always play them, whether it’s the first year or now, we’re all going to have to be on our toes and ready to go.

“They’re a championship-calibre team with great grit and determination and they’re going to give us everything.”

United won game one easily, led by 15 in the third quarter of game two before being run down and it took a historic shot to down them in game three.

There’s a legitimate argument Melbourne has been better for longer than Tassie in the series.

But the JackJumpers have been better when it counts most.

Scott Roth expects Dean Vickerman and United to bring the heat in game four. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

Bitter end for brilliant Delly

It’s almost unfair it was Dellavedova’s mistake that paved the way for United’s heartbreak, given the exhaustive, non-stop effort the dogged NBA champion exerted to keep his side in front for most of the night.

The star veteran, poured in a game-high 21 points, dished eight assists and pilfered three steals on the night. Before the botched inbounds pass, he’d just drained a three to take the lead back 89-87, then followed a Doyle answer from deep with a lay-up to make it 91-90. Poor offence from the JackJumpers gifted United the ball and all the ladder leaders had to do was hold onto it for 12 seconds to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

They didn’t and now find themselves facing an eliminator in Tasmania in front of the hostile Ant Army on Thursday night.

The 10-year NBA veteran is already shifting focus to that epic task.

“Very disappointed, frustrated, bad pass, Jack hits a big shot, but now (we’ve) just got to recover, focus, see what we can do to get better, go down there — it’s going to be a fun environment — and get a win,” Dellavedova said.

McVeigh’s not counting his chickens.

“Oh, it’s going to be a dogfight,” McVeigh said of game four.

“Two great teams battling it out, great coaches, great coaching staff, great players.

“It’s just fun basketball and so I think momentum is going to come down to the very end and we’re going to need some JackJumper supporters to help us get over the line.”

Originally published as Jack McVeigh take us inside JackJumpers’ incredible last-gasp game-winner