Dean Vickerman believes Melbourne United's tough victory over Ilawarra has steeled his top-ranked side for the NBL Championship Series showdown with Tasmania after an unusual finals build-up.
A FIBA international window and an extended NBL Play-In format meant Melbourne and the Perth Wildcats both had almost three weeks out of action leading into their respective final-four Playoffs series.
They had mixed fortunes, with Perth knocked out by Tasmania while United took a pair of overtime thrillers and a full 40 minutes to grind past the plucky Hawks.
Three-time championship coach Vickerman saw the gripping series as the perfect lead-in to the best-of-five title decider against the JackJumpers, starting at John Cain Arena on Sunday.
"We just got better throughout the series. We're ready for a grand final series after going through that," Vickerman said.
"We talked about the moments where we captured a little bit of a lead and whether we could hold it or push it out a little bit.
"That's still an area that we've been challenged with but that's what semi-final and finals basketball is.
"Teams are just going to keep coming and it's about whether you can sustain it or weather it and can you continue to execute through that."
Vickerman heaped praise on veteran guard Matthew Dellavedova, whose experience and leadership has been crucial throughout the finals so far.
The 33-year-old set the tone with his intensity in the series-deciding 100-94 over Illawarra on Wednesday night as Melbourne's hustle in contested situations proved crucial.
"The further you go, the more important those 50-50 balls and rebounds are," Dellavedova said.
"We're going to have to win even more of those."
A 2016 NBA champion with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dellavedova is seeking to add an NBL title to his collection.
"That was the goal at the start of the year - try to win a championship," Dellavedova said.
"We were really sharp with a short training session (on Tuesday) and I was just thinking this (Playoffs series decider) can't be the last one because we've got a great group.
"It's really enjoyable to be a part of and we want to keep this going as long as possible."
