Nothing will change Melbourne United's mentality as a rollicking NBL Championship Series against the Tasmania JackJumpers reaches its climax, import guard Ian Clark says.
The top seeds' mindset going into the best-of-five series decider in the home comforts of John Cain Arena on Sunday can be summed up with just one word.
"Win - it's pretty simple," Clark said.
Melbourne sent the title series to a fifth game when Matthew Dellavedova's tough go-ahead bucket and Jo Lual Acuil's last-ditch steal led to a heart-in-mouth 88-86 road win in Hobart on Thursday night.
Tasmania's in-form star Jack McVeigh tried to respond with a long-range game-winner - which would have clinched the JackJumpers' first title - but couldn't repeat his game-three heroics.
"It's been an up-and-down series for both teams and I loved our resilience (in game four)," said Clark, who was named the league's best sixth man this season.
"Even when they made runs and hit big shots, we didn't panic. That's a credit to the guys that we have in the locker room that have been in big moments.
"They understand the moments that we had and were able to just be fighters and be resilient and come back with the win.
"I'm excited to go back in front of our home fans and take care of business."
If they do, Melbourne will defy history that shows only one of eight teams who have trailed 2-1 in a best-of-five NBL title series have fought back to lift the Dr John Raschke Trophy.
The club is chasing a third championship under the United moniker, having claimed four as the Melbourne Tigers, and it would be a third title in the past seven seasons under head coach Dean Vickerman.
Tasmania, the league's newest club, are still chasing the fairytale championship that eluded them in a grand final series two years ago and was almost in their grasp on Thursday night.
Despite the game-four loss, and while insisting he doesn't need a trophy to validate the work Tasmania have done over three seasons, head coach Scott Roth said the JackJumpers are "full steam ahead" going into the decider.
"I'd love to win it for the island and I'd love to win it for the people here, but the (last) three years have been amazing," Roth said.
"It's been an amazing journey, our players have been amazing, they've got grit and fight like never before and we'd love to obviously win in Melbourne.
"But a trophy for me is not going to validate me."
Tasmania have been billed as the blue-collar underdogs since joining the competition and will take that attitude into the decider.
"No one expected us to be here, so we're just going to come out and swing hard," JackJumpers guard Sean Macdonald said.
"We know it's going to be a slugfest out there, we know it's going to be a physical game. We've just got to come prepared."
Vickerman shrugged off concerns over Melbourne captain Chris Goulding's limp, which was noticeable at the end of game four, while Tasmania's import centre Marcus Lee is still sidelined with a knee injury sustained in game three.
Tasmania forward Tom Vodanovich will not suit up in game five, having returned to his native New Zealand for his wedding.
Vodanovich played less than one minute in the opening four games, seeing just 53 seconds of court time in game one.
