And given how hard we had to fight to get the region's name reinstated in the first place, a finals game or two at WIN Entertainment Centre would be as appealing as the Maldives, Cancun or Florida anyway.

For those who missed it, NBL commissioner Jeremy Loeliger offered some stereotypically lazy commentary about the South Coast this week, when discussing boom NBA rookie LaMelo Ball's time in Wollongong.

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"It's right on the ocean, picturesque, mountainous and at the same time, you'd expect it to be a tourist destination, but it's really not," he told an NBA.com reporter.

"It's an industrial location.

"We've had big steel works there for many, many years.

"As a result, it's become a blue-collar town.

"The people there are fanatical about their sport."

So I guess I won't be shouting you a beer, once the new Shell Cove marina resorts open down the road from home then, Jeremy?

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Even with his focus firmly on making the top four, Hawks guard Justinian Jessup - a 2020 NBA draft pick with Golden State Warriors - was quick to point out the highlights the region has to offer.

He's been to Jervis Bay and Bald Hill and had plans to check out Symbio or Mogo wildlife parks as well.

"Wollongong's cool, I love it here," he said.

Thanks, Justinian, Hawks fans are repaying the love too, especially if you help lift our little regional foundation club of battlers back to the playoffs.

The NBL's attitude towards the town - and its ability to be the base for a team - is well-established.

You may think it's petty to pick on one set of comments from the Australian boss, but the NBL has spent so much marketing and emotional capital trying to be the NBA's development league, you'd reckon he'd speak about one of the nine clubs involved through more than gritted teeth.

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Thankfully the new Hawks ownership broke clear of the ludicrous terms imposed on them, to rebuild the club and reinstate the Illawarra name.

The Hawks are now fourth after Sydney's loss to the Bullets, which in turn helped keep Brisbane's finals hopes alive.

But after holding off Adelaide, the Hawks now have a great opportunity to edge clear by beating New Zealand on Saturday night.

With six of eight games to play at home, securing playoffs would be a fitting reminder of why this blue-collar wasteland deserves a golden NBL future.

Saturday

ILLAWARRA HAWKS vs NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS

WIN Entertainment Centre (8pm)

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