GUARD Emmett Naar has declared Illawarra must prove they belong in the playoffs by beating powerhouse rivals Perth on Tuesday night.
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The Hawks are third in the NBL standings, two games clear of fifth-placed Sydney who they play in their final regular season game on Thursday at WIN Entertainment Centre.
But they will have already secured their top four spot if they can overpower the Wildcats on home floor.
"It's what you dream about as a kid, to have the chance to play in these big games," Naar said after cruising past Adelaide 97-83 on Sunday.
"Playing against Perth, who are second on the ladder and have made the playoffs every year, it's another chance for us as well to prove what we can do and that we belong in these finals."
The Hawks have won four in a row to stand at 19-15, ahead of South East Melbourne 18-15 who have Brisbane (twice) and New Zealand remaining, with Sydney fifth at 17-17.
The Kings fell to Perth last week, but kept their finals hopes alive with an extraordinary double overtime win over top-placed Melbourne United.
In the post-game press conference, coach Brian Goorjian said the Hawks had to be ready for "war" in the final week.
"I'm excited," he said.
"Sydney won on Saturday night), they played great basketball. It's war and this is why you're in the game, you know, (to be) fearless and just excited to be with this group and playing games that count and experience this."
Naar only had three points, but also had five assists, two steals and two second-half turnovers in the 36ers demolition, led by Tyler Harvey (23 points) and Sam Froling (14).
In his third season with Illawarra and following the club's complete rebuild after a disastrous 5-23 campaign and plunging into liquidation, Naar said the past was fueling his desire for success.
"The last couple of years, especially last year, halfway through the season we were almost statistically out of it," he said. "So it's good to really play for something, I think the energy has lifted the team. We just had that sense of urgency we need to have, it's sort of of contagious among the team."
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