"It was just amazing. We cried, we laughed, we screamed - this time last year we were crying for the wrong reason."

Ms Reid said she and the rest of the fans were indebted to Gujurat NRE chairman Arun Jagatramka for stepping in to save the team last year.

"We never thought they'd make it," she said. "It's a dream come true."

She praised the community spirit of the basketball crowd and said the game brought all the family together.

"It was amazing last night, to see kids and grandparents all together," she said.

Ms Reid will be flying out to Perth to support her beloved team in the grand final against the Wildcats.

Lifelong fan Michael Boyle, from Balgownie, said it had been wonderful to witness the Hawks' journey back from the brink.

"It could be the ultimate fairytale," he said. "This is the kind of thing they make movies about."

Mr Boyle said teamwork had been a key to the Hawks' success.

"It's probably the most even spread of a Hawks team ever," he said. "There's no one go-to person. It's a classic example of a great team will always beat great players."

Wollongong MP Noreen Hay said a brilliant game kept her on the edge of her seat.

"I can't remember a better game," she said. "It's great news and all credit to the team and particularly Mat Campbell, who worked so hard to keep the team alive and here we are now going through to the grand final."