It’s very much the case for Illawarra following their stunning fourth-quarter demolition of New Zealand on Friday night.

Another home loss to one of the finals chasing pack in the Breakers would have seen most put a line through the Hawks in permanent marker.

An 11-point win over the Breakers and suddenly their past month doesn’t look all that bad. It includes two wins over Sydney and a win over then league-leaders Perth.

They were also edged out at home by an in-form Adelaide side, with a blowout loss to Brisbane on New Year’s Eve the only genuine stain on their record.

“I look back and our last four games are as as good as we’ve played,” Beveridge said.

“I know we lost to Adelaide, they came over us at the end, but I still felt we were the better team and we screwed up.

“Whether it was me as the coach or players, whatever, we screwed up that game.

“That could’ve been four in a row for us. We’re gaining momentum, we had a great win on the road last week against Sydney. 

“We had this date against New Zealand circled because – one they kicked our arse [last time] – and two, we hadn’t beaten them.

“Now we’ve beaten every team in the league and that gives us a lot of confidence going into Melbourne and Cairns next week.” 

Both the 36ers and Bullets did the Hawks no favours with crucial wins over the weekend, but Rob Beveridge’s men still sit just two wins behind both. 

Friday’s victory effectively put New Zealand’s finals hopes to bed, with home and away games to come against the Breakers over the remaining four rounds.

They’re also just two wins behind Melbourne ahead of their clash on Wednesday. They’ll have a chance to square the series with United in Melbourne ahead of their Australia-Day clash with Cairns – the first of two home games against the last-placed Snakes.

They’ll also play make or break games against Perth and Brisbane on the road, but Beveridge says his side is relishing the final stretch.

“We circled the game and said we were going to get after New Zealand at home,” he said.

“The cliche is one game at a time and we’ve taken care of that one. We had a great final quarter that gives us confidence going into Melbourne.

“We’ve got to play gritty hard-nosed, physical, proactive basketball. If we do that, we can beat Melbourne in Melbourne.” 

The win over the Breakers saw the Hawks come in from $81 to still lengthy odds of $26 in title betting, but they’re getting little love from pundits in their belated charge at the post-season.

It remains to be seen whether they have left their run too late – it’s still very much an up-hill climb – but Beveridge says the knockers are having a positive effect on his side’s mindset. 

“Right now there’s all these commentators, they’re experts and know a lot more than me,” he said.

“That’s why they’re expert commentators, making those calls. What that does is take the pressure off us.

“Nobody talks good things about us but that’s OK. There’s no pressure on us at all because no one expects us to get there.”