Hawks coach Rob Beveridge reckons it’s been happening since day one and he’s adamant as they make an eleventh hour push for a finals berth over the next fortnight it will be no different.

It’s doesn’t faze him. The NBL championships winning coach knows the equation remains a simple one for his undervalued team. 

"At the end of the day, we are still in it,” Beveridge said.

"We feel good about ourselves and we are not putting any pressure on us at all here. 

"We have been written off for weeks and probably the whole season. That's okay. We are not worried about that.

"We want to finish the season as best we can."

With two rounds remaining, Illawarra sit in sixth on the ladder with a 12-13 record.

All of their three remaining matches are must-win contests if they want to gun down their fourth placed rivals Adelaide 36ers (13-12) and Brisbane Bullets (12-13) for a spot in the post-season.

The 36ers face the hardest run home, with their clash against New Zealand on Thursday followed by testing encounters with Melbourne (home) and Perth (away). 

Illawarra will get the chance to jump above the Bullets in a blockbuster showdown in Brisbane on Thursday before playing New Zealand twice to finish the campaign. 

"If we lose, we are out, it is as simple as that. We know how tough it is going to be up in Brisbane," Beveridge said.

"They are the best three point shooting team in the league and right now if we let them to shoot the way they normally do and move the ball, they will beat us.

"We know what we have to do. We have to defend that three point line. There is no question. And we have to rebound better than we have been.”

Despite falling to a 14-point defeat to Perth Wildcats last Friday night, the Hawks have played their best basketball all season over the past month.

They were able to keep their season alive on Monday night on the back of a come from behind 110-95 triumph over Cairns Taipans at WIN Entertainment Centre.

Beveridge felt it was one of his team’s most polished performances on offence this season. 

"It has taken us a while to start playing really good team basketball offensively," he said.

"They have put everything together and the best time to do it is at the end of the season. I don't know if we have left our run too late but we are playing unselfish basketball."

Meanwhile, Hawks weapons Brian Conklin and Todd Blanchfield have made a 20 player shortlist to be named the NBL MVP for this season.

The list is headlined by former NBA star Andrew Bogut (Sydney Kings).

Jordair Jett is in the running for the Sixth Man and Defensive Player of the Year while Emmett Naar and Dan Grida are both on the shortlist for the Rookie of the Year title.  Rob Beveridge will also have the chance to be named Coach of the Year.