Illawarra sharpshooter Antonius Cleveland and Tasmania coach Scott Roth traded barbs at full-time after a Hawks victory which puts them inside the top four.
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Cleveland provoked the crowd while standing between Roth and Brian Goorjian as the two coaches went to shake hands during the 91-65 victory in Launceston.
Roth then pursued Cleveland on numerous occasions, at times separated by players, before Goorjian walked off the court with the Jackjumpers rival.
It came after Roth launched a spirited celebration when the Jackjumpers beat the Hawks for the second time this season last game.
Cleveland finished with 22 points and seven rebounds.
The new boys of the NBL block, Tasmania, have threatened to create an entirely new problem for the Hawks, having won their past two games head-to-head with a combination of hustle, slick movement and sharp shooting from the perimetre.
Here the Hawks were again, down early after losing 81-77 in Hobart and 96-86 in Wollongong in the past month or so.
"You wanna know what to do? Do your job!" Hawks coach Brian Goorjian shouted during a time-out in the first quarter, down 15-10 at the time and then 26-17 after one period.
Then came the rejuvenation, as the Hawks went to work.
Illawarra won the second quarter 32-15, to be up by eight at half-time, before running out 91-65 winners.
The Hawks have pushed back into the top four, having won seven of their past nine games, the only two losses in that period coming against the Jackjumpers.
After beating South East Melbourne 103-97 on Thursday and the Jackjumpers, the Hawks now face Melbourne United at John Cain Arena on Sunday.
They then come home to take in Brisbane at WIN Entertainment Centre on Thursday, before meeting United again on April 2, as part of their daunting run to the playoffs.
The Hawks have struggled to win in Perth throughout their NBL history and face the Wildcats in the final round in Western Australia before returning to play arch-rivals and playoff contenders Sydney in their last game on April 24.
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Tim Barrow
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
When it comes to sport - at professional and community level - in the Illawarra, I'm here to provide insight, context and opinion, as well as the latest news you won't find anywhere else.
