Cairns coach Adam Forde said it best on Thursday night, Hawks skipper Tyler Harvey "lives for the big shot."
The Illawarra talisman proved it again on Thursday. With no timeouts, and his team down by two, the ball was only ever going to one set of hands.
Harvey proved why, dribbling up the floor and letting the game-winner fly from the logo to snatch a desperately-needed 84-83 victory.
Amid a dismal run of losses through season and into the present campaign, Hawks coach Jacob Jackomas said it was a reminder of "how special he is in those moments."
At this point, you certainly can't call it luck given the plethora of big shots the 30-year-old has dropped in his time in Wollongong, be it game-winning or game-tying buzzer-beaters, or go-ahead shots inside the final minute of games, no one does it better.
Here's a list of his finest (video above).
Hawks 84 def. Taipans 83, Wollongong, October 2023
Riding a three-game losing streak and having led by 13 in the third term, the Hawks looked to have squandered victory when Taipans guard Patrick Miller muscled his way into the paint for the a go-ahead jumper with 11 seconds left.
Staring down the barrel of four straight losses, and with no timeouts, the Hawks found Harvey with the in-bound, with the skipper advancing it up the floor and creating space for a shot he let fly with 3.5 on the clock.
It never looked like missing.
Hawks 97 def. Breakers 96 in double-overtime, Wollongong, December 2021
In a thriller at the Sandpit, New Zealand came up with buzzer-beating game-tying shots at the end of regulation, and the first overtime period. Breakers import Hugo Besson looked to have 'done a Harvey' when he nailed a long-range three for the lead with just 16 seconds left.
Hawks 85 def. Kings 82, Sydney, February 2021.
Trailing 78-80 inside the final minute, the Hawks needed a bucket or risked going two scores down with less than 50 seconds on the clock.
Hawks 71 def. 36ers 66, Wollongong, May 2021
In a low-scoring graft, Adelaide fought to within a point of the Hawks with 37 seconds left. Harvey gave the ball up to Sam Froling, who quickly dished it back to the sharp-shooter who nailed the long bomb for a two-score lead with 30 seconds to play.
The Hawks sealed it from there.
Melbourne United 106 def. Hawks 100 in double-overtime, Wollongong, October 2022
The Hawks trailed by five with just 20 seconds left before Deng Deng dropped two from the line and followed up with a three to draw within one with 13 seconds left. Former Hawk Xavier Rathan-Mayes looked to have sealed the win for United with a lay-up and three-point lead with just 10 on the clock.
Without a timeout, the Hawks in-bounded to Harvey who dribbled up the floor and dropped the game-tying three over a double-team to send the game into OT. As it turned out, Rathan-Mayes produced a clutc moment of his own on the overtime buzzer.
It sent the showdown to a second overtime where the injury-ravaged Hawks ran out of legs to go down in a heart-breaker, but Harvey's three was as clutch as it gets.
Cairns 102 def. Hawks 101 in double-overtime, Cairns, December, 2022
Severely down on troops once again, the Hawks trailed by three when Taipans guard Tajhere McCall hit a triple that put the Snakes up by three with 54 seconds left. The Hawks couldn't find a bucket next time up the floor but Cairns fumbled their chance at a two-score buffer when Deng Deng produced a steal.
Up the floor, Deng found Harvey in the corner, the skipper stepping up and nailing a triple with just 15 seconds left to level up at 87-87 and send the game to overtime. As it turned out, the result proved the Hawks second double-overtime defeat of the season.
Hawks 78 def. Breakers 77, Auckland, January 2023
Perhaps the best of the lot.
Having squandered a 15 point-lead to find themselves just one point up with 11 seconds left, the Hawks coughed up a turnover that gifted Breakers veteran Tom Abercrombie a go-ahead dunk and 77-76 lead.
The Breakers inexplicably let the in-bound pass into Harvey's hands, the 31-year-old advancing to just over halfway and letting fly from the Hungry Jacks logo with 2.5 seconds left.
It barely touched the bottom of the net, falling through for a one-point win and one of the best game-winning shots the NBL's ever seen in it's 40-plus-year history.
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Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
