Home sweet home: 36ers refuse to lose on their floor

Trailing 2-1 in the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 Championship Series and down by nine in Game 4 on Wednesday, the Adelaide 36ers could have easily rolled over.

But they never gave in, forcing an all-encompassing Game 5 on Sunday against the Sydney Kings.

The 36ers are now just 40 minutes away from the city’s first NBL title since 2002.

"We didn't want them to celebrate on our home court; that was the main goal, and we wanted to take this to Game 5, which we've done,” 36ers guard Dejan Vasiljevic said in Wednesday’s post-game press conference.

“We've played through adversity all year. We've gone down in second halves and in the first half, and we've been able to come back [and win].

“Sometimes when things don't go well, everything divides, and you lose by 20, 30 points, but this group, we've just stuck through it. We trust each other, and we enjoy each other's company off the court, which is number one.

“You've to give credit to the crowd as well, without them, this [victory] doesn't happen.

“Now we go to Sydney and compete for a championship.”

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If the 36ers are to claim the franchise’s fifth NBL crown, they’ll have to do it at Qudos Bank Arena, a court where Vasiljevic won his first two titles with the Kings.

“I appreciate that organisation [Sydney] for what they did for my [career], taking a chance on me out of college,” he said.

“[But] for me, it's about having a third championship in six years and doing it for this city that they haven't felt success in 24 years.

“Bryce [Cotton] and I will join a small list of players who have won titles for other clubs. But it's about winning it for Mike [Wells], for Marko [Marinovic], for everyone in this organisation because we know what this club's gone through the last seven or eight years.

“[Heading to Sydney] we know it’s going to be a huge and hostile crowd, but [most importantly], it's gonna be one hell of a basketball game on a Sunday afternoon.”

Game 5 of the Championship Series tips off at 2.30pm AEST on Sunday at Qudos Bank Arena, live on ESPN and 10.