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ISLAND defended? You bet as Tasmania's sturdy JackJumpers, riddled with injury and on the road in Melbourne for the deciding Game 5 Grand Final to determine the NBL Championship, had Jordon Crawford deliver a career-high 32 points as once again the team found an avenue to victory and a historic sporting milestone and achievement. 

Crawford's 19 first-quarter points and 27 for the first half kept the JackJumpers alive and in the contest after United threatened to end it early, out of the blocks and ahead 16-6.

Luke Travers was the main protagonist, United's strategy appearing to be to target series star Jack McVeigh at the offensive end.

It worked early too, McVeigh with two fouls inside the first four minutes, by which time Travers already had six of his 11 points in the first quarter.

When Will Magnay almost did the splits on a rebound attempt, he came up hobbled, Melbourne's Jo Lual-Acuil starting to assert himself before running into sudden early foul problems.

Matthew Dellavedova struck a 3-pointer to keep the buffer at 21-12, Crawford offering monumental resistance, his fourth threeball of the quarter cutting back the Jackies' deficit to 26-28 before Chris Goulding spliced a triple to close the period, Melbourne 31-26 clear.

Crawford was 6-of-6 from the floor, with four triples and one four-point play, McVeigh and Milton Doyle pointless to that point.

In truth, Melbourne should have been further away but Magnay (hamstring tightness but continuing regardless, Marcus Lee out with a knee injury) and Crawford showed the heart and commitment so much a part of the JackJumpers' DNA.

Late in the period, McVeigh started to find the basket, his third made jumpshot bringing Tassie to 40-42 before Crawford knocked down another three and the JackJumpers, incredibly, were in front.

Ian Clark scored to restore Melbourne's edge but when Crawford hit a free throw, it was 44-44 going into halftime and United had to be feeling it wasted a few opportunities.

McVeigh's fadeaway started the third period before Melbourne worked to quieten Crawford by having Shea Ili attack him with greater intensity. Ili's driving bucket tied it back up, opening the door for Ariel Hukporti and Dellavedova to build the lead to 50-46.

Majok Deng, another hampered by early foul issues, scored to bring it back to a basket, Goulding nailing a 3-pointer for a 53-48 United buffer.  

Lual-Acuil had the lead at 57-50 before Doyle scored his first basket. McVeigh and Doyle then brought it back to 56-59, Ili drawing a foul on Crawford but unable to complete the three-point play, Melbourne still 61-56 clear.

Fabijan Krslovic, who aborted three open 3-point looks in Game 4, made no mistake this time, bringing the deficit back to 59-61, Lual-Acuil throwing down a dunk to give United a two-basket buffer going into the final 10 minutes of the decider.

Magnay's basket cancelled Clark's opener but from 65-61, Melbourne seized the initiative, Ili stringing together five points and at 70-61, United had one hand on the Dr John Raschke perpetual championship trophy.

Unfortunately for Melbourne fans, that hand had butter on it, Scott Roth calling the key time-out and rallying his troops. Doyle and Crawford were first to respond, the latter's threeball pulling Tasmania to 67-70.

Dellavedova knocked in a free throw, Magnay and McVeigh tying it at 71-71, Magnay's dunk again tying it at 73-73.

Now it was time for Tasmania's "closer" to step up. Doyle scored consecutive driving baskets, the JackJumpers jumping to 77-73, a 16-3 run from when they trailed 61-70.

Dellavedova's circus shot drive left hope but McVeigh cancelled it, Tasmania 79-75 ahead inside the final 90 seconds.

Fouled by Magnay as he scored, Hukporti completed the three-point play and the game was wildly alive, Tasmania just 79-78 ahead.

Doyle again drove for 81-78 and Sean MacDonald's drive made it 83-78 and this looked done.

Not quite. Goulding stuck a huge 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds left for 81-83.

Time-out Tassie, who wisely advanced the ball. MacDonald, who turned over a similarly significant end-game inbounds pass in Game 4 was forced to try a lob to Doyle, Goulding (literally) all over him for the steal.

The ball quickly onpassed to Dellavedova, he threw a Hail Mary prayer at the hoop which would have counted had it dropped.

Instead it missed and Tasmania - the team, the club, the state - had created history, winning the expansion club's first championship in its third season of existence, McVeigh rightly named Larry Sengstock Medallist as the Championship Series MVP.

The scenes of jubilation were exactly as you might expect, the JackJumpers celebrating a championship three years in the making, built on a solid foundation and the one-word description captain Clint Steindl revealed in his post-game acceptance speech - "Resilience."   

NBL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (Best-of-5 Grand Final)

Game 5: TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 83 (Crawford 32, McVeigh 14, Magnay, Doyle 11; Magnay 12 rebs; MacDonald, Doyle 2 assts) d MELBOURNE UNITED 81 (Lual-Acuil 14, Goulding, Travers, Dellavedova 13, Clark 11; Hukpoprti 15 rebs; Dellavedova 7 assts) at John Cain Arena. Crowd: 10,175

Game 4: MELBOURNE UNITED 88 (Clark 18, Travers, Goulding 17, Dellavedova 15, Lual-Acuil 11; Travers 11 rebs; Dellavedova 6 assts) d TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 86 (McVeigh 28, MacDonald, Crawford, Doyle 14; Drmic 8 rebs; Drmic, Doyle 3 assts) at MyState Bank Arena. Crowd: 4,340

Game 3: TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 93 (McVeigh 18, Deng 15, Crawford, Doyle 14, MacDonald 13; McVeigh 12 rebs; Doyle 7 assts) d MELBOURNE UNITED 91 (Dellavedova 21, Goulding 17, Travers 14, Ili 11; Hukporti 9 rebs; Dellavedova 8 assts) at John Cain Arena. Crowd: 10,175

Game 2: TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 82 (McVeigh 16, MacDonald, Crawford, Doyle 13; Doyle 10 rebs; Crawford, McVeigh 4 assts) d MELBOURNE UNITED 77 (Ili 20, Goulding 19, Lual-Acuil 9; Lual-Acuil 11 rebs; Dellavedova 7 assts) at MyState Bank Arena. Crowd: 4,340

Game 1: MELBOURNE UNITED 104 (Goulding 22, Lual-Acuil 20, Clark 18, Dellavedova 11; Lual-Acuil 11 rebs; Dellavedova 6 assts) d TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 81 (Drmic 18, Doyle 16, McVeigh 13, Magnay 10; Doyle 8 rebs; MacDonald, McVeigh 3 assts) at John Cain Arena. Crowd: 9,108

Tasmania wins NBL Championship 3-2

Jack McVeigh wins Larry Sengstock Medal (Grand Final Series MVP)