Basketball On The Internet.

IT would be a crying shame if the noise over the uttering of the "N" word allegedly by Illawarra import Justin Robinson, now detracted from the club's tremendous success in sweeping NBL powerhouse Perth to qualify for the playoffs last night in front of a roaring Wollongong crowd.

"Go sit down n-----," was the comment at Wildcats guard Tai Webster with 6:51 left in the game after he was called for a foul against Gary Clark.

No fuss was made of the remark in the game but post-match social media - that trustworthy bastion of all things factual and relevant - blew up about its "cultural significance," "racism" etcetera.

Was it a smart thing to say? Hell no.

But does it have genuine cultural significance to Australians, or Kiwis for that matter?

I don't doubt that it does on many levels for Americans. I cannot speak for others but having been around my African American friends using that word among each other as a term of endearment, I cringe at the rush to misappropriate the term and brand its user as racist.

No question it was not being used in this instance as a "term of endearment" but it also was not being used as a racial epithet either. If Tai Webster was offended, then there may be a case to answer.

But he did not appear to be and so, as the refs did at the time, hopefully the NBL will let this pass without the unnecessary and overblown scrutiny social media has already subjected it to.

Because the game was, as expected, a cracker, Clark leading the Hawks with a 17-point first half and to a 56-50 interval lead, despite Bryce Cotton having already seized his moments to break from Illawarra's defensive shackles.

Hyrum Harris was huge for the Wildcats and when Alex Sarr tied the game at 70-70, what was about to unfold was well hidden.

Tyler Harvey restored the Hawks' lead, Todd Blanchfield doubled it and then it was Will "Davo" Hickey time. The livewire guard scored, added a pair of free throws, then threw down a copybook fast-break dunk off a perfect Robinson pass as WIN Entertainment Centre collectively lost its mind.

He was on an 8-0 run of his own as Illawarra blew the margin to double-figures, then on to 14 at 84-70 before Jesse Wagstaff added a free throw. 

Clark brought fans from their seats when he ran Cotton down on a break and blocked his lay-up, leading to another Hawks basket.

Illawarra persistently challenged Perth's transition defence and crashed the boards, particularly offensively where they snagged 20 to the Wildcats' 24 defensive rebounds.

Hyunjung Lee set that tone early and his late and deliberate 3-point bank shot now had the Hawks' bench jumping to its feet. So too when Kyle Adnum saw his first action this season, swishing a 3-pointer with his first touch.

There was more gloom though for Perth, Kristian Doolittle with a sore shoulder after running into a perfectly legal Sam Froling screen - he should be furious at teammate Keanu Pinder for not alerting him - and Cotton bumping knees and coming off second best.

Neither injury though looked likely to keep them out of the post-season.  

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 108 (Clark 26, Froling, Harvey 16, Robinson 11, Hickey 10; Clark 11 rebs; Robinson 5 assts) d PERTH WILDCATS 92 (Cotton 20, H. Harris 15, Usher 12, Sarr 11, Pinder 10; H.Harris 7 rebs; T.Webster 5 assts) at WIN Entertainment Centre. Crowd: 4,486