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MELBOURNE United last night qualified for the NBL Championship Series when Ian Clark and Chris Goulding combined to bring down Kristian Doolittle and Bryce Cotton in an epic 113-112 last gasp victory from a match that has to rank as one of the most spectacular in playoff history, though no compensation for a gallant Perth.

Both sides played hardball defence all night, yet United drilled the ball at 56 per cent and the Wildcats at 50 in one of the most remarkable pressured shooting performances in league history.

Yes, they were that good, on a night when the loser was going to have every reason to feel devastated. And what a dramatic finish it was too.

Leading 112-107 and only one minute and heartbeats to go, Marcus Lee went to the stripe for two free throws to put it finally beyond reach.

Lee had blocked a shot which replays revealed as a clear goal-tend so it was probably those mythical but ever-present basketball gods who intervened as he aborted both freebies, restoring the Wildcats' pulse.

Galloping into the last minute, Cotton stuck a bucket for 109-112 and when Matthew Dellavedova (10 points, 11 assists) missed a trademark fadeaway - probably not United's most ideal option - at 24 seconds, Perth had a last possession to tie this up.

Doolittle, despite a career-high 37 points at 61 per cent and 4-of-6 threes at that point, missed a triple for the tie.  A frantic offensive board later, Cotton, who had 33 points and was 3-of-6 from beyond the arc at that point, also missed his chance to send the game into overtime.

But he hustled for the offensive rebound, thought about seconds on a triple but had Perth stalwart and longtime teammate Jesse Wagstaff free to his left well outside the top of the key.

Wagstaff was 0-of-2 for the game but "cometh the moment, cometh the man". His 3-point attempt never looked anything but the swish it would be.

If the warrior hangs up his boots now, that will be a truly memorable shot on which to close his stellar career, Cotton with his sixth assist and the contest locked 112-112 with 2.9 seconds on the clock.

Melbourne took time-out and advanced the ball. The United then ran a final play which twice this season already has won it games in such situations. Although each time with a nifty tweak.

This time it was Dellavedova to a Goulding cutting under the hoop for a reverse - a shot Kyle Bowen most certainly has mastered - and a foul on Ben Henshall clipping him across the arm.

At 0.8 seconds left, Goulding strode to the line, calmly slotted the first free throw to break the deadlock, then sagely aborted the second, giving the Wildcats zero time for anything but a rebound and heave.

It was a smart play. Had he made both, that .8 of a second still allows time for an inbounds, catch and prayer, and who knows then what happens? Remember Jack McVeigh? Or who fouls? Or ... no. Goulding did not leave it to chance, his 30-point return an inspiration.

He hit 3-of-6 threes in the second half, which most players would kill to have as a stat line. Bear in mind though, that was after he was a withering 6-of-6 from the 3-point arc in the first half!

Goulding went 9-of-12 from 3-point territory for the match, and his 3-of-4 from the stripe were instrumental in the win.

The Wildcats opened with a flurry, Cotton alight for a 22-point half while Doolittle also was savage as the lead bulged out to 14.

But Clark was equally electric with 23 in the first half and en route to his highest score at elite level, his 38 topping his NBA high of 36. Clark was clicking at 73 per cent and had 6-of-9 threes.

Perth took a 62-58 buffer into halftime and some of John Rillie's coaching was sublime and effective, essentially slicing his rotation to seven - no spectators getting a run here - Dylan Windler again active for 13 points at 50 per cent and seven rebounds.

Keanu Pinder delivered 15 points on 7-of-11 shooting but it was Melbourne's Jack White in the third quarter who altered the course of this masterwork.

Scoreless at the break and appearing to still be suffering the funk induced by his embarrassing free throw shooting in Games 1 and 2, suddenly recalled he has an NBA champiomnship ring with Denver Nuggets.

Opening the third period with a 3-point swish, he was back, finishing with 12 points in the period as Melbourne wrested the lead to go into the last ahead 87-84.

There may have been better games, better finals, even better semi finals in the NBL's long and storied history since tip off in 1979. But coming up with a single better game would be beyond even the sport's greatest historians and statsmen.

Rillie coached his heart out and Dean Vickerman going to a four-guard quintet with only Lee on the floor aside Goulding, Clark, Dellavedova and the ever energetic Shea Ili, was ballsy stuff.

Worthy of a grand final berth.

NBL SEMI FINALS (2v3) MELBOURNE UNITED v PERTH WILDCATS

Game 1 - Melbourne United 105 (Goulding 41, Clark 22, White 13, Lee 10; White 10 rebs; Dellavedova 9 assts) d Perth Wildcats 93 (Pinder 24, Cotton, Doolittle 22; Pinder 11 rebs; Cotton 6 assts) at John Cain Arena, Melbourne. Crowd: 7,473. Melbourne leads best-of-three series 1-0

Game 2 - Perth Wildcats 96 (Windler 27, Cotton 18, Doolittle 17, Webster 13, Wagstaff 10; Doolittle, Windler 11 rebs; Doolittle 6 assts) d Melbourne United 89 (Goulding 15, White, Clark, Dellavedova 13, Lee 10; Dellavedova 8 rebs; Dellavedova 12 assts) at RAC Arena, Perth. Crowd: 12,961 Series tied 1-1

Game 3 - Melbourne United 113 (Clark 38, Goulding 30, White 15, Dellavedova 10; White 9 rebs; Dellavedova 11 assts) d Perth Wildcats 112 (Doolittle 37, Cotton 33, Pinder 15, Windler 13; Doolittle 10 rebs; Cotton 6 assts) at John Cain Arena, Melbourne. Crowd: 5,618 Melbourne wins series 2-1

GAME RECOGNISES GAME: Bryce Cotton and Chris Goulding share a post-game private moment.

NBL SEMI FINALS (1v4) ILLAWARRA HAWKS v SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX

Game 1 - Illawarra Hawks 101 (Kell, Harvey 24, Blanchfield 16, Froling 10; Kell 10 rebs; Hickey 7 assts) d South East Melbourne Phoenix 94 (Wieskamp 22, Sobey 17, Walton 15, Hurt 10; Sobey 9 rebs; Walton 11 assts) at WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong. Crowd: 5,491 Illawarra leads best-of-three series 1-0

Game 2 - South East Melbourne Phoenix 101 (Hurt 30, Sobey 25, Glover 16, Foxwell 10; Hunter 9 rebs; Glover 5 assts) d Illawarra Hawks 94 (Hickey 19, Froling 11, Harvey 10; Kell 8 rebs; Kell 6 assts) at John Cain Arena, Melbourne. Crowd: 8,636 Series tied 1-1

Game 3 - Tonight, WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong, 7:30pm AEDT