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The Wildcats have secured their eighth NBL title, with star import Bryce Cotton draining 45 points to lift his side to a 95-86 win over Illawarra in Sunday's grand final clash at Perth Arena.

Their backs are against the wall as they face the prospect of grand final ignominy, but the Illawarra Hawks are in familiar territory as they look to spoil any early celebration parties for the Perth Wildcats.

The Illawarra Hawks have built a reputation for proving the doubters wrong, but it will take something special to do it again.

Dandenong Rangers' gave Perth star Sami Whitcomb an inch and she took a match-winning 41 points in a season-saving win on Friday night forcing a game 3 decider at Dandenong Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been on a three-point binge since the first of the year. On Friday, they took it step further and set an NBA record in the process.

Perth Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson says Matt Knight is only a 50-50 chance to play in Sunday's game three of the NBL grand final series against Illawarra, and the star forward might even need to wear Jonathan Thurston-style headgear.

Andrew Bogut's successful pursuit of a move to Cleveland may have been galvanised by a chat with Boomers teammate Matthew Dellavedova.

Retiring WNBL champion Carly Wilson has backed Marianna Tolo as a future Australian captain after claiming her third Capitals MVP award.

Dandenong know it won't be easy but they hope to secure their path to the WNBL grand final series on Friday night, then hit the beach on Sunday instead of playing game three.

Former NBA player Amar'e Stoudemire has caused a stir with his response to a hypothetical question about having a gay teammate.

LeBron James likes Andrew Bogut's will to win, the depth he will add to the already loaded Cleveland Cavaliers' roster and the potential to reveal inside knowledge about their great rivals, the Golden State Warriors.

By Tim Keeble

The Perth Wildcats are on the cusp of a second straight NBL championship after an 89-77 defeat of the Illawarra Hawks in game two of the grand final series in Wollongong.

• ANALYSIS

The Andrew Bogut sweepstakes are over and the NBA championship-winning centre will take his talents to Cleveland Cavaliers and attempt to take down his former Golden State Warriors teammates for the championship.

Andrew Bogut is well placed to become the first Australian to win NBA titles with two different clubs after agreeing to join superstar LeBron James at the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Andrew Bogut is reportedly set to talk to four clubs including defending champions Cleveland after moving a step closer to sorting his NBA future by finalising a buyout of his contract.

Ben Simmons has undergone a further procedure on his right foot as the Australian No.1 draft pick tries to make it back to the practice court.

Melbourne Boomers general manager Justin Nelson believes the way people talk about the WNBL needs to change.

Andrew Bogut's chances of a second NBA title may be set to soar with reports that a move to defending champions Cleveland Cavaliers is on the cards.

Star import Bryce Cotton overcame a slow start to help power the Perth Wildcats to a 89-77 victory over the Illawarra Hawks in game one of the best-of-five NBL grand final series at Perth Arena.

Rachel Jarry and the Atlanta Dream have some history - about five minutes of it.

Rob Beveridge clashes with former protege Jesse Wagstaff in the classic tale of David and Goliath in the NBL Finals.

Dandenong took on Perth Lynx to open their WNBL semi final series at Dandenong on Saturday night.

Cairns Taipans import Tony Mitchell has been granted a 24-hour extension to appeal his one-year suspension for striking a referee with the ball during the NBL semi finals.

It's been seven long years since the Illawarra Hawks last contested an NBL grand final series. But after stunning the Adelaide 36ers in Adelaide, they are now back in the big dance as history beckons.

The Philadelphia 76ers have officially ruled out forward Ben Simmons for the remainder of his rookie NBA season after tests revealed his broken right foot was not fully healed.

Basketball has plummeted into an abyss, in terms of attractiveness to Australian women, compared to the sporting steam train launched by the behemoth AFL.

By Peter Mitchell, AAP US Correspondent

Dandenong Rangers will again turn to Amelia Todhunter to try to slow down Perth star Sami Whitcomb in the WNBL semi-finals.

Melbourne United will have a new coach next NBL season after the club elected not to re-sign Dean Demopoulos.

SYDNEY, Feb 23 AAP - Speculation is mounting that Australian NBA star Andrew Bogut is about to be traded, with title contenders the Boston Celtics a favoured destination.

The Los Angeles Lakers now belong to Earvin Johnson, and there's nothing magic about it.

Magic Johnson says it's a dream come true and will work tirelessly to get his beloved Los Angeles back to the top of the NBA.

The Perth Wildcats will get a chance to defend their NBL title, winning through to the grand final with a 74-66 victory over the Cairns Taipans at the Perth Arena.

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving has backed away ever so slightly from his much-publicised comments this week that the Earth is flat.

Carly Wilson finished her decorated WNBL career on Saturday after 363 appearances over 18 seasons.

The oohs and aahs in the Smoothie King Center said it all.

Bendigo Spirit gave their home supporters a win to remember and did their Victorian sisters a major favour by beating Perth Lynx on Sunday.