A hectic back-and-forth contest which came down to the last minute, a poor in-bounds pass resulting in a turnover proved critical before Jack McVeigh launched a Holy Thursday prayer from near half way just before the buzzer.

In game three, it was Matthew Dellavedova turning the ball over to Milton Doyle and McVeigh's shot went in.

In game four, Sean Macdonald attempted a spearing pass to Majok Deng in the key but it was intercepted by Jo Lual-Acuil Jr, and following one made free-throw from Ian Clark, McVeigh's hail mary rimmed out off the backboard.

Put simply, this loss was a missed opportunity for the JackJumpers who will now have to win the series in Melbourne on Easter Sunday.

But how did it happen? And what needs to happen so that the NBL title belongs in Tasmania?

And no, there will not be any mention of the 'interesting' refereeing.

There would be plenty of frustration among the JackJumpers squad on Friday, not because they were outplayed, but because they did enough to win.

Leading 86-81 with less than four minutes remaining, Tasmania were on the brink of winning their maiden title.

Instead, turnovers, poor shot selection and some brilliantly clutch plays from Dellavedova meant the visitors went on a 7-0 run to force game five.

But before then, the JackJumpers had been solid defensively, with Will Magnay recording his first two blocks of the series, and were successfully relying on the offence from McVeigh, Macdonald and Jordon Crawford.

There was no doubt who the player of the match was, with McVeigh riding the momentum which has elevated him into genuine conversation about a potential NBA chance, he scored 18 first-half points en route to 28 alongside seven rebounds and four steals.

Coach Scott Roth explained why he thought the South Australian power-forward was so productive.

"He's been good down on the post and they chose not to [double-team] him today and he was able to create some offence down there for himself and control the game a little bit for us down there," Roth said.

"His versatility is something that is unique in the league, to be able to score on all three levels, and he was fantastic tonight."

Crawford returned to a level which the JackJumpers need him to stay at and Deng was impactful with his eight points as he used his size to make big shots.

In the first quarter the Ant Army were filling the Derwent Entertainment Centre with noise and hostility which did seem to have some sort of impact on United.

The visitors weren't their confident and clinical selves as they struggled to chain good possessions together and appeared to have no answer for McVeigh.

The JackJumpers led 8-2, 13-8 and then 18-12, but it felt like they could have been 10 points clear.

Instead, it was 20-17 by the end of the quarter.

Then in the second, when McVeigh banked a three to put the hosts up 34-27, it felt like they could have run away with it, but United went on a 14-5 run after that shot.

Then, as mentioned earlier, when Deng's hook-shot gave Tasmania an 86-81 lead with both Chris Goulding and Clark off the court and 200 seconds left on the clock, it felt like they would have to do everything wrong to fumble the win.

And they did.

There were three common denominators for the JackJumpers' inability to capitalise on momentum: Clark, Dellavedova and offensive rebounds.

Scoring 18 and 15 points respectively, the guard duo seemingly always had an answer whenever it felt like the game could slip away from United.

That, alongside Dellavedova's hustle and willingness to dive on loose balls not seen since the 2016 NBA finals series, made their influences far greater than the stats suggest.

Clark explained the mentality of Melbourne's group allowed them to stay in the contest.

"I loved our resilience today, even when they made runs and hit big shots, we didn't panic," he said.

United coach Dean Vickerman agreed: "I just thought there were some amazing desperation plays that were made tonight, our ability to dive on the floor on loose balls and come up with extra possessions," he said.

Added to that were the 21 second-chance points scored by United, often at critical stages.

The offensive boards not only proved a vital source of points for Melbourne, but it was clearly very frustrating for Tasmania who were forced into slow possessions instead getting out on the fast-break for high-percentage shots.

It was an element which Macdonald rued.

"We need to close out defensive possessions a little better, rebound the ball, come at it with two hands and grab it," he said.

At around 6pm on Sunday the NBL champions will be crowned.

And if the Dr John Raschke Trophy is to head to the Apple Isle, Doyle must be at his best.

Averaging a steady 14 points, the series has rather summed up the American's second season.

Coming off an All-NBL first team selection and club MVP first campaign, the guard has been down in almost every statistic, although the death of his father half way through the season cannot be ignored.

But it was tough not to be disappointed by Doyle in game four.

His impact in the first half was nearly non-existent; three shots for zero points.

He forced his way into the contest in the third quarter, but he ended up shooting at 29 per cent and had three turnovers, including a critical one inside the final minute of the contest.

McVeigh very likely won't score 28 on Sunday, so Doyle must be more assertive.