Sink or soar: Hawks embrace "doozy" schedule

The Illawarra Hawks' championship defence hangs by a thread heading into Round 13, with Justin Tatum's side currently 6-10 on the season.

But with four games in the next 13 days, the Hawks can quickly turn around their fortunes and Finals chances.

Rather than make excuses about the upcoming stretch, coach Tatum is embracing the challenge.

"The NBL did a doozy with their schedule, didn't they? But no complaints here," Tatum said to the Illawarra Mercury.

"When you're the champions and you want it, you do whatever it takes. The way we won it last year was no fluke. This is a test to say the least, however if you want to do it again, this is the road you got to take.

"We accept all challenges, [as it comes down to] do we want it more than them."

That stretch of games starts on Thursday with an NBL25 Championships Series rematch with Melbourne at John Cain Arena.

This will be followed by a home game against league-leaders Adelaide on Saturday, a Christmas night blockbuster with Sydney at Qudos Bank Arena and New Year's Eve clash with Tasmania at the WIN Entertainment Centre.

Thursday's match tips off at 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.

Read the full story here >> The simple stat behind the Illawarra Hawks' stunning NBL title defence slide