Defiant Illawarra coach Rob Beveridge has '110 per cent' not given up hope of his team sneaking into the finals despite falling further off the pace in Friday's 112-90 hammering against the Adelaide 36ers.
Belted from start to finish, the fifth-placed Hawks slipped to 9-11, leaving last season's runner-up four games shy of the top four and needing something special.
Beveridge conceded it won't be an easy task but hinted the New Zealand Breakers as the likeliest the team that could be nudged out."
Absolutely 110 per cent not (given up hope of playing finals)," he said.
"Is it going to be difficult? Yeah, it will be, we're realistic about that.
"We are behind the eight-ball, (but) we haven't written ourselves off.
"We have New Zealand three times and we played really well against them last week (11-point win).
"They've got a really tough schedule - they've got Melbourne, Perth and us three times.
"I think it's going to be very difficult but mathematically we can still make it."
One rival Beveridge doesn't foresee dropping out of the race is Adelaide, who he described as being on a "seek-and-destroy" mission.
But he remains confident his team can turn things around quickly in this Sunday's rematch in Wollongong by slowing the pace.
"They (Adelaide) have got a bit of a chip on their shoulder and they're playing that way," Beveridge said.
"Right now in their mind, it's a seek-and-destroy mission and it worked well for them tonight."
Adelaide are the best team in the country at transition play. It's as simple as that.
"They were focused and they put a show on."We know what they're doing (but) once we get them in the halfcourt we can beat them."
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