Tyler Harvey was the hero as the Illawarra Hawks levelled the best-of-five NBL championship series against Melbourne United at 1-1 with a tense road win.

Tyler Harvey hit the game-winning basket as Illawarra hit back to level the NBL championship series with a gutsy road win over Melbourne United.Star imports Harvey and Trey Kell recovered from poor game-one showings to lead the Hawks to a thrilling 102-100 victory at John Cain Arena on Wednesday night.

Here's what to keep an eye on as the NBL Championship Series gets set to begin, from the big storylines, to the players primed to explode, and where each team might find their advantages.

Chris Goulding and Matthew Dellavedova catch fire late to guide Melbourne United to an upset 96-88 win over Illawarra Hawks in Wollongong.