NZ Breakers import Matt Mooney engaged in a verbal stoush with his coach as the Illawarra Hawks finished on top of the NBL ladder for the first time in their history with a crushing 96-82 win at Spark Arena.
Star Hawks import Tyler Harvey scored 29 points on 6-of-11 shooting from long range as Illawarra romped to victory in Wednesday night's clash.
The win improved Illawarra's record to 19-9 with one game remaining, with their superior percentage meaning they can't be caught by second-placed Melbourne United (18-10).
The Hawks were founded in 1979 and their sole Championship came in 2001.
They will now enjoy home-court advantage for their finals campaign, giving them an excellent chance to secure a second title.
Wednesday's match not only saw the Breakers finish their season with a 10-19 record despite a promising 6-2 start, it also threw huge doubt on Mooney's future.
Mooney, who just days ago expressed an interest in playing on with the Breakers next season, was captured yelling in frustration at his coach Petteri Koponen on the bench during the second quarter.
The pair's stoush no doubt unsettled the rest of the team and the American import stayed in the locker room after half-time.
"You know, nobody's bigger than the team, and it's my job to protect the team," Koponen said.
"You can yell at me, but you have to respect your teammates.
"It's kind of the heat of the moment and we're going to have a conversation with Matt about this.
"We are human. Sometimes we make mistakes. We just have to learn from this."
The incident summed up NZ's plight, with the home side trailing by 23 points at three-quarter time in an insipid display.
Breakers centre Tacko Fall top-scored for NZ with 16 points, including six points in the first four minutes of the match.
The Hawks won the rebound count 15-7 in the opening term on the way to a 27-17 advantage.
NZ were 0-8 from the perimeter before Kaia Isaac finally broke the drought midway through the second quarter.
It was 49-40 at half-time, and Mooney's absence in the third term was keenly felt as the Hawks outscored their opponents 33-19.
Todd Blanchfield finished with 17 points, while Sam Froling (14 points) was also important for the visitors.
Hawks coach Justin Tatum had a strong message for his players - enjoy the momentous occasion of finishing top, but keep your eye on the grand prize.
"I don't want to just blow past it. Let's sit back and think about it. We were part of history today," Tatum said.
"That's something I told the guys I'll never forget.
"I want to make sure our team and city enjoys the moment. But we've still got a job to do on Friday (against Sydney, before our finals start)."