Dean Vickerman hopes three men with NBA championship experience can play significant roles in delivering the third NBL title of his Melbourne United tenure.

Melbourne take on Illawarra in the best-of-five championship series between the league's top two teams, starting at Wollongong's WIN Entertainment Centre on Saturday night.

Vickerman's men finished one win behind the Hawks on the regular-season ladder, lost two of three games to their opponents and will need to win at least once on the road to snare the title.

But their edge in championship experience - headlined by NBA title winners Matthew Dellavedova, Ian Clark and Jack White - could prove crucial.

Chris Goulding, Shea Ili, Marcus Lee and Kyle Bowen have all played in NBL championship teams, while Vickerman is chasing his fourth title as a head coach after winning four as an assistant.

White and Clark have also won NBL titles, as have Illawarra pair Wani Swaka Lo Buluk and Mason Peatling.

"We've got these guys that have been through so many things in world basketball and so many situations," United coach Vickerman said.

"We rely on whatever scout we put on the floor that they're in agreeance with it or they can make it better and add value to whatever we're doing.

"They're going to be composed in situations and solution-based, as we were after game two (of the playoff series against Perth).

"It was like, 'What do we need to do better, let's go out and do it, and do it with a force'."

Dellavedova (Cleveland - 2016) and Clark (Golden State - 2017) were part of NBA titles before joining Melbourne, while White was part of Denver's 2023 championship in between his two United stints.

"They've got NBA championship experience, they're great people and they wanted to see others succeed," Vickerman said.

"I do look at our roster at times and think I'm fortunate to have the players that we do."

Captain Goulding has spent more than a decade with Melbourne and featured in both of Vickerman's previous titles with the club, in 2018 and 2021.

The veteran sharpshooter said the depth of experience on United's roster is no happy accident.

"We've been really conscious over the last few years about the people that we want to recruit and who we see fit into this group," Goulding said.

"It's another layer of experience that we can potentially rely on.

"But to be completely honest with you, it doesn't really matter if we don't come out and be the best version of ourselves."