That is probably the best part of the Otago Nuggets' dramatic 95-93 win against the Manawatu Jets at the Edgar Centre on Saturday.
The game certainly lived up to its billing, with a crowd of 2300 treated to an exciting finish.
With the scores locked at 93-93 and just 7.8 seconds remaining on the clock, the game seemed destined for overtime.
But Nuggets captain Mark Dickel had other ideas. He had a quiet opening 30 minutes by his standards, but burst into life in the final quarter with 11 points. And he had the ball in his hands during those final tense moments.
He inbounded the ball to BJ Anthony, who looked for a way through the defence. When he discovered his path blocked, he off-loaded to Dickel, who spotted a gap and drove hard at the basket.
The lay-up was no good. Truth be told, it was a little bit ugly. But his drive created panic and Marcel Jones got in the way and fouled.
Captain Cool iced both free throws, leaving the Jets with 2.6 seconds to find a basket. Even the speediest guard in the league, Chris Hagan, could not get the ball up court in that time. The Nuggets escaped with a win and kept their perfect record at home this season intact.
After 20 years of playing basketball at the top level, Dickel (36) still gets a thrill out of moments like that.
''When you get the ball, you just go back to what you've done your whole life,'' Dickel said.
''You just think about all those times you've been in that situation and go on auto-pilot. That part of the game is easy for me. But as you get older and older, it is the build-up to that part of the game which gets hard.''
Experience counts when it matters the most, obviously. And the Nuggets have that sort of player in abundance. Hayden Allen, Brendon Polyblank and Antoine Tisby come into their own during those moments. That is where this Nuggets team is so dangerous.
If we are honest, the Nuggets' performance was patchy. Dickel was happy to concede that point.
''Credit to the Jets, they took us away from doing what we wanted to do and made it hard for us to get stops.
''We've got a lot of room for improvement. You know, we didn't play that well but we still won, which is good because we are coming into finals time, and when you don't play that well, you still have to find a way to win.''
The Nuggets produced perhaps their best quarter all season in the first spell. Akeem Wright scorched 15 of his game-high 28 points in an impressive scoring blitz. He scored all five attempts from the floor and added two free throws.
In fact, the Nuggets missed just two attempts in a 35-point opening quarter. The stage was set for a big win but the Nuggets' accuracy dipped and the Jets clawed their way back into the game with some fine shooting of their own.
The Jets actually won the next three quarters and got in front midway through the last period. The lead changed hands six times down the stretch before Dickel sealed the win from the free-throw line.
The hyped match-up between Jets centre Nick Horvath (22 points, nine rebounds) and Antonie Tisby (19 points, seven rebounds) did not disappoint. Horvath put up better numbers but Tisby was certainly his equal.
Jones top-scored for the Jets with 25 but undid his good work with that clumsy foul on Dickel.
Anthony got into foul trouble early but still had an impact on the game, with seven of his 17 points scored in the final period.
Wright was fantastic and is perhaps a candidate for player of the week. But Dickel owned the end-game, and those who watched live will know his 13 points and seven assists made all the difference.
With 10 wins from 11 games, Nuggets fans can start thinking about booking a trip to Napier for the finals. The Jets' prospects have been damaged by their trip south.
They were humbled 110-81 by the Southland Sharks on Friday and have dropped out of the top four. They will be desperate in the return fixture and remain a big threat in the league.
NBL
The scores
Otago Nuggets 95
Akeem Wright 28, Antoine Tisby 19, BJ Anthony 17
Manawatu Jets 93
Marcel Jones 25, Nick Horvath 22, Chris Hagan 18
Quarter scores: 1st 35-20, 2nd 51-39, 3rd 74-71
