With it all on the line the Illawarra Mercury’s own Cody Ellis takes us into the inner sanctum with his finals diary ahead of the clash with the Bullets.

So it's 1am and I am sitting here in the hotel room in Melbourne going over the game (a 78-72 loss to United on Monday) in my head.

Like any athlete will tell you, it is hard to go to sleep after a game, especially one that you lose.

You sit in your own head all night trying to figure out what we did and did not do well and  what we need to do to get ready for our huge game Saturday against Brisbane. Way too many thoughts to put down on paper.

Tonight my mind also wandered away from the game we just played. As you may or may not know, the game against Melbourne was my 100th NBL game.

This is something I am pretty proud of. It may not seem like much to a lot of people when you see guys like Oscar Forman – who tonight moved into 20th on the all time games played list – or, guys like Mark Worthington and Shawn Redhage who have announced their retirements after long and distinguished careers.

But, I think that 100 games in this league is nothing to brush of. I am so very appreciative of everyone who has given me an opportunity to be a part of this fast growing league.

As a little kid, it was always a dream of mine to play in the NBL. When you spend the amount of time around a pro team as I did, it is literally all you want out of life.

Going to Wildcats training was always my favorite things to do growing up. It was not just because of the basketball side of things but the competitiveness and camaraderie.

I always found it fascinating that you could be ready to trade blows during training but be such good mates once training is finished.

Now that I have played my 100th game, I am 202 away from tying my dad, Mike Ellis’, games played record. This is something that has been on my bucket list as long as I can remember.

Although we’ve had two completely different careers, I think it would be something very special to achieve.

Who knows how long I will last in this league, but know that everyday I am working to edge closer to that 302. Reflecting on that also brings to mine the fact Dad won two championships as a player and two more as a coach.

That’s is the reason you play and I truly believe that we have the team to make a legitimate run at the title this year.

It all starts Saturday as we have a chance to solidify a playoff spot. Bring on Brisbane and bring on the playoffs!