On paper it may look like just a number, but there's a huge difference between being 5-2 and being 4-3. We started the season 4-0, but if you drop three straight, suddenly you're back in the chasing pack which can be very hard to kick clear of.

As it stands, we're still one of the pace-setters. It wasn't just the win over the Kings that was pleasing, it was the way we go it done. With how even the league is, you have to accept you'll lose the odd close one. Lose a couple though, and it can start to play on your mind.

It was good we had a really quick opportunity to bounce back from a tight loss to Melbourne United and flip it with a close win over Sydney. We were confident we could do it. Obviously the loss to United was a tough one but certainly not one you push the panic button over.

It was a really enjoyable game in front of one of the biggest crowds I've played in front of in Wollongong. You'd probably have to go back to the grand final series for the last time I experienced an atmosphere like that. It wasn't just the number of people in the arena, it was how loud and passionate they were.

There were really a number of factors that went into it. It was our first game at home in a really long time, the Illawarra was put back in the name and we'd had a pretty red-hot start. It's rare you'll get that combination of circumstances to create such an incredible atmosphere and you have enjoy that.

It was great that our new guys - which is most of the team - got that introduction to the Hawks faithful. Obviously not getting the result was the only dampener.

Melbourne are a great team and, even with a few guys out, there was no doubt we were in for a battle. A couple of guys stepped up, Scotty Hopson and Mitch McCarron probably had their best games for the season to make up for some guys who were missing.

We just fell away from how we've been playing. We got out-rebounded and we gave up more free-throws than we have been. Rebounding and limiting trips to the foul line have been key planks in our early success so it was frustrating to lose in those columns on our home court.

We still take a fair bit of confidence out of what was a measuring stick game. It was one of those games where you have to work hard to be in it at the end and give yourselves a chance. Sometimes you win them, sometimes you don't.

We saw that in how we backed up against the Kings. We had it well in hand in the first half but it was bit of a weird second half for us. It felt like we were getting good shots and not making any of them and Sydney were closing that gap. They ended up pulling ahead but we had the confidence going into the fourth quarter that, as long as we stuck around, we'd be in it at the end.

Some of the guys made great plays down the stretch - Cam Bairstow and Justin Simon doubling that ball screen on Casper Ware and getting the steal, Justin with the offensive rebound with the put-back. They were game-winning plays that enabled us to walk away with the W.

There's obviously been some uncertainty around the NBL Cup in Melbourne and whether it will be delayed but we'll just continue our approach of preparing as normal until told otherwise. As it stands our next game is against Cairns and that's what we'll prepare for.