DEALING with challenges from outside and within is the main concern of Magnolia and NLEX when they tangle today in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
San Miguel Beer tries to pick up from where it left off and continue its rise in the standings when it collides with a reeling TNT squad in the nightcap.
The Beermen have won three straight games before the league went on an unscheduled break early last month and expect to get more boost through new import Orlando Johnson.
The Tropang Giga have lost two straight and are now in scramble mode to keep alive their goal of making the playoffs.
How TNT overcomes its manpower problems is the nagging question for coach Chot Reyes as Roger Pogoy continues to be out with a left calf strain he suffered in practice last week.
Poy Erram also remains doubtful after hurting his back off a bad fall in the Tropa’s 93-96 loss to Magnolia last Friday, an injury that kept him out in the team’s 92-93 heartbreaker to Phoenix Super LPG last Sunday.
Also having to make do with their own injuries are Magnolia and NLEX.
Veteran Anthony Semerad (calf strain) and rookie Calvin Oftana (fractured hand) suffered their injuries in NLEX’s 100-110 loss to Meralco last Friday and are definitely out for the next few weeks.
Magnolia’s woes are at least as severe, as Calvin Abueva is sure to join Rome dela Rosa (hamstring) and James Laput (bone spurs surgery) on the sidelines.
The day after the Hotshots beat TNT, Abueva was found to have suffered a left calf strain that would sideline him for two to four weeks.
“Si Calvin nabigla talaga kami kasi nagtapos pa siya ng game,” Magnolia coach Chito Victolero said. “Akala niya cramps lang. Kinabukasan hirap na siyang maglakad.”
The remaining Hotshots would still be looking to stretch their unbeaten run to five, but will have their hands full against a Road Warriors squad that has lost its last two games after a 4-0 start.
“It will be very tough kasi sliding ‘yung NLEX. So we expect na medyo merong sense of urgency sila,” said Victolero. “They are sure to bounce back hard so we need to be ready for that. Their aggressiveness, energy, sigurado mataas iyan so we have to at least match that. Kung di man namin malagpasan at least matapatan man lang namin iyon.”
A revitalized vigor is what NLEX coach Yeng Guiao wants from his crew, something they failed to display consistently in their last game against Meralco that resulted in an early 20-point deficit from which they could never fully climb out of.
“We need good energy from the start,” said Guiao. “We could not dig ourselves out of the hole early on in our last game. We can’t make the same mistake against a team that’s still undefeated.”
“Parehas kami, kulang. Medyo balanse lang sa injuries,” noted Victolero. “Who wants it more and kung sino mag-i-step up siguro du’n na lang magkakatalo.”
