USUALLY stoic NorthPort coach Bonnie Tan raised his right hand in jubilation after the final buzzer sounded and the Batang Pier having completed a morale-boosting 119-116 decision over the powerhouse Ginebra Kings the last time out.
The Batang Pier’s 7-1 mark in the mid-season tourney is not lost on Meralco Bolts coach Luigi Trillo.
“NorthPort’s playing well. They’ve found their rhythm, their import seems like a good fit, he brings a lot to the table,” Trillo said. “I think they’ve found a good rhythm.”
Whether the Bolts can stop the Batang Pier will be known when they clash today in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
The match is set at 5 p.m. before Rain or Shine and Converge try to bounce back from sorry defeats in the nightcap at 7:30.
NorthPort’s gutsy win over Ginebra was its first in five years.
The Batang Pier have bagged one of the eight quarterfinals berth and another triumph will push them closer to a top-two finish after the eliminations and a twice-to-beat incentive in the Last Eight.
The likes of import Kadeem Jack, locals Arvin Tolentino, Joshua Munzon, William Navarro, Fran Yu, and Evan Nelle will be counted upon to deliver anew by NorthPort.
Trillo said his charges’ 105-91 rout of the NLEX Road Warriors last Friday that hiked their card to 5-3 should work wonders against the Batang Pier.
“They’re (Batang Pier) pretty solid all-around. Maganda inilalaro nila. I’m pleased with the way we played defense (against NLEX), we need to follow it up again,” Trillo said. “It’s gonna be tough because they (Batang Pier) have points of attack din.”
Meralco will rely on reinforcement Akil Mitchell, Chris Newsome, Bong Quinto, Aaron Black, and Chris Banchero.
The FiberXers saw their four-game winning streak come to a screeching halt via a 96-98 loss at the hands of the TNT Tropang Giga last Saturday and slipped to 6-3 in a tie with Ginebra and foreign guest team Eastern.
Import Cheick Diallo, Justine Baltazar, Justin Arana, Jordan Heading, and Schonny Winston are poised to show the way for Converge.
The Elasto Painters absorbed only their second setback of the import-spiced tilt—a 91-93 defeat to the Phoenix Fuel Masters on a Kenneth Tuffin buzzer-beating putback also last Saturday.
Expect a big fightback from Rain or Shine reinforcement Deon Thompson, Adrian Nocum, Leonard Santillan, Jhonard Clarito, Andrei Caracut, and veteran Beau Belga.