GAMES TOMORROW
(Rizal Memorial Coliseum)
5 p.m. – Magnolia vs. Converge
7:30 p.m. – Meralco vs. SMB
ALL eyes and the spotlight are on TNT’s drive for a rare grand slam. Just don’t tell that to defending champion Meralco, a fellow MVP squad.
The Bolts are equally bent on winning it all anew in the PBA Philippine Cup—ready to go as far as stealing the thunder from the Tropang Giga.
Chris Newsome, Meralco’s heart and soul, who bagged the finals MVP plum in the Bolts’ historic 4-2 Big Dance triumph over the fancied San Miguel Beermen nearly a year ago for the franchise’s maiden crown, admitted they have their work cut out for them.
“It’s nice to be able to say that we are the defending champs, but we also know that that target is bigger on our back and that people are actually going to be coming for us this conference, knowing that we’re the defending champs,” Newsome said. “You can say that both MVP teams are going to have a big target on them this conference because TNT is going for that grand slam.
“We want to defend the crown, and show that what we did last year wasn’t just a one-time thing and that we can do it again,” added the Gilas Pilipinas playmaker.
The 6-foot-2 Newsome said the team is training its sights on two lofty missions—foil TNT’s slam bid and retain the pro league’s crown jewel.
“I think we’re going to focus on what we can control and that’s ourselves. Whatever narrative that is going to be out there, that’s something that we can’t control,” Newsome said.
“We control what we handle in that locker room, how we think and how we interact with one another and I think that’s more important than any narrative that’s going to be out there.”
Despite an injury-plagued roster to start the import-less tilt, the Bolts zoomed to a 2-0 start with a come-from-behind win over the Converge FiberXers (91-89) on Newsome’s game-winning jumper last Friday, and a 118-80 dumping of the Terrafirma Dyip last Sunday.
Meralco gunner Allein Maliksi is out for the season due to a back injury while court general Chris Banchero is recovering from a hamstring injury.
“One week to two but it depends, CB (Banchero) might take a little bit longer because he’s a little bit older but we won’t rush him back,” Meralco coach Luigi Trillo said. “Allein is out for the conference. But it’s exciting also that we see a lot helping out. You have Alvin (Pasaol), CJ (Cansino), New and Bong (Quinto). We’ll just do with what we have.”
For Newsome, the Bolts did it despite the tall odds stacked against them—they’re determined more than ever to prove their title triumph was no fluke.
“It all comes down to staying together through the highs and lows and peaking at the right time,” he said. “But again, I think all we can control is how we interact with one another and our mindset and our chemistry of the locker room and then we’ll let that speak for itself.”
And just a week into the conference? Meralco will square off with SMB tomorrow at the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila in a retro duel fittingly celebrating the golden anniversary of Asia’s pioneering pro league.
