GAMES TODAY
(PhilSports Arena, Pasig)
5 p.m. – NLEX vs. Converge
7:30 p.m. – Blackwater vs. Ginebra
CONVERGE is out to halt NLEX’s sizzling run.
But that is easier said than done and Road Warriors coach Jong Uichico won’t have any of it, considering they are treating their next two outings as a stern test.
“Mabuti medyo nakapuhunan, pero iyong back-to-back games talagang it’s a test,” Uichico said. “Converge is playing very well, with two big men, it has size, dominating talaga.
“Tapos next game namin is against Meralco, very cohesive unit kasi nag-champion na. So, it’s going to be a test for us, the next two games,” he added.
Whether Uichico’s charges can keep their winning streak will be known when they collide with the FiberXers today in the PBA Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
The match is set at 5 p.m. before Ginebra squares off with slumping Blackwater in the nightcap at 7:30.
NLEX will go into the duel armed with a 117-87 dumping of Terrafirma last May 14—the Road Warriors’ fifth straight win that jacked their mark to 5-1.
The Franco Atienza-mentored Converge five beat NorthPort 111-92 last week, which hiked the FiberXers’ record to 5-3 in the season-ending tilt, enough to boost their hopes.
“We will be ready for them. It will be a good game. I’m sure they will be ready for us,” Atienza said. “We will cherish that challenge, that game. It will be a nice game.
The likes of Robert Bolick, Brandon Ramirez, Xyrus Torres, Kevin Alas, Javee Mocon, and will be counted upon by NLEX.
“Maliit kami pero malaki ang puso because ang rebounding, I think, other than technique, iyong gusto mong mag-rebound. More effort rather than the technique side,” Uichico said. “It’s just the double effort, the extra effort to try to get the ball.”
Atienza is under no illusion that Converge can take it easy against the Road Warriors.
“Marami kaming prino-problema doon kasi they’re playing as a team, as a unit,” he said. “There’s no one player na ma-si-single out mo doon, maraming personnel.
“Ang mas nakaka-worry doon is, they’re playing as a team.”
The twin towers of the two Justins—Arana and Baltazar, along with Alec Stockton and Schonny Winston, are hard-pressed to step up for the FiberXers.
“Things are looking good. We’re getting better, and this is the first time we’ve been able to put back-to-back games together. That’s really important to us,” Kings tactician Tim Cone, whose team is eyeing a third victory in a row, said.
NLEX, Converge, and Ginebra all have one target—boost their hopes for quarterfinals slots. For the Bossing, it’s survival mode.
