BRACING FOR FIGHTBACK
San Mig Super Coffee coach Tim Cone insists couples of things happened that allowed them to stop Talk n Text on its tracks Friday night.
Cone rattled off carryover momentum and mental lift from their last game in the semifinals, and the uncharacteristic turnovers and misses by Talk n Text.
He says they now need a lot, lot more than those things as they brace for a determined fightback by the Tropang Texters in Game Two of their PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-five finale at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday.
“Truly, they weren’t the same team in Game One. They beat themselves more than we beat them, and we have to understand that,” said Cone.
“Yes, we played pretty well, but it’s more of them not being sharp. We’re gonna see a much better Talk n Text team in Game Two and as the series goes along,” Cone also said.
Blowing hot and cold in the tourney, the Mixers will now be riding the momentum of a two-game run as they shoot for a commanding 2-0 lead in this short title playoff.
The Mixers, however, must really be cautious in Game Two with the Texters determined to pick up the pieces of their shattering 80-95 defeat in the series opener.
Blown away Friday were the Texters and their chance for a conference sweep.
Now, the Texters have to rise back and stop the Mixers from closing in on what could be a first third straight crown.
Black said it’s on him to get his team ready mentally and physically for Game Two.
“My concern won’t be what happened (in Game One) and how many points we lost. My concern is how to get the guys prepared for the next game,” said Black.
“I don’t think we’ll make too many adjustments. Instead, we just have to play with a little bit more fight, a little bit more energy and intensity,” Black also said.
Black rued lack of energy and intensity cost them Game One.
“They’re more aggressive than we were. They really denied us on what we wanted to do. They came out with a lot of intensity and forced us into a lot of turnovers. It’s uncharacteristic of us, but it happened,” he said.
The two teams actually engaged in a furious fight in the first half marked by seven deadlocks and eight lead changes before the Texters fell apart.
Though held to their lowest first-quarter and first-half outputs in the conference, the Texters were there in the fight in the first 24 minutes of play.
But then they failed to keep up as the Mixers, playing a ninth game in 20 days, increased the pressure and pushed the tempo in the final half. (SB)
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