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SERVICES
THE INQUIRER COMPANY
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04
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27
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2024
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SERVICES
THE INQUIRER COMPANY
04
27
2024
DUBAI – The trend in the last couple of playdates in the Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup has caused some alarm and Alaska coach Alex Compton is hoping the Aces will be able to rise to the occasion.
“Barako beat Ginebra, Blackwater beat Meralco. I hope we don’t say Mahindra beat Alaska,” said Compton minutes before heading for a breakfast at the Damac Maison’s Cour Jardin hotel here Thursday.
“Everybody is getting better. There’s not an easy game,” added Compton.
The Aces finally set out Friday, looking to gain a share of the lead with Rain or Shine in their 8 p.m. meeting with the Enforcers (12 p.m. Manila time) at the Al Wasl Sports Club.
The Aces will be gunning for their third straight win as they seek to keep their hot streak going in the kick-off conference that’s getting a lot tougher this early than ever imagined following the shock wins by Barako Bull and Blackwater a few days back.
In their last outing in Manila against the Elite, the Aces had some anxious moments before winning (87-79 last Oct 30), and with that as yardstick, Compton said their game against Mahindra will be by no means easy.
“We certainly have to have a better start than we had against Blackwater. I think Mahindra plays really hard, and they are currently playing I believe the fastest pace in the league,” said Compton.
“So we need to be ready to both attack them on offense when they gamble and yet contain them defensively. We can’t give them (Enforcers) easy shots,” added Compton.
The Aces had light workouts Wednesday at unspecified gym which they never got to find until spending six hours inside the bus owing to heavy traffic in downtown Dubai, where high-rises and skyscrapers are sprouting like mushrooms.
On Thursday, the Aces were to hold some light workouts and spend the rest of the day going around the city. The day before, they too had a morning workout but not after spending about six hours inside the bus owing to heavy traffic.
“Last night we’re able to find the gym after a lot of efforts. We stayed in the bus yesterday for about six hours, hindi maganda sa katawan ng mga players. We brought Manila traffic with us,” said Compton.
The Aces are playing for the first time here in their long, storied stint in the PBA, and they are faced with daunting task of playing one more game tomorrow against the Barangay Ginebra in the same venue and the same time.
Should the Aces sweep the twin-Dubai outings, they will get to pole-vault on top of the ladder, with the Elasto Painers, who went 3-0 after shocking San Miguel Beer, 99-84, last Wednesday, the very same day the Elite nosed out Meralco, 92-90.
If they are to beat the Enforcers, the key according to Compton would be their transition defense.
“If we are great on our transition defense and really contain them, and make them make difficult plays, we really have a good chance,” said Compton.
Meanwhile, PBA chairman Robert Non of San Miguel Beer, arrived here Thursday, along with league commissioner Chito Narvasa, to personally attend the games.
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