TEXTERS TEST BATANG PIER
GLOBALPORT has played with fire and learned its lessons from it. Talk N Text recently did and almost got burned.
With those in mind, the Batang Pier and Tropang Texters collide 5:15 p.m. Wednesday in a bid to scorch each other and sustain their move up the standings of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
A second straight win by either team entails with it a rung higher in the standings and that would be an achievement in itself for GlobalPort.
“Tough test for us,” said coach Junel Baculi, who assumed the Batang Pier helm after they wound up with just a victory in their maiden Philippine Cup stint.
“Individual defense is important,” added Baculi. “Talk N Text is such an explosive offensive team. Toughen up our defense and use our strengths. Compete and keep the score close.”
For TNT counterpart Norman Black, the game would be a good gauge of how far his team has progressed to the shape he wants it to be.
“It’s another game where we just want to continue to improve, especially on defense,” said Black, before ticking off who his charges must mark the most.
“Japeth (Aguilar) is playing well, but we also have to find a way to control Sol (Mercado) and Gary David while also focusing on how to keep their import (Justin Williams) off the offensive boards.”
Black has good reason for singling out those players.
Aguilar, traded for Rabeh Al-Hussaini before the mid-season conference started, is averaging 15.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. David is back to his usual prolific self with 19.6 points and Mercado 16 points and 13.3 assists per game.
For his part, Williams is proving to be the right fit for GlobalPort’s locals with norms of 17.6 points, 21.6 boards per game, including 7.3 off the offensive glass, and 4.6 blocks an outing.
In a wire-to-wire 89-80 win over Barangay Ginebra, Williams collared 12 offensive rebounds, one more than TNT’s total in an 86-83 escape over Air21 also last Friday.
The fact his Texters got severely threatened by the Express despite a 22-point lead late in the third quarter gnawed at Black.
“We’ll try to figure out what went wrong in the fourth quarter,” he said then.
GlobalPort faced no such problems with Ginebra because of what Baculi said was his charges’ renewed focus following a bitter 88-98 overtime loss to Barako Bull.
In that game, the Batang Pier lost their grip following an Energy Cola charge from a 76-86 deficit in regulation that was capped by a last-second Mark Macapagal triple.
“Against Barako we played good defense for 47 minutes and 30 seconds,” related Baculi following the Ginebra game.
“We’ve learned our lessons from that,” he added. “Talk N Text is a tough opponent,,, let’s see if we can really play with the big boys, so to speak.” (NC)
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