BOOSTERS PARADE SIMS VS. BOLTS
COACH Olsen Racela knows a coveted goal is within sight of his Petron Blaze team. Yet he does not want to look that far ahead.
“We want to keep things simple. Basta kami iyung susunod na game lang namin kami naka-focus,” said Racela. “Kapag dumating, then fine.”
He is referring to the fact his Boosters can realize a top two finish following the PBA Commissioner’s Cup eliminations, a goal they could start realizing with a win over Meralco Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Bolts have a far more modest objective, which is to finish the 14-game elims somewhere near the top. To achieve that they have to do more than good in their next four games which include matches against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, defending champion San Mig Coffee and Rain or Shine.
“Tough four-game stretch run,” noted Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio.
In comparison, Petron has Barako Bull on Sunday, followed by similar rematches with Air21 and Talk N Text. The Boosters have to win all those games to avoid any complication, nab a top two spot and secure a twice-to-beat advantage in the ensuing quarterfinals.
Racela is more concerned with those chasing his team.
“We’re currently at No. 3 with four games left,” said Racela. “We’re just one-and-a-half games behind the leaders. But one game ahead lang kami sa sumusunod sa amin. So win na lang as many games as we can to give us separation from the others.
“If we land a top two then so be it.”
To further prop its bid, Petron has brought in NBA D-League standout Henry Sims to replace the off-form Rodney White.
Sims, who turned 23 only last March 27, averaged 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 blocks in 41 games as the starting center for the Erie BayHawks.
The 6-foot-10, 245-lb Sims arrived yesterday morning and Racela hopes the former Georgetown Hoya adjusts in time with his teammates and the team system.
It should not be all about Sims alone, however, and that’s where Racela draws additional confidence from. “Ang mga locals maganda ang inilalaro, so that’s one thing that’s positive with our team,” he said.
“I just told the boys to stay positive, keep working hard.”
Meralco intends to do the same. “Matching up against Petron is always challenging,” said Gregorio.
“We are aware of their advantage in height but we are comfortable with our slight edge in quickness since we basically play small ball. But we can only run if we make stops. Defense is the key if we want to turn around our two-point loss against them in the first round.”
There is also the general gameplan Gregorio drew up for his team to overcome the unfamiliarity with Sims.
“Our strategy is to just stick to fundamentals on defense, stop their fastbreak, limit them to one shot and help each other protect the paint,” he stated. (NC)
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
