MILLER FEELS CHEMISTRY IS THE KEY FOR BARAKO TURNAROUND
During the pregame shootaround, Willie Miller clowned around with his teammates, distracting them whenever they hoisted a shot. The Thriller, together with his teammates, are about to face GlobalPort, hoping to end their woes as the year nears its end.
A couple of hours after, Barako Bull improved its standing to 3-7 with a 108-95 win.
Miller, as usual, had a ready smile on his face.
Though it really isn’t a surprise to many, Willie flashes his smile all the time, something that is sometimes misunderstood especially when he flashes his pearly whites after a loss.
But the 2002 PBA MVP knows that there’s more to it than just his smile. He also feels the Energy’s struggles, even though he doesn’t show it.
“Lahat pag binigyan ng matagal na time, nagbabago. Lalo na sa amin, nag-start kami November na. Kinakapa pa rin namin yung chemistry namin as a team, at sila coach din, kung sino yung magandang combination sa loob. Ako din personally, kinakapa ko rin yung teammates ko kung saan sila mas komportable,” Miller said. “Yun yung pinakaimportante eh. Dapat yung lima sa loob, alam nila kung paano gagalaw ang bawat isa. Yung mga lapses, dun nakikita eh. Yung mga errors sa huli, missed passing, yung depensa, medyo may lapses pa rin. Sa chemistry yun eh. Sabi nga nila, kahit na nakapikit o natutulog, dapat alam mo kung san pupunta yung kakampi mo.”
Though chemistry is one of the biggest issues Barako Bull is addressing, Miller believes that their crew, composed mostly of wily veterans, can adapt easier to their needs.
“Mas mapapadali yun kasi mas matatanda kami. Kumbaga, mas matanda, maiingay kami, kasi yung veterans salita ng salita. At least, mas madali kaming magkakaintindihan,” he said.
“Medyo ok na naman yung nangyayari sa amin. We’re just trying to pull out the effort para matakpan yung konting mistakes namin. Siguro pag dumating yung time na maganda na yung chemistry namin, napakaganda ng mangayari sa amin,” Miller added.
And they showed glimpses of it in the win over GlobalPort where six players logged double-digit scores.
“Alam ng mga players na may chance kami parati, na kahit tambak kami, humahabol kami. Na kahit natatalo kami, mataas pa rin yung morale ng team. Sabi nga namin, pag ganito lagi yung nangyayari sa atin at binaon natin yung ulo natin, mas lalong sasama yung performance natin,” Miller said.
He added, “Andito yung mga veterans para pagsabihan yung ibang players to take the responsibility and move in the right way in case mag-commit ka ng error. Kumbaga, kahit mahuli yan nung umpisa, dapat mag-move on ka, next play na. Yun ang importante sa camaraderie ng players, andito kami para i-lift up yung mga players na nado-down.”
“Chemistry lang talaga eh. Ang daming matatanda, ang daming bata na capable. Pag gumanda yung chemistry namin, amuy-amuyan na lang yan at basahan na lang ng feel ng players. Malay nyo, baka wala nang makatalo sa min,” Miller said with the usual jovial grin plastered all over his face. (RLeongson)
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.
