BATANG PIER EYE LEASE ON LIFE VS. STREAKING E-PAINTERS
THE last time they met in a playoff Rain or Shine needed just one game to knock GlobalPort out.
Whether the Elasto Painters’ lightning can strike the Batang Pier anew would be known Wednesday in their PLDT myDSL PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals duel at the Mall of Asia Arena.
As in the last Governors Cup, Rain or Shine needs to win only once to advance to the semifinals, an advantage it earned for finishing as the No. 2 team from the eliminations.
GlobalPort wound up seventh, its barely higher quotient easing it out of a one-game playoff for the eighth and last spot won last Monday by Alaska over Meralco, 94-91.
That and the 108-106 squeaker fashioned by the E-Painters in their quarterfinals matchup in the last conference should act as spur for the Batang Pier when the two teams take the floor at 5:45 p.m.
“For us, it’s a matter of not allowing the pressure to get to us,” said GlobalPort coach Ritchie Ticzon, whose team split their two elimination round meetings with Rain or Shine.
“We know the stakes are higher now but that should only motivate us to work harder,” added Ticzon.
Adopting a blue-collar attitude is a must for GlobalPort.
Rain or Shine is currently the hottest team in the league, stretching a franchise-best by winning seven straight games, including a 98-87 traipse over GlobalPort last Jan. 5.
Furthermore, Jay Washington , who notched 20 points and 13 rebounds in the Batang Pier’s 90-88 win over the E-Painters the first time they met, is out of the conference due to a muscle tear on his foot.
And while focus of Rain or Shine’s defense could be centered mostly on Sol Mercado and Terrence Romeo, GlobalPort could not exactly pinpoint who among the E-Painters it could concentrate on as different players have taken turns stepping up for coach Yeng Guiao. (NC)
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