SUSTAINING THE INTENSITY
Alaska is now on a five-game roll since its 51-point blowout by Rain or Shine.
Instead of sulking, the Aces did the right thing, taking the embarrassing defeat to heart and using it as an inspiration in a drive that has brought them to where they are now.
The Elasto Painters intend to do the same after their 93-97 loss Friday night.
“We’ve fallen behind early this conference but we bounced back strong. Sometimes, a loss does more for you than a win. It’s really how we manage to turn this setback into a positive development,” said coach Yeng Guiao on the eve of Game Two of their side of the PLDT Home Telpad PBA Governors’ Cup best-of-five semifinal showdown with Alaska.
Dealt a first loss in their last seven games, Guiao and his troops hope to recover right away in Game Two set at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“It’s really just a question of sustaining our intensity. We can’t slow down and let them dictate the pace,” said Guiao, confident of springing back from their Game One loss.
The Elasto Painters took control most of the way in the series opener only to slow down and slip away at the finish.
The Aces pounced on the E-Painters’ endgame meltdown, pulling through on a 9-0 closing run.
The E-Painters look hardly shaken, though.
They still brim with confidence even with Gabe Norwood a doubtful starter for Game Two.
“He didn’t practice today (Saturday morning). But we’re prepared to play without him,” said Guiao.
Norwood, RoS’s main defender to Alaska import Henry Walker, went down early in the fourth quarter Friday after twisting his right ankle while attacking the basket.
With Norwood gone, Walker went berserk and led the Aces to a fifth straight victory.
Alaska coach Alex Compton played down the impact of their Friday victory.
“I’m young in coaching but long enough in basketball to know 1-0 is not that big a lead,” said Compton.
“What’s important with this win is that at least we know now that we can beat this team. It’s good for our confidence,” Compton added.
The Aces hung around in the face of the Elasto Painters’ torrid outside shooting before making a decisive move in the homestretch, shutting down Rain or Shine in the last four minutes to take the early series head start.
In Game Two, it could be a question of sustaining intensity for both teams. (SB)
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