Alaska coach Alex Compton has always praised NLEX for its array of guns in its armory.
“Ang dami nilang shooters, ang taas ng percentage nila sa labas, tapos may Asi (Taulava) ka pa. Ang ganda pa ng nilalaro ni Jonas Villanueva,” Compton said.
So far, the Road Warriors have been an efficient shooting team, registering a league-best 43.96-percent field goal percentage, and fifth in three-pointers with a 32-percent clip.
But come the playoffs, Compton won’t really have to shower NLEX with good feedback, as his Alaska Aces try to be the first squad to advance to the second phase of the quarterfinals when they clash with the Road Warriors in the 2015 PBA Philippine Cup playoffs.
The tussle between the two squads will be the first game on Thursday at 4:15 p.m., set at the Cuneta Astrodome.
The Aces enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage after finishing as the third-seed, and will try to eliminate NLEX in its first conference in the PBA.
Almost two weeks ago, Alaska edged NLEX in a close encounter to win 90-84.
“Di pa ganun kaganda ang opensa namin, but defensively, that’s what’s winning us games,” said Compton.
As it stands, Alaska is the second-best defensive team in the league, limiting opponents to just 79.73 points per outing.
Calvin Abueva has been a monster for the Aces, but the bigger concern for Compton would be the supporting cast, especially Sonny Thoss who has struggled since coming back from his foot injury.
That would be a big factor for Alaska, especially since they need someone to go toe-to-toe with Asi Taulava in the paint.
Expect a shootout in Pasay, as both teams employ killer gunslingers, with Nino Canaleta, Mac Cardona, Aldrech Ramos, and Mark Borboran engaging Dondon Hontiveros, JVee Casio, Cyrus Baguio, and RJ Jazul in a shootfest. (RL)
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