KAYA PANG MAILUSOT ITO – COACH YENG
Eerily for coach Yeng Guiao, Game 5 of their semifinal series against Alaska felt like deja vu.
“It’s very similar to Game 1. We had a good lead, we had the momentum, but again, it was a game of runs,” he said.
“In the first half, we still had a good six-point halftime lead and to me, that was still ok because I expect runs on both sides,” Guiao noted after holding an early 37-18 lead, which was trimmed down to just six, 47-41 at the half.
“But in the second half, it was a question of sustaining the energy. We got outrebounded, we couldn’t sustain the pace. Throughout this series, we have been getting the advantage in terms of fastbreak points, but today, we lost it,” the Rain or Shine coach noted, as the Aces ran them to the ground, 23-8.
“We know we have the capability to carve out a win but sometimes, we relax too soon. I don’t think we can establish those leads if we’re not capable of winning the game. But it’s the same mental trap that we fell into in Game 1. We relaxed too early.”
Faced with a must-win situation come Sunday, Guiao expressed his confidence with his wards as they close 2014 on a 2-3 series disadvantage.
“It’s still a close series. We will make adjustments for Game 6 and I’m confident that we can bring it to a Game 7,” he said. “We will go all out to bring this to a Game 7, and if we do, we will pull it through. Ang importante yung Game 6 muna.”
“I’m still confident. I know that we are capable and we can find a way to win the series. Mataas pa yung paniniwala kong kaya pang mailusot ito.” (RL)
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