COMPTON: WE MUST PLAY SMARTER
Alaska coach Alex Compton said that the Aces were humbled after an 86-100 setback in Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against San Miguel Beer.
“We won the first game but that doesn’t change the fact that we’re still the underdogs and they’re still the powerhouse,” Compton said. “We stole one, we gave ourselves a chance, but we’re still facing Goliath. I hope the fans find a reason to cheer for the little guy.”
Compton admitted that what did them in was not just the 32 fouls or the eight free throws they got, but what hurt them the most was their mentality in the physical matchup.
“I think after a couple of hits here and there, we lost our focus a little bit. We’ve got to be smarter at that,” he said.
“It’s more on the sort of the emotions and everything, avoiding possible fines. It’s really the emotions more than anything else.”
The soft-spoken mentor also gave credit to coach Leo Austria for finding a hole in the rockhard Alaska defense, saying, “I know coach Leo is brilliant and he did a good job.”
“We had some breakdowns, we got killed on the glass, they did a pretty good job to force turnovers They got contributions all around, really a team effort on their part,” Compton quipped.
He also stressed the Aces’ need to keep the game low-scoring, noting, “When teams score 100 points, we always have a tough time. Our strength is not really offensive shootouts. That’s not just how we play.”
“I have no problems with San Miguel making tough shots. But we gave up too many easy shots. We’ve got to do better,” he said. (RL)
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