ELITE GUN FOR FOLLOWUP, ROAD WARRIORS FOR BREAKTHROUGH ‘W’
BLACKWATER has tasted its first-ever PBA victory while NLEX has yet to notch one in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Whether the Elite can pull off a fitting followup or the Road Warriors can crash the win-column would be known when they clash in the mid-season conference Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
For sure, each team is determined to go all-out.
Blackwater already did in its last outing and was amply rewarded by a man-sized 80-77 upset of Philippine Cup champion San Miguel Beer last Wednesday.
Marcus Douthit was a big factor in that win with 20 points and 12 rebounds and got plenty of help from Gilbert Bulawan, Brian Heruela and Bambam Gamalinda in the stretch as the Elite snapped their losing streak since joining the PBA at 14.
Douthit left for the US to attend to some personal matters right after that win but is expected back on the eve of the match while original import Chris Charles continues his recuperation process from a hamstring injury.
So far, the 7-1 Charles has been doing light workouts and shooting drills and management is not about to rush him into action because his injury could recur at any time.
In any event, Blackwater coach Leo Isaac said his team staying hungry and playing with focus should be the key, an assessment that NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez ardently wants from his team.
“Blackwater is a team which won their first game versus San Miguel. Their confidence is so high that playing them will be tough,” said Fernandez.
“We had three straight losses as well so we need to get on track. Again, our defense will be an important factor if we want to get our first win this conference and we need to improve our execution as well,” added Fernandez.
Indeed, NLEX’s defense is not that bad as it has given up an average of 93 and it has the tools, led by Asi Taulava and Rico Villanueva, to at least contain Douthit.
It is on offense that the Road Warriors have clearly struggled despite the presence of import Al Thornton and the likes of scorers Macmac Cardona, KG Canaleta, Aldrech Ramos and Jonas Villanueva.
In its first three games, NLEX has averaged only a little over 82 points after shooting just over 36 percent from the field.
Now comes a Blackwater crew which has, aside from Douthit, plenty of other offensive options in Bryan Faundo, Sunday Salvacion, Heruela and Alex Nuyles, to name but a few. (NC)
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