WE’RE PRETTY FOCUSED RIGHT NOW – DEVANCE
With two triples to open the game, Joe Devance’s eight first quarter points turned out to be the firing start for Purefoods’ methodical 120-86 domination of Alaska.
Finishing the game with 10 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, the first pick of the 2007 PBA Draft did everything he could to lift the Hotshots to a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three quarterfinal affair in the 2015 PBA Commissioner’s Cup in Friday.
But he deflected all the praises.
“I just got lucky with those two threes. It went in and kind of sparked us, but it wasn’t just me,” he said. “We started strong defensively. I think we had them at one point for a while and that really was because of our defense. We just played our game, play it hard, and compete.”
Compared to the last conference, Devance said that the Hotshots “are pretty focused right now.”
“This conference, we have been on point, and we’ve been battling this conference. Hopefully, we can continue what we’re doing,” he said.
And for the defending champs, everything starts with defense.
“It’s all that really is. We try to pick up the pressure a little bit and have each other’s back. We’re being much more detailed on our defense and that’s what translates to our offense,” said Devance.
With a chance to formally enter the semifinals with another win on Sunday, the dependable forward and his Purefoods teammates know that it’s still a bit too early to celebrate their wins, even if the margin of victory is a whopping 34 points.
“We’ll just do the same thing that we did. We can’t go too high on our wins and we can’t go too low on our losses. This is a series and we know how hard Alaska plays,” Devance said.
“They’re not gonna give up. We just have to keep our focus and think of the next play, come out and take this next game.”
Game 2 will be played 3 p.m. Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. (RL)
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