CARNIVAL, ELITE SET SIGHTS HIGH
FELLOW expansion teams Kia and Blackwater clash with more than bragging rights at stake Tuesday in the PBA Governors Cup’ at the Cuneta Astrodome.
Aside from going one-up on their head-to-head duel both teams are also looking for a second straight win, which would be a first for either one, as well as gaining strides in the leaderboard.
The Carnival would even move into a share of second-running spot should they prevail anew over the Elite team they defeated during the season-opener but lost to in the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup.
“It’s a very important game for us to improve our standing,” noted Kia’s Chito Victolero, chief assistant to head coach Manny Pacquiao.
What should prop the Carnival’s bid is the fact they are coming off an 85-82 victory over NLEX, made possible by Hyram Bagatsing’s last second game-winner, last Monday.
Much higher should be the confidence of Blackwater since their last game produced an 83-77 upset of Barangay Ginebra in Dipolog City last May 16, a game which saw the Elite shut out the Kings in the last 64 seconds of the game while rattling off a 6-0 windup.
“We need to play defense because Blackwater is coming off a big win against Ginebra. So we really prepared hard for this game,” said Victolero.
Main focus on the game should be on how Kia’s Senegalese import, Hamady N’Diaye, fares against Blackwater counterpart Marcus Douthit.
The 28-year-old N’Diaye has been averaging 15.3 points, 13 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game while Douthit, 35, is usually good for 24.25 points, 15 rebounds and 3.75 blocks an outing.
Kia, however, has the additional edge in another import in Jet Chang, who averages 13.0 points, plus a sprinkling of rebounds, assists and steals.
Local support should be crucial and that’s where the likes of LA Revilla, Alex Nuyles, Mark Yee and Hans Thiele come in for Kia and Bambam Gamalinda, Reil Cervantes and Brian Heruela, to name a few, for Blackwater.
Gametime is 4:15 p.m. (NC)
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