#PBA2015 GOVS CUP PREVIEW: BLACKWATER ELITE vs NLEX ROAD WARRIORS – PRIDE AND SURVIVAL

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These are the two teams at the very bottom of the team standings this conference. At 1-8, BLA has officially been eliminated from quarterfinal contention and will play its last two games of the season (including this one). NLX, meanwhile, still has a very small window of opportunity to advance to the next round but they will have to win their last two games (this one and the next against GIN) and hope their quotient is good enough to make them make the quarterfinals.

The Elite haven’t been elite this conference, losing all but one of their first nine games. Of course, it didn’t really help that they had to let go of import Marcus Douthit so he could play in the SEA Games. This led to another adjustment from the team as replacement import Marcus Cousin came in. As they near their season’s end, the Elite should be able to look inward and reevaluate their team so they can prepare to be more competitive next season. There is nothing more for them to fight for except pride.

NLX, on the other hand, had high expectations this conference with the inclusion of Syrian super scorer Michel Madanly. An early injury to Madanly and the occasionally underwhelming performance of import Kwame Alexander, however, have really hindered NLX from really fulfilling its potential. Now they’ve lost their last three games and are technically one more loss away from officially being eliminated and having their season finished. The Road Warriors are fighting to survive.

Previous results:

PHL Cup

NLX beat BLA, 104-84

COMM Cup

NLX beat BLA, 106-79

1. THE OTHER MARCUS

New import Marcus Cousin didn’t exactly impress in his PBA debut, but he made of for it with a better line against the Beermen. Cousin dropped 25 points and 16 rebounds while shooting 12/21 from the field as BLA lost to SMB. It’s a promising sign, though, and if he can produce another strong showing here, BLA may stand a chance against NLX.

vs TNT (debut): 16pts, 9rebs, 5/10 FGs.

vs SMB: 25pts, 16rebs, 12/21 FGs.

2. HERUELA RISING

One guy who has been playing really well for BLA has been rising star Brian Heruela. The 26th overall pick in the 2014 PBA Draft continues to make a really good case for himself as one of the best rookies this season. His play in BLA’s last few games has really been very impressive.

vs SMB: 15pts, 7rebs, 5asts, 2stls, 5/15 FGs.

Last 5 games: 14.6ppg, 5.4rpg, 5.4apg, 1.0spg, 1.2 triples per game.

3. CLEANING THE GLASS

Despite losing badly to SMB, one positive that BLA did was to crash the boards and clean the glass really well. Despite the fact SMB had MVP June Mar Fajardo and super import AZ Reid, the Elite were able to dominate the rebounding battle, 53-41. If they can do that again against a smaller NLX team, they should be in great shape.

vs SMB-

Rebounding: SMB 41, BLA 53

Cousin – 16rebs

Heruela – 7rebs

Cervantes – 7rebs

Erram – 6rebs

4. NLEX: SLOW START

On the other end, one thing that really put NLX behind the ball against GLO was the fact they started the game badly. NLX fell behind early by double-figures and was never really able to fully recover. Against a team like BLA, and with so much on the line, NLX cannot afford another slow start.

GLO opened the game on a 5-0 run and never relinquished the lead, growing it to as big as 30 points.

5. ASI: HOLDING HIS OWN

Even if NLX lost badly to GLO, one of the positives was how veteran big man Asi Taulava continued to hold his own, even against a monster performance by GLO’s Jarrid Famous. The Fil-Tongan put up 23 points on 10/13 FG shooting while also grabbing 6 rebounds. He will have to play solidly again here as he will be ranged against Marcus Cousin.

vs GLO: 23pts, 6rebs, 10/13 FGs

6. ALEXANDER NOT THE GREAT

One big reason for NLX’s struggles this conference has been the inconsistent play of import Kwame Alexander. Unlike the top imports like AZ Reid, Orlando Johnson, Liam McMorrow, or Marqus Blakely, Alexander’s play has been up and down of late. Rock-bottom was his 8-point performance against ROS and this he followed with just 14 points and 9 boards against GLO. That just won’t cut it, so he will have to really play much better.

Last 2 games: 11.0ppg, 10.0rpg, 4.0 TOpg, 30.0 FG%

7. MADANLY: FIRING BLANKS

NLX’s other import, Syrian Michel Madanly, also seems to have hit a dry spell. He was on fire for a few games, but struggled big time against GLO, shooting just 5/19 from the floor, including missing all 8 of his 3pt shots. He will need a big bounce back game here if NLX is to make any noise.

Previous 4 games before GLO game: 23.5ppg, 3.8rpg, 4.3apg, 3.8 triples per game, 43.0 FG%

vs GLO: 12pts, 12rebs, 1ast, 0/8 3pts, 26.3 FG%

8. KEY MATCH-UP: CERVANTES X CANALETA

Perhaps the key match-up here will be between versatile forwards Reil Cervantes and KG Canaleta. Cervantes is coming off a productive outing against SMB, putting up 11 points in 17 minutes, while Canaleta is coming off a bad game against GLO, scoring just 2 points. It’ll be interesting to see if Cervantes can build on his good showing in this game and if Canaleta can recover his fine form. Without a doubt, both players need to play well for their respective teams to have good chances to win here.

Cervantes stats: 9.7ppg, 4.0rpg, 1.0 triple per game, 34.3 FG%

Canaleta stats: 7.2ppg, 3.7rpg, 1.4 triples per game, 40.7 FG%

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