GlobalPort, Blackwater fight for pride
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GLOBALPORT is bent on more than just salvaging some pride when it collides with Blackwater Wednesday in the season-ending PBA Governors Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Both already out of the race for quarterfinals berths, the Batang Pier and Elite now merely aim to end their season with some bright notes to build on for the next.
For GlobalPort a victory will give it a much better record than its 3-8 slate in the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup, when it wound up 12th and last after making its first-ever semifinals the conference before.
The Mikee Romero-owned franchise actually could have stayed in the hunt for the quarterfinals, but dropped a 98-114 decision to NLEX last Friday that took it out of the running.
For Blackwater, it’s about avoiding a dead-last finish for only the third time in its first six conferences with the league.
How to stop a seven-game slide that started in July 27 and further prime the team up for its own final game of the season against San Miguel Beer on Sunday is coach Leo Isaac’s main concern.
Not even a new import in Keala King could snap the Elite out of their funk as they lost to Phoenix 81-93 last Wednesday.
Saddled by foul trouble largely brought about by unfamiliarity with league rules King managed only 14 points and eight rebounds in his debut.
Arthur dela Cruz, Carlo Lastimosa and even new acquisition John Pinto tried to carry the fight for Blackwater, but the continued absence of JP Erram (ACL tear) and the continued failure of the other Elite to step up spelled their downfall.
Terrence Romeo, Stanley Pringle and Mike Glover have been solid for GlobalPort, but the team has also been repeatedly bugged by inconsistent performances from the Batang Pier.
If they want to avoid embarrassment and exploit what should be a stretched-out defense by the Elite the likes of Jay Washington, Billy Mamaril, Doug Kramer and Yousif Taha must use their height and heft advantage over their counterparts.
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