Road Warriors, Elite hope to end slump
AFTER starting off the season on a high note, Blackwater and NLEX are back to their old struggling selves.
One is bound to snap out of its latest funk when the Road Warriors and Elite clash Wednesday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Both squads urgently need to win, not only to arrest their alarming slides but also to stoke their bid for inclusion among the eight teams advancing to the playoffs following the 11-game eliminations.
“We want to play smart, give our 100 percent and play with a lot of confidence,” said coach Leo Isaac, whose Elite got off to a first-ever 2-0 start, only to lose their last two games.
The situation is even more dire for NLEX, which barely escaped Alaska’s clutches in their opener but has now dropped two straight by an average of 18.5 points.
The frustration has clearly set in for the Road Warriors but new coach Yeng Guiao maintained their relatively short time together should not be used as an alibi.
“This is just our third game, but still, we don’t want to make it an excuse that we’re only in our second month together and we have new players and new coaches. That’s not an excuse,” said Guiao following a 75-99 loss to Star last Wednesday.
“At this point, we should be playing decent basketball and we did not,” added Guiao after his charges committed 31 turnovers against 13 assists.
“That’s on us. We have to take responsibility and we have to find out where the mistakes were.”
Isaac has the same concerns, mainly about his team’s defensive efforts, after Blackwater’s 93-107 loss to Rain or Shine last Friday.
“After two games na nanalo kami, completely out of focus kami sa depensa, hindi kami nasa isang sitwasyon na alam namin ‘yung ginagawa ng bawa’t isa defensively,” rued Isaac.
“We have to correct that, work harder on defense considering lahat ng teams malalakas. Para makakuha kami ng mga panalo ulit, kailangan kami magkaroon kami ng malinis na pag-iisip na kailangan naming magtrabaho lalo na sa depensa.”
Elite forward Mac Belo and NLEX counterpart Sean Anthony could lead those who should help their respective
team figure things out.
Belo has been a pillar for the Elite with averages of 19 points and 8.25 rebounds while Anthony translates his all-around hard work t the tune of 14.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.67 steals an outing.
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