TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
BY taking care of their end of the bargain, Barako Bull and Air21 managed to barge into the win column their last time out in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
Which among the two can score a fitting follow-up would be known Sunday when they tangle at the Mall of Asia Arena at 4:15 p.m..
A second straight win, coming on the heels of a 90-89 squeaker over Meralco, would be the Energy’s second in three games and puts them alongside current pacesetters Rain or Shine, Petron Blaze and GlobalPort.
The Express, on the other hand, are still on a high following a 93-82 upending of San Mig Coffee. Should they foil Barako’s bid, then they would be the ones occupying the lofty spot.
Considering the eliminations phase is only a nine-game affair to determine the top eight advancing to the playoffs, such a placing is a coveted one.
Each team knows it must again take care of the business at hand first, with both expecting one tight battle.
“It’s a short conference so every game is important,” said Air21 coach Franz Pumaren, specifically citing Barako reinforcement Mike Singletary and such snipers as Mark Macapagal, Ronjay Buenafe and JC Intal.
“We need to slow down Singletary and make sure to defend their perimeter players well,” stated Pumaren.
Singletary is indeed proving to be one big headache for the opposition, averaging a league-high 34.5 points and 17.5 boards per game thus far.
The Express have their own weapons, led by Zach Graham, who has been matching Singletary’s scoring pace and adds 13.0 rebounds per game.
Scoring support comes chiefly from Niño Canaleta and Mark Isip, while Mike Cortez and Wynne Arboleda could prove to be more than Barako main point guard Eman Monfort can handle, compunding Energy active consultant Rajko Toroman’s concerns.
“Air21 is a very competitive team. They have a very good import and they can spread the floor offensively,” assessed the Serbian.
“It will be a tough game for us.” (NC)
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