KINGS TRY TO EXTEND RUN
Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes, also a TV5 top executive, had a great joy witnessing from the sidelines the Mark Caguioa – Terrence Romeo shootout Thursday.
“How d’ya spell unstoppable? TERRENCE ROMEO,” read one of his tweets towards the end of the match.
“But @officialMC47 (Mark Caguioa) reminds everyone who’s d boss w a 10-pt salvo,” he twitted a little later, then in the end: “Make that 13 to ice this game. Ginebra is SCARY!”
After that interesting Barangay Ginebra San Miguel – GlobalPort match comes the Kings – Meralco Bolts face-off. And up next for Caguioa is a showdown with reigning league scoring champ Gary David or former teammate John Wilson who’s coming off a career best game.
Caguioa and the Kings try to sustain one of the ballclub’s hottest season starts in years as they mix it up with the Bolts in the PLDT myDSL PBA Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City Tuesday.
The Bolts have just broke into the win column, getting the needed momentum going to their match versus the vastly improved Ginebra Kings.
Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio knows the tough task at hand in their 8 p.m. tussle with Ginebra.
“Ginebra is playing good basketball. They’ve been playing inspired and they are using their strengths to the hilt. We must find ways to counter their imposing height and length advantage by making sure that we outwork and outhustle them,” said Gregorio.
“It goes without saying that we must be accurate from the perimeter to spread the floor on offense. Their bigs must step out of the paint. We can only do that with quick ball movement and outside sniping,” Gregorio also said.
The Kings have lived up to pre-season expectation, reigning over the San Mig Coffee Mixers, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and the GlobalPort Batang Pier.
Caguioa was at his meanest in their last game, erupting for 14 of his 29 points in the last three minutes while challenged by Romeo.
Top draftee Greg Slaughter, frontcourt partner Japeth Aguilar and backcourt players LA Tenorio and Jayjay Helterbrand, meanwhile, have all been steady, helping the Kings in their impressive unbeaten season start.
The Bolts, meanwhile, bowed to the Talk n Text Texters and the RoS E-Painters before nailing their first win with a 112-79 demolition of the Air21 Express Saturday.
“We have our work cut out for us. They are proving to be as good as advertised,” said Gregorio.
“Our defensive mindset must be solid. We must make stops to run, and run them to the ground,” Gregorio also said.
It would definitely help if David and Wilson hit their stride at the same time.
Wilson put up a big game with a career-best 26 points, providing the needed spark in the Bolts’ whipping of the Express.
Wilson, a former King and Express, rifled in a trey upon entry late in the first period and added five more later in a perfect 6-of-6 three-point shooting on top of 4-of-9 twinners as the 2009 NCAA MVP winner helped the Bolts through after a 0-2 start. (SB)
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