CONFIDENT BUT NOT OVERCONFIDENT
Even after their 90-83 conquest of Barako Bull last Sunday, Ginebra forward Chris Ellis believes that even with a 10-2 record, the league leaders should always be on guard in their games.
“We could always do a better job defensively,” he said. “We were lazy in our movement without the ball, but fortunately, we were able to get some stops, get some intensity defensively and knock down open shots.”
It was evidenced by a late 8-0 Ginebra run in the fourth, where LA Tenorio and Ellis nailed three-pointers to stretch the Kings’ lead to five, 83-78, after being hobbled by the Barako zone defense all game long.
“I think we could do a better job running. Once we get up and down the court, good things happen. But I think other than that, we just tend to ball-watch. One person will get the ball and everyone else will just watch him,” the reigning slam dunk king said. “I think we could do a better job without the ball. We’re going to watch a lot of film and dissect what we can do in the next game.”
He finished the game with 11 points, two rebounds, both on the offensive end, two steals, and four assists, with the last one being a fastbreak lob to Japeth Aguilar to ice the game for good. He all did that in just 21 minutes off the bench.
Ellis also said that the split playing time in the wings between him, Mac Baracael, and Dylan Ababou is a good problem to deal with, given the amount of talent the three men have.
“I love my brothers and my teammates. Everybody’s capable of shooting and defending and just doing what we need. It just depends on how coach wants to play on that particular minute,” he said.
Though the standings place them on top of the 10-team pack, the 6-foot-5 forward is still weary of his team’s mindset.
“We’re confident but we don’t want to be complacent,” he said. “A lot of teams are getting up, and that’s a good thing about this league. Any team is capable of winning in any night. We’re confident but we are not overconfident.” (RL)
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