KINGS SHOOT FOR WIN NO.2
Off to a triumphant start with their new system, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel goes for a second straight win as it tangles with the slumping Meralco Bolts in the PLDT Home Telpad PBA Governors’ Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena Saturday night.
The Kings and the Bolts mix it up in the 5:15 p.m. mainer of the tourney’s first Petron Blaze Saturday Special.
While Ginebra shoots for a second successive victory, Meralco looks to check a slump dating back to the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup.
Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio, an optimistic guy, has started to voice out some frustration.
“We’ve been competing hard but just could not finish games on a high note. It is really more us than them. I thought in the last two games, we could have turned the outcome around but just couldn’t pull through,” said Gregorio.
“It is not that we are playing without effort. I think it is more like getting too ahead of ourselves, and not yet playing intelligently to close it out on a high note,” he added.
Gregorio promised to try to do better versus Ginebra.
The Bolts dropped close battles in their first two games in the tourney – a 94-95 heartbreaker against the Barako Bull Energy and a 99-105 defeat at the hands of the Talk n Text Tropang Texters.
Coming up next for the Bolts are the Kings whom they beat just once in their last five meetings.
Ginebra began life playing the triangle offense under coach Jeff Cariaso with an 89-71 rout of GlobalPort.
Greg Slaughter worked comfortably with their new scheme and so did import Zaccheus Mason and gunner Mark Caguioa as the Kings clobbered the Batang Pier.
“What impressed me so far is the guys are willing to run the offense. It’s not easy to run, not easy to get disciplined when you feel nothing’s happening. But I’m happy with how the guys play it,” said Cariaso, making special mention of Slaughter.
“Greg is your perfect triangle center. He’s real strong and real big. Obviously there’s a mismatch today and he opened it up for everybody,” Cariaso pointed out.
Slaughter was a big force on both ends, allowing the Kings to dominate the boards and get numerous opportunities for second-chance points.
The Kings ran into lapses but Cariaso said it’s part of their learning process.
“Turnovers are part of it because they’re not used to the passes. When you’re in doubt, that’s when the turnovers happen. When you’re not used to progression, that’s when it happens,” said Cariaso. (SB)
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