KINGS TEST SORENTO’S METTLE
WINNING its first game could be a good thing with side effects, especially more so in the case of Kia.
“Positive, kasi nanalo. Pero p’wedeng negative din kasi siyempre paghahandaan na kami ng ibang mga teams,” said assistant coach Glenn Capacio, who is calling the shots for the Sorento in lieu of playing coach Manny Pacquiao.
Barangay Ginebra indeed would be ready for whatever surprise Kia may try to pull off Saturday when they clash in a PBA Philippine Cup match at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City.
The Petron Blaze-sponsored road game starts at 5 p.m., with the protagonists eyeing to follow up their impressive opening day wins last Sunday and in the process move to the top of the leaderboard.
Kia has already raised a lot of eyebrows in its pro league debut by razing an early 13-point deficit to beat Blackwater, 80-66.
That first victory is not bad at all for an expansion team hardly given second looks – and mainly only because of interest on how Pacquiao fares as a pro cager – in the pre-season despite winning five of its tuneup games.
Capacio said it would be a matter of coming up with the same all-around effort for the Sorento to topple the Kings, who themselves were very impressive in a 101-81 drubbing of Talk N Text.
“Malaking challenge talaga pero positive lang kami at sana same pa din iyung intensity and effort like our last game,” said Capacio.
Ginebra coach Jeffrey Cariaso said a team cannot afford to let its guards down against Kia, which he described as a “hungry young team.”
But Cariaso also pointed out his Kings’ concentration, coupled with the lessons they learned after winning only one of seven pre-season games, should be key.
“We will see tomorrow if we have learned something in the off-season,” said Cariaso. “Our approach is crucial. I believe our focus will play a big role in the outcome.”
And then there are the players.
Against Blackwater, LA Revilla shone the brightest for Kia with a game-high 23 points, while Hans Thiele, Reil Cervantes and Rudy Lingganay chipped in their ample share with at least 11 points each.
Although Greg Slaughter wound up with 16 points and 12 rebounds and Mac Baracael also poured in 16 markwers anchored on three triples, it was Japeth Aguilar who stood tallest for Ginebra in its first game with 18 points, as many rebounds and five blocks. (NC)
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