CARNIVAL EYE WIN AS SENDOFF GIFT FOR PACQUIAO
With big wins against three champion teams, this is a game the Kia Carnival shouldn’t lose.
For the Blackwater Elite, this is game they should win.
Kia and Blackwater meet in this keenly awaited duel between the two expansion teams, clashing at 5 p.m. in a Petron Blaze Saturday Special at The Arena in San Juan.
This is big for the two teams, so much so that Manny Pacquiao won’t skip it even with his blockbuster fight with Floyd Mayweather already set.
Pacquiao suits up for one last time with Kia in this contest before leaving for Los Angeles to begin his buildup for the May 2 fight.
“Kailangan pa rin magpakita para ganahan ang team,” said Pacquiao.
Pacquiao and his team (3-4) try to hit the .500 mark against the Blackwater side now fighting for survival at 1-6 in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
In their previous match during the season opener last Oct. 19, Kia pulled off a stirring 80-66 win over Blackwater behind LA Revilla’s big endgame flurry.
And the Carnival have been doing much better in the mid-season tourney with their 7-foot-3 giant of an import in Peter John Ramos with his huge averages of 32 points and 20.3 rebounds.
New recruits Leo Avenido, Mark Yee and Hyram Bagatsing have also been of big help.
Out to give Pacquiao the best send-off they could for his Mayweather buildup, the Kia Carnival carved out yet another king-sized triumph in trouncing the Talk n Text Tropang Texters, 106-103, Wednesday.
Playing the first of their last two games before Pacquiao leaves for his US training, the Carnival put up a heads-up game spiked by a franchise-record and season-best 18 three-pointers as they shocked the Texters a week after stunning the defending champs Purefoods Star Hotshots, 95-84.
Their first win came at the expense of Philippine Cup champion San Miguel Beer.
The Carnival’s first back-to-back victories in their young PBA history jacked up the team’s win-loss record to 3-4 in the mid-season tourney – already a big improvement from their Philippine Cup showing where they nailed just a single win in 11 matches.
And they’re determined to make it three in a row versus Blackwater. (SB)
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