PUNTIRYA ng Barangay Ginebra ang 2-0 bentahe para patatagin ang kampanya laban sa Meralco Bolts sa pagpapatuloy ng aksiyon sa 2019 PBA Governors Cup Finals sa Quezon Convention Center sa Lucena City.

Positibo pa rin ang Bolts sa kabila ng naging kabiguan noong Game 1 kung saan nawala nila ang 10-puntos na bentahe sa third quarter at tuluyang naubos sa final canto kung kaya nalugmok sa 87-91 na pagkatalo.

“We’ll come back stronger in Game 2,” ani Meralco import Allen Durham na nangakong mas pag-iigihin pa ang kanyang performance sa kabila ng itinalang triple double na 25 puntos, 18 rebounds at 10 assists noong Game 1.

“I got to shoot better. We got great contributions (from locals like Chris Newsome and Raymond Almazan) but I didn’t perform to the best of my ability so I got to be better next game,” dagdag noto.

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Nananatili silang positibo dahil inihahalintulad nila ang pangyayari sa nakaraag semifinals series nila kontra TNT.

“Sabi ko nga after ng game, we stay together. Parang ganito rin noon sa TNT, di ba? Talo kami sa Game 1 so kailangang mag-bounce back,” ayon naman kay Almazan na tumapos na may double-double 20 puntos at 13 rebounds.

Para naman kay Newsome, kailangan pa nilang igtingan ang kanilang depensa partikular sa mga locals ng Ginebra upang mapahirapan ang import nitong si Justin Brownlee.

“I know some of the locals for Ginebra didn’t have their best day but Justin was able to carry them so we got to find a way to complete the job,” pahayag ni Newsome. “You know, shut down the locals and make it as hard for Justin.”

Naniniwala naman si coach Norman Black na kailangang doblehin din ng Bolts ang effort sa opensa lalo na ng kanilang bench para matulungan si Durham at iba pang starters

“I felt like we didn’t get any production at all from the bench, that’s something we have to fix going into Game 2 because I have to take my starters for a little while to give them some rest,” ani Black.

Sa kabilang dako, gusto naman ng Kings na magdagdag din ng effort sa depensa. Kahit nanalo, aminado ang Kings na pinahirapan sila ng husto ng Meralco.

“We really have to get better, not only offensively but also defensively,” ayon kay LA Tenorio.

“We really have to match their aggressiveness, and their defensive mentality. I know coach Norman, he was my coach in college, and he’s really a defensive coach,” ani Tenorio na naging dating player ni Black sa Ateneo.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a scorer, if you don’t play defense, you’re not going to play. I know his mentality, so we have to catch up to that.”

-Marivic Awitan

Laro Ngayon

(Quezon Convention Center, Lucena City)