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With distractions in the bubble now a thing of the past, Blackwater will be looking to come out of their funk against a Terrafirma team that has yet to win a single game at the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup.
The Elite have lost their last four games, including back-to-back losses that were decided by four points or less, jeopardizing their playoff chances.
Blackwater enters their 10 am game Friday against Terrafirma with a 2-4 record. Dyip suffered their seventh consecutive loss in as many games following their 103-89 loss at the hands of Magnolia Pambansang Manok.
Nash Racela said that to preserve her players’ energy, she decided to skip Thursday’s 6 a.m. practice and instead go ahead with her game plan on the open court just outside the Quest Hotel.
“We did not use the time that they gave us today. It was supposedly 6 am and this was after playing consecutive games,” Racela shared on ESPN5. “So we prioritized our rest and just decided to walk on the open court outside the hotel.”
Hopefully the decision bodes well for some Blackwater players, especially Mac Belo and big rookie Maurice Shaw, who are dealing with back spasms, while Marion Magat has hamstring problems.
The Elite lost an 89-85 decision to the Meralco Bolts last Wednesday, while falling short to the San Miguel Brewers, 90-88, in their back-to-back games that marked the resumption of the PBA bubble.
And as they face a winless Terrafirma team, Racela doesn’t leave things to chance.
“[It’s] It’s difficult to process everything at this point, especially after two games that we could have won if it weren’t for that we can’t control, “Racela said.” We just want to get a big win, regardless of which team gains momentum once again going to our last games of the playoffs. “
Meanwhile, when it comes to Terrafirma coach John Cardel, he’s seeing Blackwater as an opportunity to overcome the hurdle.
But Dyip will have to deal with low morale and possibly fatigue as they play their third game in four days on the PBA compressed schedule.
“The only downside we have against Blackwater is that they are coming off a day off, so I expect them to come out aggressive in the game,” Cardel said.
Terrafirma’s mentor noted that his waterloo in his last three games has been the third quarter.
“We will try to start strong again in the first half and avoid having another bad third quarter to start,” he stressed. “I know that for the last three games, it’s always been the third quarter that we’ve really struggled with.”
“We’re not taking the credit off our previous opponents, but at the same time, it seems like we couldn’t make our shots even if we were making stops on defense,” added Cardel.
