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A change in mindset has kept a NLEX team slowly taking shape in the quest for one of the lowest spots in the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup playoffs.
Behind some hot long-distance shots and timely contributions from the guys off the bench, the Road Warriors pushed Rain or Shine back 94-74 for their third win Wednesday in another PBA quad header at the AUF Arena in Pampanga.
Needing a big win to avoid falling further behind in the playoff race, NLEX scored 58 points off his bench and hit 16 of 40 3s (40 percent) to improve to 3-5, good for eighth in the standings.
Kevin Alas led all scorers with 18 points and three triples from the bench, while Jericho Cruz had 12 of his 17 in the fourth quarter and also had three triples. JR Quinahan pitched 13 at the start.
This is also the second team in a row that the Road Warriors beat a top-two team after taking care of business against sister team TNT on October 29 before the schedule was temporarily suspended. Head coach Yeng Guiao said back-to-back victories were a by-product of his players getting in better shape.
“Nag-umpisa kami medyo ang hirap, we weren’t really in good shape,” he admitted after the match. “Our defense was lousy. In our last games, we were playing good defense. I don’t think you can beat teams like Talk ‘N Text and Rain or Shine if you’re not up to the task on defense.’ Yong namin na-translate fitness level doon sa extra energy namin sa pens. “
That seemed obvious early on, as NLEX took a 14-point lead midway through the second quarter, though Rain or Shine still managed to stick around to turn it into a ball game and cut the lead to 42-39 by half.
NLEX then gained some separation in a slow third quarter, but it wasn’t until the reward period that the Road Warriors offense really took off.
Cruz hit back-to-back 3s to put NLEX ahead 11, 70-59, to start the fourth quarter and set the pace for a Road Warriors team that controlled the competition the rest of the way even as the Elasto Painters tried to chip. far from the deficit.
Three consecutive corners later by Anthony Semerad and Kiefer Ravena with less than three minutes remaining later gave NLEX an insurmountable 90-74 lead that essentially put the game out of reach.
Guiao also said that he “really just took the pressure off the players” by taking a different approach to the remaining conference games of all Filipinos.
“I said, ‘All we want to do here is like we’re on training ground. We’re going to condition ourselves. And then let’s learn every practice, every game. If we do it right, we’ll win games. If we do it.’ We are doing it wrong, we go back to practicing the next day and we correct the mistakes, ‘”he shared.
“They also seem to have relaxed. We used to be very pressured to win, uh you weren’t in the condition at the beginning. I think that compounded our problems,” he continued. “It’s working for us. It’s a perspective, a mental approach that we take, and it’s working for us.”
NLEX will still face an uphill battle in an effort to reach the playoffs, as its remaining games are scheduled against other teams seeking a top eight spot in San Miguel and Alaska. The Terrafirma without triumphs is also on his agenda.
“I hope it is not too late,” Guiao said. “We’ll go back to practice tomorrow and try to learn from a game you won. Actually, it’s easier to learn from the game you lost. It’s harder to learn from the games you won because you feel like you’re happy. But you can’t be happy. You still need to search. lessons even in a game won. “
Rey Nambatac had 15 for the Elasto Painters, while Jewel Ponferada added 10. Rain or Shine, despite falling to 4-2, still has one of four spots within two times within reach by sitting in fourth place.
THE SCORES
NLEX 94 – Alas 18, Cruz 17, Quinahan 13, Soyud 9, Miranda 8, Ravena 7, Semerad 7, Paniamogan 5, Galanza 5, Varilla 3, McAloney 2, Ayonayon 0.
Rain or sun 74 – Nambatac 15, Ponferada 10, Norwood 7, Rivero 7, Rosales 7, Torres 7, Belga 7, Mocon 5, Borboran 5, Wong 3, Onwubere 1, Tolentino 0, Yap 0, Doliguez 0, Arana 0.
Quarters: 24-18, 42-39, 64-57, 94-74.
EXTRA JARS
– Rain or Shine shot a measly 32 percent from the field and made just seven of his 28 three-point shots (25 percent).
– The Elasto Painters also had a hard time finding baskets in the paint, shooting only 35.7 percent within the restricted area. NLEX shot 56.5 percent in the same spot.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
– Rain or Shine vs. Meralco on Thursday, November 5 at 4 p.m.
– NLEX vs San Miguel on Friday, November 6 at 4 pm
