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Kiefer Ravena and the Road Warriors suddenly skyrocket. —PHOTO COURTESY OF PBA IMAGES
With a couple of big wins, NLEX and Alaska charted their paths on a collision course. And it won’t be an ordinary knockout round match when the two teams meet in the PBA Philippine Cup on Monday.
It will be “an important game for them and important for us,” NLEX coach Yeng Guiao told reporters at the University of Angeles Foundation on Friday.
Somehow, a late tournament run by NLEX significantly increased the value of the game against Alaska. That streak was capped Friday night with a massive 124-92 dismantlement of defending champion San Miguel Beer, the Road Warriors’ third straight victory that had Guiao suddenly see his squad’s passage inside the bubble as more than just a training ground.
“Mathematically, we could still advance [to the playoffs]. But in the back of my mind, the bigger question is can we sustain this? “
“Yes, we are gaining momentum, but at the same time, I wonder if it is not too late.”
Meanwhile, Alaska turned down NorthPort, 102-94, and will enter the NLEX game with more than just momentum.
“We talked about playing the right way in the last two games and I’m very proud of the fact that they did it today,” said coach Jeffrey Cariaso, whose Aces could have ranked better if they hadn’t ruined a game with Barangay Geneva. Last Tuesday.
“A lot of the guys contributed, whether it’s two minutes or 22 minutes,” he added. “They played together. They played the right way. “
The victory was the sixth for Aces in 10 games. The Road Warriors, meanwhile, clinched their fourth win after being stuck with a win for so long, Guiao decided to adopt a “training ground” mentality with a view to preparing for the future.
But a dominant show against the Beermen may have changed that perspective.
The Road Warriors dropped the Beermen, winners of the final five stages of the league’s most prestigious tournament, on holes of up to 38 points.
Leading the charge was Kevin Alas, who dumped 11 of his 19 total points as soon as the opening bell rang. Mike Miranda finished with 22 points, the best on the team, while four more contributed double-digit scores.
Guiao understands that he caught a San Miguel squad already diluted at an opportune moment.
“We are very lucky that they are tired and understaffed when we face them,” Guiao said of the Beermen, who also missed Marcio Lassiter in the last minute due to a strained calf.
“We had a game plan for this game: just pick up the pace. We just wait up and down and see if they still have their legs, ”Guiao admitted during the post-game press. “It just so happened that they were pretty much in a bind.”
The Brewers, already missing six-time MVP June Mar Fajardo and powerful scorer Terrence Romeo, had to fall back on their bench for the most part because their starters were already playing heavy minutes in a severely compressed tournament where teams sometimes they need to play consecutively. -back.
“San Miguel is so used to using only seven or eight people,” Guiao said. “They are vulnerable to burnout.”
NLEX, who is looking for a place in the quarterfinals, will have a few extra days of rest before the crucial duel against the Aces, who hope to land in the Top 4 and get a two-time bonus to win.
“There’s a small chance,” Cariaso said of qualifying for that crucial playoff protection. “But we will take this victory and see how the other games develop.”
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