FiberXers guard against complacency

Converge is on a rampage after winning three straight games to stay on the right track in the hunt for a playoffs spot in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup.

However, acting head coach Franco Atienza downplayed the resurgence of the FiberXers and would rather see his team stay focused on the big picture.

“We are proud of the work that we put in but we haven’t really proven anything. We haven’t really achieved anything yet. We’re still in the middle of the eliminations,” Atienza said.

Banking on their twin towers Justin Arana and rookie Justine Baltazar along with consistent performance coming from wingers Schonny Winston and Alec Stockton, Converge took down Blackwater in a 31-point rout before going on a giant-slaying spree with victories over contenders Rain or Shine and TNT.

The FiberXers, after blowing hot and cold to start the all-Filipino tournament, have stabilized their game and crept up the standings with a 4-2 win-loss record.

“We’ll talk about achieving something later in the season when we make the playoffs or go deep in the playoffs. That’s the time. But now it’s too early,” Atienza said.

Converge slipped past the tough challenge put up by the grand slam-seeking Tropang 5G, 100-97, last Sunday before outmuscling and outrunning the Elasto Painters, 107-97, last Wednesday.

“I just want to put it in context: Talk ‘N Text is coming off a championship campaign. So, they’re tired and haven’t really done thorough preparation. They don’t have Jayson Castro (knee injury). They’re out of timing,” Atienza said.

“(Then) Rain or Shine is missing a lot their big guys,” he added.

“It just so happened we caught them unaware, we got one against Talk ‘N Text and Rain or Shine.”

The FiberXers will have a long layoff before facing another litmus test against Barangay Ginebra on 10 May.

“Our focus next is against Barangay Ginebra. We have a layoff so we’ll give our boys some time to rest and then prepare for Ginebra,” Atienza said.