Red-hot NLEX eyes share of lead
KEVIN Alas and NLEX aim to keep rolling when they face dangerous Converge in the PBA Philippine Cup.
Photograph courtesy of PBA
Daily TribuneKEVIN Alas and NLEX aim to keep rolling when they face dangerous Converge in the PBA Philippine Cup.
Photograph courtesy of PBA
Games today:
(Philsports Arena)
5 p.m. — NLEX vs Converge
7:30 p.m. — Blackwater vs Ginebra
Red-hot NLEX aims to set one foot inside the quarterfinals door and a share of the lead in a clash against dangerous Converge in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup today at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The Road Warriors have been on a tear following an opening day bump, stringing five victories in a row to boost their chances of snaring a seat in the next round of the all-Filipino Conference.
Another win in the 5 p.m. curtain-raiser will put NLEX alongside league-leading Magnolia (6-1).
But head coach Jong Uichico knows beating the FiberXers bannered by twin towers Justin Arana and Justine Baltazar will be a tall order.
“It’s going to be a test,” the mentor said of their showdown with Converge following NLEX’s 117-87 rout of Terrafirma last 14 May.
“Converge is playing very well. They have two big men with size (advantage). Balti and Arana are dominating. So, it’s going to be a test.”
Just like in their last five outings, Uichico will bank on the Road Warriors’ collective effort to bring down another giant with main gunner Robert Bolick backstopped by rookie Xyrus Torres, JP Bahio, Javee Mocon, Kevin Alas and burly big man Brandon Ramirez.
It was the same work ethic that got NLEX through the taller Dyip. NLEX has outrebounded their previous opponents, including a 61-34 control of the boards over Terrafirma through hustle and gang rebounding.
“We’re small so we have to find some type of advantage. Size-wise we’re at a disadvantage. In size and length, we don’t see any advantage for us in those parts so we have to find a way to negate that disadvantage in size against the other teams,” Uichico said.
FiberXers acting head coach Franco Atienza sees the cohesion of the Road Warriors as a huge challenge, making it hard for them to pinpoint which player to focus on defensively.
“We have lots of problems against them because they’re playing as a team, as a unit. There’s no one player to single out. They have lots of personnel to worry about,” Atienza noted.