NLEX, NorthPort dispute semis slot

We need to be a bit more mature in the big games, in the important games and get back to what we usually do.

Depleted NLEX and NorthPort dispute the last semifinal slot in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors’ Cup tonight at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Road Warriors and Batang Pier clash in the lone game at 7 in the evening with the winner advancing to the best-of-five semifinal series against Barangay Ginebra.

NorthPort negated the twice-to-beat advantage of NLEX with a masterful 115-90 win last Monday in a fight-marred contest that saw the ejection of Road Warriors Poy Erram and Paul Varilla.

Erram and Varilla will sit out today’s crucial match as PBA commissioner Willie Marcial handed them with a one-game suspension.

Aside from suspension, Erram was also fined P60,000 for attacking NorthPort import Michael Qualls while Varilla was hit a P50,000 penalty for his unsportsmanlike conduct.

NLEX head coach Yeng Guiao said his team’s lack of experience in closing out big games is the main reason of their downfall.

“Still a maturity problem. We need to be a bit more mature in the big games, in the important games and get back to what we usually do,” said Guiao, adding that his Road Warriors failed to match the intensity of NorthPort.

“We have a big problem in terms of resolving our intensity, our aggressiveness keeping up with them in that aspect. And offensively also we only had 16 assists, our lowest assists number this conference,” he said.

“Maybe it’s also the frustrations setting in early. We start trailing early on and then the frustrations sets in and we get off our usual game plan.”

Qualls and Filipino-German Christian Standhardinger delivered big games for Batang Pier last time out to force a winner-take-all match.

Qualls finished with 39 points, 16 rebounds and five assists while Standhardinger chipped in 24 markers and 13 boards.

NorthPort head coach Pido Jarencio said the win gave them more confidence to pull off the upset against the top seeds.

“My guys didn’t want to take a vacation. They really want to be in the semis but this is not over yet. Our team is well motivated right now,” said Jarencio, who wants his players to continue to play physical but not dirty in the rubber match.