source: pba.com.ph
Coach Jong Uichico cautions his troops not to get complacent on one hand. Coach Yeng Guiao eggs onhis chargers to fight on, on the other hand.
With those marching orders, Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine meet again Sunday for Game Two oftheir PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-three quarterfinals showdown at the Cuneta Astrodome.
Ginebra has a shot at arranging a best-of-five semifinal showdown with Smart Gilas in setting outfor the 6:30 p.m. match.
The Kings moved in the doorstep of the Final Four as they kept their mastery of the Elasto Painters,hacking out a 100-91 win in the series opener Friday.
Ginebra, which lost its last two games in the elimination round, is back into the groove and isdetermined to get going to deliver the kill on Rain or Shine.
The Kings don’t intend to lower down their guards.
“We can’t expect Game Two to be like Game One. Game Two is like the start of the series becausethey didn’t have enough time to prepare for Game One,” said Uichico.
Rain or Shine has one foot in the grave, but coach Guiao is confident they can get out of it with proper adjustments in their game.
“The series is far from over. We’ll come out fighting in Game Two,” said Guiao.
“Hassam Adams has to step up and assert himself. I’m happy with my locals. We just need to challenge their three-point shots and work harder defending their import,” Guiao also said.
Adams was limited to a personal conference low of 12 points as Rain or Shine suffered a fourth loss in four meetings with Ginebra in the season.
With a steady shooting and a good defense on Adams, the Kings foiled the Elasto Painters anew,making it 8-1 in their head-on duels dating back to the 2009-2010 campaign.
Nate Brumfield, Mark Caguioa and Ronald Tubid poured in at least 18 points each as Ginebra repeated its 95-90 conquest of RoS in the elimination round and, thus, moved a win shy of a semis showdown with Smart Gilas.
“Ronald Tubid shooting well made the game easier for us. We got the first win but it’s just one win,” said Uichico.
Limiting Adams to a personal tournament-low of only 12 was also a key factor helping the Kings take the decisive head start in the short series.
“We tried to limit him the best way we can. Nothing technical; just best effort, and it helped that he had a bad night,” said Uichico.
Well rested, the Kings made good use of this advantage, stepping on gas early before standing their ground on the Elasto Painters’ repeated comeback bids.
source: pba.com.ph
No comments:
Post a Comment