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BAGUIO CITY—Hapee
Toothpaste head coach Louie Alas knows that if his wants
his team to win the 2008 Philippine Basketball League (PBL)
Lipovitan Amino Sports title, he would need a healthy
Jervy Cruz.
And the
signs are encouraging for the six-foot-four
power-forward to recover from a hamstring injury he
suffered in Game One of their semifinal series against
Burger King in
Tarlac City
Friday.
“I think
he can play if ever we reach the finals,” said Alas,
after his Complete Protectors clobbered Burger King in
Game Two, 69-55, Monday night here to take a commanding
2-0 lead in their best-of-five series.
“He told
me that he is now feeling okay at unti-unti nang
nawala ang sakit. Hopefully, because we really need
him if we would be able to reach the championship
round,” he added.
Cruz had
a freak accident at halftime of their semifinals
opener—which they handily won, 82-70—when he chased the
ball and slipped on the wet floor.
There
are reports that he will be out for at least seven
weeks, but Alas said the cager out of
University of
Santo Tomas
could come back sooner than expected.
Hapee
goes for the clincher against the Whoppers Thursday at
the Muntinlupa Sports Center. And for the rest of the
semifinal series, Alas would just have to rely on his
perimeter guys in finishing off their rivals.
“Napakalaki
ng adjustment without Jervy on the team. Nawalan
kami ng inside presence that also plays tough
defense,” said Alas.
Alas,
also the Letran mentor, hinted that Cruz’s presence if
they enter the finals for the second straight
conference, is badly needed, especially against the
taller and physical Harbour Centre, which, like them,
holds a 2-0 lead in its own series against the luckless
San Mig Coffee.
Only
Larry Rodriguez and Francis Mercado could match up well
against the dreaded big men of Batang Pier, which
includes Beau Belga, Chad Alonzo, Jerwin Gaco, Allan
Gamboa and Edwin Asoro.
But Alas
does not want the absence of Cruz to become a
distraction in their duel with Burger King because the
job is not yet done for them.
“We
still need one more game,” he stressed.
Harbour
Centre is in a similar situation as Hapee, as promising
forward Dylan Ababou fractured his hand during practice
and is expected to be out for seven weeks.
Batang
Pier mentor Jorge Gallent has already accepted the fact
that the six-foot-three athletic forward also from the
Growling Tigers might not be around when the Mikee
Romero-owned team chases its fifth straight title in the
league. |
