|
IT
wouldn’t be surprising if the Tender Juicy Giants have
become the barometer of some teams wishing to become
championship contender.
This
bunch of Giants are simply remarkable. They seem to
always do the right things and never get tired of
winning.
In 10
games, they lost just once, reason why they are sitting
comfortably on top of the Smart-Philippine Basketball
Association Philippine Cup.
Ryan
Gregorio, the Giants’ boyish-looking coach who refused
to leave anything to chance, insists they have not
accomplished anything yet. That’s why he always cautions
his troops from making celebrating prematurely.
“It’s
still a long road ahead of us. And the bumps will be a
lot more tougher because all the teams will try to pull
us down,” Gregorio explained
A
well-deserved four-day rest should keep the Giants
highly energize as they return to the battlefield
tonight with a mindset of keeping their comfortable lead
over their closest pursuer.
Purefoods’s last stint earned the team an 84-81 decision
over Sta. Lucia on Sunday—a tough, highly physical game
which Gregorio said was a good test for the Giants
heading to their
7:20 p.m. date with the Magnolia Beverage Masters at the
Ynares
Center in Antipolo.
The
Beverage Masters are also coming off a long break (six
days) but their last assignment was a disappointing
104-109 setback against a depleted Red Bull side.
With
lots of new faces on the team, the Beverage Masters
(5-4) are still in the process of developing chemistry.
But Olsen Racela, Dondon Hontiveros, Danny Seigle, Danny
Ildefonso, Lordy Tugade and Enrico Villanueva could
explode anytime, making Magnolia a dangerous opponent.
Red
Bull, the tournament’s biggest revelation, will also be
drawing attention as the Barakos attempt to stretch
their winning streak to four.
Apparently, the loss of former stars Rico Villanueva,
Lordy Tugade and Larry Fonacier didn’t diminish the
competitiveness of the Barakos.
Red Bull
finished the first elimination round with a 6-3
record—good for second spot behind the Giants—an
accomplishment which coach Yeng Guiao said was “totally
unexpected.”
The
Barakos have won their last three assignments against
elite teams Purefoods, Magnolia and Talk ’N Text, making
them the hands down favorite in their 4:50 encounter
against the Air21 Express (4-4).
“Sometimes, it’s not just about the talent. Sometimes
it’s about the heart and the will to win,” said Guiao,
referring to his team’s unbelievable accomplishments.
Air21
(4-4) is also coming off two successive wins against
defending champion Barangay Ginebra and Talk ’N Text,
which is why Guiao expects a tough match.
“It will
be an interesting game. But we know if we work hard we
can beat any team in the league,” Guiao said. |
