MERALCO head coach Ryan Gregorio knows Alaska is bound to break out of the slump.
But he wants to make sure that it won’t happen when his Bolts play the struggling Aces on Friday in the 2011 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The two collide at 5:15 p.m. followed by the battle of heavyweights between Talk ‘N Text and Petron Blaze at 7:30 p.m.
“Alaska is a dangerous team to [battle] at this point. Their 0-4 mark is not an indication of their roster power,” said Gregorio, whose team is coming off a huge 80-70 upset of erstwhile unbeaten Petron.
“They are one of the elite teams in the league and they are bound to break out of the slump. We will do our best to prevent it,” he added.
The Aces, under new head coach Joel Banal, and newcomer Shopinas.com, which yielded a 90-94 overtime loss to Barangay Ginebra on Wednesday, are the only winless team in the conference.
Alaska was bamboozled by league-leading Rain or Shine in its previous game, 84-120, for the team’s fourth-straight loss—the franchise’s worst defeat since the league began computerizing the statistics in 1992. Their 0-4 start is also their worst in the All-Filipino tournament since 1995.
The Aces, ironically, have an intact roster going and added two solid rookies in Mac Baracael and Erik Salamat.
But Banal has yet to find the right mix and hopes he does it against the Bolts.
“There’s no way we are going to the game thinking that it’s going to be a sure victory. We will definitely come out with a strong defensive mind set similar to our approach when we battled Petron,” said Gregorio.
Gems overcome Cobra
CEBUANA Lhuillier got its offense going in the second and third quarters and beat Cobra Energy Drink, 58-47, on Thursday in the Developmental League Aspirants Cup at the Trinity University of Asia Gym on Thursday.
Terrence Romeo scored 12 points and Vic Manuel had 11 rebounds for the Gems, who overcame a fiery charge by the Iron Men in the fourth with their experience and poise under pressure.
“We committed a lot of unforced turnovers. It’s not overconfidence. It’s the lack of respect on our opponent,” offered Cebuana Lhuillier coach Luigi Trillo on their scrambling finish.
The Gems led by as many as 17 points late in the third quarter but came out cold in the in the fourth, starting the period with missed jumper before turning the ball over in their three possessions.
Cobra Energy Drink capitalized and pulled within 39-45 but the Iron Men couldn’t sustain the pressure.
“Nangangapa pa. We are a young team. Of course we’re happy with the win but we have a lot of cohesion to prove,” Trillo said.
John Noble showed the way for Cobra Energy Drink with 10 points. Josan Nimes, who scored 20 points in Cobra’s 76-82 loss against Big Chill on Tuesday, was held to a measly two points by Cebuana guard Simon Atkins that virtually hurt the Iron Men’s offense.
After a close first quarter, Atkins and Carl Cruz took charge as Cebuana Lhuillier opened a 23-11 lead in the second before setting for a 29-20 lead at halftime. (Dave Coros)
