B-MEG head coach Tim Cone finds DerMarr Johnson as an “anomaly” that makes Barako Bull a tough customer in this Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup.
The Llamados hope to get through that problem when they face the Energy in the opener on Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City and build momentum in the short elimination phase.
They collide at 5:15 p.m., with both teams coming off opening-game victories against separate foes.
In the main game, Petron Blaze and Meralco try to bounce back from disappointing setbacks as they square off at 7:30 p.m.
B-meg beat the Bolts in their first game, 96-93, while Barako Bull downed Alaska, 98-78, to start their campaign on a high note.
“Barako Bul has as much as pure talent as any team in the league,” said Cone, who drew 27 points and 11 rebounds from Denzel Bowles against Meralco.
“Plus they have an anomaly as an import which makes them a tough matchup. We’re hoping for the win so we can establish some early momentum in the conference,” he added.
Johnson, a legitimate National Basketball Association (NBA) veteran, had a so-so debut in the PBA with 19 points and eight rebounds on eight-of-27 shooting from the floor.
But the B-meg coach knows that Johnson could explode anytime and with a veteran supporting cast around him, led by two-time Most Valuable Player Willie Miller who had 25 against Alaska, they expect a tough grind against the Energy.
Leo Najorda, Ronald Tubid and Don Allado each had 10 markers in that win against the Aces and mentor Junel Baculi needs another solid contributions from his locals to stand a chance against the Llamados.
“We’re still working on our offensive chemistry,” he said. “We will be tested defensively versus B-MEG, a strong offensive team with a reliable import.”
In the main tiff, the Bolts and the Boosters try to avoid a 0-2 start as they battle for an important win to put them on track.
“Hopefully, our second game will give us a chance to stabilize,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio, who got a combined 56 points from Mark Cardona and Jarrid Famous in their game against the Llamados.
“I thought we played hard against B-meg. But, when you play elite teams, you need to combine hard work with basketball intelligence. Petron is always a tough matchup because of their bench depth and with the addition of [Nick] Fazekas, it made them all the more dangerous.”
Fazekas had a sizzling debut against Barangay Ginebra with 37 points and 18 rebounds but Petron dropped a heartbreaking 82-84 loss on Jayjay Helterbrand’s buzzer-beating twisting jumper.
Joel Orellana
