MANNY Pacquiao, the player, was scoreless in his Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) debut. But he’s 1-0 as head coach.
The Kia playing-mentor played seven minutes and had two turnovers all in the first quarter but the Sorento delivered the knockout blow in the second half to score a come-from-behind 80-66 win over fellow newcomer Blackwater for a sizzling start of the PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Pacquiao, at age 35 was the oldest rookie in the 40-year history of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), hogged the limelight in the opening rites attended by more than 52,000 fans but it was LA Revilla’s third-quarter exploits that carried Kia back to the game and shocked the slightly favored Elite in the game.
Revilla unloaded 14 of his career-high 23 points in the crucial third period where the Sorento outscored Blackwater, 38-17, to turn a 25-34 halftime deficit into a 63-51 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
The former De La Salle playmaker also got help from Reil Cervantes, Rudy Lingganay and Eder Saldua on offense while former No. 1 pick Rich Alvarez was steady on defense as Pacquiao booked his first win in the PBA.
“Noong first half, nahirapan kami i-execute ang play kaya sa dressing room, sabi ko sa kanila narito ang mga tao para suportahan tayo kaya dapat no pressure at magpakita ng confidence sa laro,” Pacquiao said, who was assisted by Glen Capacio at the bench.
Cervantes and Thiele added 13 markers apiece for Kia, which led by as much as 18 points in the fourth quarter and with two minutes, fans were chanting “Manny! Manny!” as they wanted to see their boxing idol back in the game and score his first PBA points.
But Pacquiao, who has a November 23 title fight with American Chris Algieri in Macau, did not oblige as he was happy to see players finished the match.
“Hindi na baling hindi ako makapaglaro basta lagi manalo ang Kia,” said Pacquiao, who escorted his wife Jinkee during the opening ceremonies as the latter was the Sorento’s team muse.
Capacio was actually tense all throughout the game not only for his team but also for Pacquiao, Kia’s No. 11 overall pick in the 2014 Rookie Draft.
“Si Manny, naninibago pa siya. Natakot nga ako baka masaktan,” said Capacio, who also drew 11 markers from Lingganay. “Sana maging umpisa ito. Hindi ko nga alam kung positive or negative ito kasi siyempre paghahandaan na kami ng ibang teams.”
Former Ateneo teammates Juami Tiongson and JP Erram each had 10 points for the Elite, who led by as high as 13 points in the first half, but failed to sustain the energy as Revilla sparked Sorento’s third-quarter explosion.
Revilla, who played briefly for GlobalPort last season but ended his season with Cagayan Valley in the PBA Developmental League, stole possessions and hit floaters during that third-quarter stretch he capped with a three-pointer.
“I didn’t know what happened. We just played the game. We trusted coach, we trusted each other,” Revilla said.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes