NLEX keeps the faith against powerhouse TNT
At A Glance
- Like NLEX though, ROS is hoping that its belief that it could win even without an import would be enough to retake the series lead.
For NLEX head coach Jong Uichico, faith is the ultimate source of strength.
And that belief was reinforced by their thrilling 93-90 Game 2 win over top seed TNT that not only put the Road Warriors back in contention in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup best-of-five quarterfinals series but also gave them the huge momentum heading into the pivotal Game 3.
“It’s a confidence builder for us knowing that we can keep up with TNT who is the number one team,” said Uichico after the game.
“It just gives us that confidence that we got a shot at this series. The rest is not under our control anymore, the belief that we’ve got the shot, importante na sa amin ‘yon,” he added.
The Road Warriors, for one, have proven that they have enough poise and composure in the endgame to survive even a rallying Tropang Giga spearheaded by reigning best import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
The Game 3 of the series is set at the Ynares Center in Antipolo on Sunday, Sept. 29, with both teams expected to pull all the stops just to get the 2-1 advantage at the end of their 5 p.m. affair.
Following suit is the clash between Rain or Shine and Magnolia which is also looking to break their own 1-1 deadlock in the second game at 7:30 p.m.
Like NLEX, though, ROS is hoping that its belief that it could win even without an import would be enough to retake the series lead.
The Elasto Painters are looking to pick up the pieces from their worst loss in franchise history even without import Aaron Fuller who exited early in the Game 2 due to an eye injury after a poke from Ian Sangalang.
“We treated it as one game. We played really bad buti naipanalo namin Game 1 wala namang quotient dito. I think the most important thing for us is yung condition ni Aaron because that will be more important for us moving forward,” said ROS head coach Yeng Guiao.
As deflating as the loss for the Elasto Painters, Guiao doesn’t see the game affecting their morale heading into the crucial Game 3 contest.
“I don't think so (affecting ROS morale). It’s one game we can improve, we can put together something pag makita namin mga pagkakamali namin pero malaking bagay na wala kang import,” he added.
In contrast, it seemed like the fourth time's the charm for Magnolia which was dealt with a dilemma on its import throughout the conference.
Jabari Bird, despite the limited practice time with the Hotshots, looked like the better fit to the team as compared to their previous choices in Glenn Robinson III, Shabazz Muhammad and Rayvonte Rice.