Realtors wary of slumbering Giants

By -
By Nelson Beltran

Game today (Araneta Coliseum)

7 p.m. – Purefoods vs Sta. Lucia

Sta. Lucia is expecting Purefoods to come out strong tonight but the Realtors are ready to face up to the challenge as they try to zero in on the Smart PBA Philippine Cup crown at the Araneta Coliseum today.

“I’m sure they will try hard to avoid falling in a deep 0-3 hole. They’re already kind of fighting for their lives but we’re ready for anything they can come up with,” said Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez.

Taking Game One at 109-97 and repeating in Game Two at 112-101, the Realtors are now two wins away from a scoring a sort of Cinderella finish in the tourney.

Gametime is at 7 p.m.

Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio said Game 3 serves as a character test for the team following two straight numbing defeats.

“We’re now facing a great character test but we will enjoy the ride,” said Gregorio, who remained confident of repeating the Giants’ epic comebacks in the past.

Gregorio and his troops fought from two-game deficits on the way to winning crowns in 2001 and 2006.

“Our mind-set is to survive and stay alive. The pressure is on them to finish us off,” said Gregorio.

The Realtors, however, are also hopeful of their chances, believing they’ve prepared themselves for more physical matches.

In fact, the Sta. Lucia mentor thinks the Realtors have yet to fully display the kind of defense they are noted for.

“We’re still not in our kind of game right now. We’re allowing Purefoods to score more than 90 points. Maybe it’s because they’re really a good offensive team,” Fernandez said.

The two teams figured in high-scoring battles in the first two games but the Realtors stifled the Giants in the payoff period in both contests.

Gregorio knows by now that among their problems is staying power.

The youthful Purefoods mentor admits that he has been playing James Yap and Kerby Raymundo extended minutes, probably the reason why they’re tapering off at the finish.

“I think I have to give James and Kerby a little more rest,” Gregorio said.

But Fernandez is expecting Gregorio to tinker with his gameplan.

“Ryan (Gregorio) is a very good coach and their coaching staff has a lot of championship background. I know they’ll make some adjustments, but I also know my own staff will be there to help me make adjustments when the need arise,” said Fernandez.

Source:philstar.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Who will be the final Eastern playoff teams?

By -
Image
Roy Hibbert and the Pacers are, so far, on track to earn an East playoff spot. (Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) Before the season, most folks divided the the Eastern Conference into two broad tiers: six playoff locks (Miami, Boston, Orlando, Atlanta, Chicago and Milwaukee) and nine teams slap-fighting for the bottom two playoff spots. I was secretly hoping that one of those bottom nine teams would get off to a fast start and tweak this narrative a bit. Nope. Through Friday, none of the presumed bottom nine were over .500, and seven of the nine took up the last seven spots in the conference standings. There is a school of thought that making the playoffs and losing in the first round is a good thing, that it gives young players valuable exposure to a more intense NBA atmosphere, and that it creates loyalty among fans. I’m not convinced on either of those counts, but let’s pretend for now that all of these teams (and their fans) really want to make the playoffs. Are any of them read...
Read more

The champ reveals secret of success

By -
Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - As is his wont everytime he comes home from a victorious fight, Pacquiao went to the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo) Church, arriving late for the 9 a.m. Mass. Manny Pacquiao?s arrival drew more worshipers to the church. The crowd inside the basilica reached at least 1,500 for the Mass celebrated by Fr. Jack Padua. Bernard Enrique, 52, of Pasig City, was late for the 6 a.m. Mass that he and his wife usually attend and decided to stay for the 9 a.m. Mass. ?I only found out he (Pacquiao) was coming when I saw the media. I asked around and was told he was attending Mass today," Enrique said, regretting not bringing a camera or a phone with a camera. After the Mass, Pacquiao took the lector?s stand and preached to the Mass-goers about the importance of faith. ?I only dreamed of being the (boxing) champion in the Philippines. I had many setbacks but I continued to pray," he said. ?We should be close to God. The way we seek to...
Read more