BY coach Chot Reyes’ own admission, a blowout win was nothing to brag about. Especially if it was fashioned in a series that is projected to be a tight one and against an equally capable team like Magnolia.
It came as no surprise that Reyes is now more concerned with how the Tropang Giga could play better when they face the Hotshots anew tonight in the second game of their PBA Philippine Cup title duel at the Don Honorio Ventura State University Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.
“Our only concern now is to be better,” Reyes said moments after TNT fashioned an 88-70 rout in the best-of-seven series opener last Wednesday.
“We wanted to be better in the finals than we were in the semifinals because I thought that if we just come into the finals and put in the same game as we did in the semis then we’re going to be in trouble,” added Reyes.
“Our entire focus is to get better. Same thing in Game 2. How can we be better in Game 2 than we were in Game 1?”
For sure, Magnolia aims to bounce back from such a humbling loss.
“We had a bad start, bad game. We have to put that behind us and move forward together,” said Hotshots coach Chito Victolero yesterday. “Kailangan lang naming i-review, pag-aralan, tingnan kung ano dapat baguhin.”
There are indeed some tinkering Magnolia must do since Game 1 was more lopsided than the final score indicated.
Poor shooting by the Hotshots, compounded by their numerous lapses from the get-go, enabled the Tropa to surge to an early 18-point lead before pulling ahead by as much as 71-43 in the third quarter.
After making just four of its first 20 shots from the field, Magnolia eventually finished with a tepid 20-of-73 floor clip, along with a conference-high 28 turnovers.
According to league stats chief Fidel Mangonon III, the Hotshots’ 70-point output is their lowest this conference and their 27.39-percent shooting from the floor is the worst in league finals history and actually the third all-time lowest field goal percentage for the franchise formerly known as Purefoods.
“Nangyayari naman talaga iyan. One point or 20 points, one loss pa rin lang iyon. So we’d just try to bounce back hard in Game 2.
“Tingin ko, and ito sa akin lang naman, we were not playing the Magnolia basketball in Game 1,” said Victolero.
“I don’t know kung excited o ano talaga. Sabi ko nga, it’s not our first time naman dito (finals) pero lumalabas pa rin,” added Victolero. “In a series you are only allowed one bad game. Hopefully, that’s the first and last one for us.”
Each of the combatants may play without a vital cog.
TNT starting center Kelly Williams is doubtful due to a strained back he suffered at about the midway point of the third quarter of Game 1. After he was taken out of the game, Williams was stretchered out of the gym and taken to a nearby hospital.
“We don’t even have to belabor how important Kelly is in this team, right? We already know his value,” admitted Reyes. “That’s our main concern moving forward in this series. We hope Kelly is healthy enough to play.”
Magnolia’s Ian Sangalang is also a game-time decision due to back spasms that forced Victolero to rest his center for the entire second half of the opener.
“We’ll just try to manage kung ano puwedeng gawin. Ginagawan ng paraan ng PTs namin. Hopefully, maayos siya para bukas,” Victolero said.
