FiberXers remain hungry despite preseason success
Justin Arana knows that he and Converge can’t take their tuneup victory over San Miguel Beer over the weekend at face value, saying that the real measure will be known once real games are played in the season-opening of the PBA Philippine Cup.
“We do take this as a win, but we’re not satisfied,” Arana told the Inquirer in Filipino after the 114-99 mangling of the powerhouse Beermen at Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong City.
Preseason games are used primarily as a dress rehearsal, with coaches spreading the minutes while also tinkering with things to be executed before the season tips off this Sunday. That was exactly the case in this anticipated exhibition between both teams.
Converge is seen as a potential spoiler to the dominance of the usual contenders in San Miguel, TNT and Barangay Ginebra, especially after the selection of Juan Gomez de Liaño created a talented five-man combo with Arana, Justine Baltazar, Alec Stockton and Schonny Winston.
The FiberXers showed their quality against the Beermen, breaking away from a 51-all tie at halftime behind that core, along with rugged big man Pao Javillonar, to pull off another win, the fourth straight since Gomez de Liaño began to suit up in the preseason.
But then, San Miguel didn’t go into the contest like the usual San Miguel, as June Mar Fajardo played sparring minutes, CJ Perez and Chris Ross opted to be spectators and coach Leo Austria opted to give his 34-year-old PBA rookie Chris Miller much exposure as he could.
And those are things that Arana and the FiberXers acknowledged.
“June Mar didn’t play like the June Mar that we know and CJ didn’t play,” said Arana. “Tuneup games are more about scouting and adjustments. Like I said, we won, but we’re not satisfied because the goal is to get wins during the season.”
San Miguel, meanwhile, is going into the Philippine Cup as defending champion after denying TNT’s quest for a historic Grand Slam last July.
Fajardo is expected to be in his best form once the conference starts, while Jericho Cruz could take some of the confidence from his Finals Most Valuable Player award and role in Guam’s entry to the qualification for the quarterfinals game of the Fiba Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Perez, however, could be doubtful for the start of the conference due to an ankle injury sustained with Gilas Pilipinas in the same continental competition.
But there might be some optimism toward Miller, picked ninth in the Draft, as he showed some promise on offense during the tuneup contest.
While he’s a PBA greenhorn, Miller has been playing overseas for the past decade, most notably in Europe.
