GETTING PLAYOFF-READY
Even after punching its ticket to the quarterfinals of the PBA Governors’ Cup with a 114-104 win over NorthPort on Saturday, Meralco is more concerned about its form than the uncertainty over the opponent it may face in a best-of-five series.
“At this point, we just wanna be playoff-ready,” coach Luigi Trillo said following the Bolts’ triumphant result at Ninoy Aquino Stadium that gave them six wins in eight games with two to play in the group stage.
Meralco sits in second place in Group A, trailing idle leader TNT, which holds a 6-1 win-loss slate. If their position stays, the Bolts will face the No. 3 team from Group B in the quarters.
And that could put Meralco in a very difficult task since Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer are now sharing the Group B lead with Rain or Shine at 5-2.
The Bolts have the Converge FiberXers (Sept. 18) and Terrafirma Dyip (Sept. 21) as their final two opponents before the playoffs, and how they treat these games will play a role on how they can start the series on the right track against any foe pitted against them.
One player who Trillo feels may face some challenges for the remainder of the group phase is import Allen Durham, who despite stellar numbers through the conference has been dealing with his fitness level.
The Bolts welcomed back Raymond Almazan and Cliff Hodge from their injuries, and they too may need to get into the level where they were instrumental in their breakthrough run to last season’s PBA Philippine Cup title.
“Right now, we don’t know who we’re playing. It could be any of those guys (Ginebra, San Miguel or Rain or Shine) with the way things are going,” said Trillo. “We just want to use the next two games as building blocks moving into the playoffs.
“It’s hard to find that level of intensity now that you’re in, so we have to manage that,” he added.
We just want to use the next two games as building blocks moving into the playoffs
—LUIGI TRILLO, Meralco coach
Import injured
On the other side of the spectrum, the defeat dealt a blow to NorthPort, which fell to 3-5 with two to play.
The Batang Pier have dropped two in a row and can’t afford any more losses, especially with the Converge FiberXers also chasing them feverishly for the fourth spot in the Group A.
Adding to NorthPort’s dilemma was the loss of import Venky Jois to an apparent ankle injury in the first quarter, with the league-tapped emergency team needing to stretcher the Aussie-born Jois out of the arena and into an ambulance to undergo an MRI.
Next up for the Batang Pier are the Magnolia Hotshots, holding third at 4-3, on Sept. 20 and the TNT Tropang Giga on Sept. 22. INQ
