BUSY BOLTS
Meralco renewed its rivalry with Barangay Ginebra on Friday as perhaps the most desperate in both securing a quarterfinals berth in the PBA Philippine Cup and momentum heading into its latest international campaign.
“We really wanted to make sure that our destiny is in our hands and we didn’t want to leave it to somebody else,” Chris Newsome said after the reigning all-Filipino titleholders took an 82-73 victory over the Kings at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The win came after an old-fashioned, emotionally-charged battle between the two squads, with the Bolts coming through with their defensive stand that backed up a timely offense led by Newsome, Chris Banchero, Cliff Hodge and Brandon Bates.
It allowed Meralco to secure a quarterfinal berth by ending the eliminations at 6-5, winning the last three games after losing five of its previous six and having a tight schedule, a last-minute appointment as the PBA’s representative in the Basketball Champions League (BCL) Asia.
“It was a classic Ginebra-Meralco game,” said Newsome. “But for us, it’s about getting to our lows. We really have deep lows this conference and we just want to get through those and battle all the way through. So it’s us, it’s just sticking together and playing team basketball, whether we won or lost.”
What seed the Bolts will sport entering the playoffs will be known in due time, but concentration now shifts to the BCL in Dubai, where they’ll look to put a competitive showing against a tough field composed of Asia’s top clubs.
The day after the win, the Bolts were drawn in Group B with the B.League champion Utsunomiya Brex and Shabab Al-Ahli of host United Arab Emirates for the June 7 to June 13 competition. The top eight in the nine-team, three-group field will qualify for the quarterfinals.
Coach Luigi Trillo said the team is finalizing its lineup, including the imports they’re looking to sign, along with the locals eligible to play in the continental club tourney which Meralco hopes to perform solidly given its experience playing in the East Asia Super League the past two years.
“I think it’s gonna be tough to go out there to compete at the high level, internationally, and then come back [to the PBA],” said Newsome. “[But] I [also] think it’s gonna be good for us because those are going to be high-quality games.
“But I think it’s kind of an interesting scenario because our chemistry is good right now and we’re playing really good right now,” he added.
‘Clasico up’
Trillo lauded the way the Bolts kept their poise amid the frustration of both teams in terms of officiating. It was not the case for Ginebra coach Tim Cone, who got tossed for two technical fouls for entering the court twice to vehemently stress his point. At one point before his ejection, Cone even slammed his clipboard before going into the team’s huddle.
Ginebra’s three-game winning streak, which actually encountered some challenges against inferior teams, was snapped and the team fell to 5-3 going into another big derby Sunday against Magnolia in the latest chapter of the so-called “Manila Clasico.”
Magnolia will come into the 7:30 p.m. showdown set to parade new addition William Navarro, who was picked up in a trade with NorthPort last Tuesday that could boost the Hotshots’ chances of improving their 7-1 record and possibly end their long wait for a championship.
That will likely be known after the 5 p.m. opener between NLEX and Phoenix, which at 2-6 needs a win to keep its slim playoff chances. If Phoenix loses, the quarterfinal cast is complete, with Ginebra along with TNT and Rain or Shine, also with identical 5-3, clinching their spots.
