RIGHT FRAME OF MIND

Converge defenders swarm on Magnolia's Calvin Abueva --AUGUST DELA CRUZ

There’s a simple philosophy greasing the path of Converge, a team that finished dead last during the previous season, in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

And on the heels of the FiberXers’ 89-82 triumph over battle-tested Magnolia on Monday night, interim coach Franco Atienza let folks into the secret.

“Sometimes, you just got to put things into perspective,” he told the Inquirer after the win at Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila that had the club finishing with a 6-5 win-loss mark while locking up the No. 3 spot in Group A of the showcase.

“What we do is we break our goals down into sizable chunks,” he went on. “One of our short-term goals is to make the playoffs and we did that tonight. If you look at things that way, you gain a better frame of mind, because things become more digestible.”

Justin Arana (front) provides Converge with a strong presence underneath. –AUGUST DELA CRUZ

The win officially put the telco club, last season’s whipping boys, back in the company of contenders. But the victory also sent the FiberXers on a collision course with the dynastic San Miguel.

“It will only get more difficult,” Atienza said of the tall task that begins this Thursday, 7:00 p.m. at the same venue.

“[But] I know some teams would trade places with us at a snap of a finger,” he went on. “We have the blessing of playing this series. And if you want to go all the way, you’ll have to go through the best teams.”

Alec Stockton of Converge (with ball) works against the Magnolia defense. –AUGUST DELA CRUZ

Converge has yet to win a quarterfinal series since joining the PBA in 2022. The FiberXers’ first playoff run was upended by TNT in the first round, while their next two attempts were snuffed out by the Beermen.

Atienza said the assignment hardly put a dent in the team’s outlook—something that both standout Schonny Winston and veteran Alex Cabagnot have co-signed.

“We know their history, their team, and how they’re going to come out and play—which is hard,” Winston said in a separate chat.

“We have to match that [or even] play harder. We already know there are levels to their team, so we have to come out and set a certain kind of level for our own.”

Schonny Winston of Converge (left) battles Magnolia’s Pedro Alfaro for possession. –AUGUST DELA CRUZ

‘Ducking no smoke’

Cabagnot, who coauthored almost a third of San Miguel’s 29 PBA titles had a much more candid take.

“We’re ducking no smoke,” he said with a smirk. “Seriously, though, those guys are doing well for themselves. But we’re doing well for ourselves as well.”

“We want to play the best, and San Miguel is one of the best. They won one of the two (tournaments) last year and they were right there in the end with Meralco (in the Philippine Cup). That’s the epitome of a team here in the PBA, and we want to see where we are with them.”

Whether the young Converge pulls through remains to be seen, but Atienza and Cabagnot are already finding value in what lies ahead.

“We are looking at it as a challenge because you want to beat opponents at their best because the most lessons are in there. We want to put our best feet forward,” the young mentor said.

“There will be no guarantees of winning, but for sure, we will have no regrets. We look forward to that challenge.”

“There are no losses in this series,” said Cabagnot. “It’s going to be lots of lessons learned. Playing a team that’s well-versed in the playoffs? If we could get some color, some vantage point, we can use it for the next playoffs. Whatever happens is a bonus for us.”

Cabagnot also offered another insight about the Beermen.

Perhaps another secret—one that could allow Converge to solve its mighty opponent.

“It’s hard to beat them in a best-of-seven series,” he said of the Beermen. “Here (in this series), we will need only three games.”