THE SEARCH ENDS
With an impressive opening act on Friday night here in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Jabari Bird has given Magnolia plenty of reasons to believe that the import woes that hounded the team’s campaign in the PBA Governors’ Cup may have been solved.
“It’s not the numbers, but the aura—the positive aura, the positive vibes,” Magnolia coach Chito Victolero said after Bird finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds in the Hotshots’ 121-69 win over the Rain or Shine ElastoPainters—the second-biggest rout in playoff history.
It also allowed Magnolia to draw level with Rain or Shine at 1-1 in their best-of-five quarterfinal series.
Bird provided immediate impact for the Hotshots in taking over from Rayvonte Rice, who put up a very anemic two-game showing, including Wednesday’s narrow Game 1 defeat in Manila.
The former Boston Celtic is the son of Carl Bird, who for two weeks in 1976 held the PBA record for most points in a game with 73 as a reinforcement for Royal Tru-Orange (now San Miguel Beer).
“He told me that he tried to score 100, but he got tired,” the younger Bird said of tales told by his old man about that big night.
He’s the fourth import for Magnolia this conference after original choice Glenn Robinson III was replaced near the tail end of the group stage by fellow ex-NBA player Shabazz Muhammad, who got saddled with a hamstring injury that prompted management to tap Rice.
Newly arrived
Bird arrived the day before from Indonesia, where he had a stint with Medan in the Indonesian Basketball League, as the Hotshots wanted someone who can fly right away to take Rice’s place.
More than the intangibles, Bird also showed some hops along with the capability to score, which is a good sign in Magnolia’s quest to make up for its up-and-down campaign prior to the playoffs.
“It’s hard for JB (Bird) to adjust right away, but I told him to not pressure himself,” said Victolero. “What we only need from him is that little help from everything, which is a very big factor for us. He had 13 rebounds and he played defense—good defense.
“I think he still has a lot to show once he gets comfortable with his teammates,” added Victolero.
Bird will finally get a chance to know his teammates more in practice on Saturday, a day before Magnolia and Rain or Shine break the tie at Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Fuller’s condition
While Bird seems to be a good fit, Rain or Shine will use the short lull to figure out a way to deal with Aaron Fuller’s condition after the import got poked in the eye by Ian Sangalang during the first quarter.
Coach Yeng Guiao seemed more concerned about Fuller’s status than Rain or Shine being handed the sixth-worst defeat in league history.
“I don’t think our morale is affected. It’s one game and we can regroup,” said Guiao.
