October 9, 2010, Saturday
Starting a conference with a victory is not a new experience for Powerade (formerly Coca-Cola).
Sustaining a winning run, however, is something the Tigers would like to experience for a change as they meet crowd-favorite Barangay Ginebra in the first out-of-town game of the 2010 PBA Philippine Cup at 5 p.m. at the Batangas City Sports Complex.
The Tigers opened the season with a new philosophy as they ripped Rain Or Shine, 111-103, last Wednesday.
The philosophy is to run, a game plan they had hardly executed with Paul Asi Taulava in tow last season. With Taulava traded to Meralco, coach Dolreich “Bo” Perasol has now added quickness to his team’s arsenal.
There’s a trade-off, though, as the new philosophy may initially result into a lot of turnovers which was evident in the game against the Elasto Painters where the Tigers threw the ball away 33 times.
“That’s what we’re hoping to limit. And I feel that limiting our turnovers is attainable as the season goes along,” said Perasol.
What’s positive for the Tigers, though, is the fact that they had 31 assists which means that they were willing to give up the leather to teammates with better chances of scoring. On top of this, against the Elasto Painters, they also made 11 of 23 three-point shots for a high 47.8 percent.
These are numbers that Barangay Ginebra coach Joseph Uichico must pay attention to if the Gin Kings are determined to bounce back from the heartbreaking 73-72 loss suffered at the hands of newcomer Meralco on opening day.
The Gin Kings have remained almost intact with the addition of only one rookie in the person of 2009 NCAA Finals Most Valuable Player Jimbo Aquino of the San Sebastian Stags who took over the spot of Sunday Salvacion, now with Barako Bull.
The essentials remain the same as Barangay Ginebra still has a slew of great backcourtmen — Willie Miller, Jayjay Helterbrand, Mark Caguioa, Ronald Tubid and Mike Cortez.
Pick: Ginebra
Good Luck!
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