Hoping to make the most out of their home court advantage, the Lakers go for an early lead as they take on the Knights today in Game 1 of their best of-three Northern Conference semifinal duel in the 2001 MBA National Playoffs.
FedEx Laguna is likely to bank anew on its heavily-scoring threesome of Chris Clay, who owns the league-best average of 32 points per game, Jeff Flowers and Biboy Simon aside from the home court advantage at the San Luis Sports Complex in Sta. Cruz.
The Knights, on the other hand, are used to playing in the same situation as seen in their previous playoff victories over the Lakers in past encounters.
"They are a heavily-talented team and they have improved a lot this year," said Andok’s San Juan coach Philip Cezar. "Pero siyempre, iba ang playoffs sa elimination round and we have the playoff experience to back up our talent," he added. — Joey Villar