The two teams are not taking one another lightly that both passed up a break during the holidays to prepare for a tough challenge at the resumption of the Selecta PBA All-Filipino Cup today.
San Miguel Beer and Alaska Milk likewise kept their regimen during the All Saints’ Day, gearing up for their own Sunday showdown at the Araneta Coliseum.
Purefoods and Coca-Cola clash at 3:45 p.m. with the Hotdogs seeking a third straight win for the solo lead in the chart and the Tigers a second successive win following a losing debut versus the Red Bull Thunder. Both the Beermen and the Aces also go for a second victory in three outings in their 5:45 p.m. tiff.
"May laro bukas (today) at malakas pa ang kalaban, so wala kaming pahi-pahinga. After our game Sunday, we took a break only Monday and Tuesday tapos tuloy-tuloy na ang ensayo," said Coca-Cola coach Chot Reyes.
Coach Eric Altamirano also punished his Purefoods team with a non-stop workout, preparing the Hotdogs for the Tigers’ dreaded running game.
"Lamang sila kahit saan presinto sa height. We can’t allow them to dominate the boards if we’re to beat them," said Reyes.
"We’re taller but we’re not good on transition defense. We have to be ready for their running game. We’re tall but it’s no guarantee that we can dominate the boards because they (the Tigers) are quick and can get the rebounds," said Altamirano.
Altamirano noted that they were beaten in the battle off the boards in their first two games against Barangay Ginebra and FedEx.
It took clutch free throws by Noy Castillo and Andy Seigle for the Hotdogs to hold off a stubborn Express for an 85-82 decision last Oct. 25. Five days earlier, the Hotdogs debuted in the league with a 71-63 win over the Kings.
"It helps that our big men have been stepping up their game. Kerby Raymundo, Chris Cantonjos and Bonel Balingit have been putting in their share, and I’m surprised Andy Seigle has been playing well though he is overweight," said Altamirano.
Ranged against a tall team in Red Bull, Coca-Cola got off to a good start but ran out of gas and suffered a 70-76 loss last Oct. 23.
Versus the Shell Turbochargers last Sunday, the Tigers seemed to enjoy the matchups, scoring an 80-52 rout – the most lopsided game so far in the conference.
"Hirap talaga kami against a tall team as you see in our Red Bull game. Against Shell, match lang kami size-wise so nailaro namin ang laro namin," said Reyes.
Curiously, despite smaller, the Tigers enjoy a 4-3 lead over the Hotdogs in their head-on duels this season. But Purefoods beat Coca-Cola in their best-of-five semifinal duel en route to winning the Governors Cup earlier this year.