Pacers coach vows to win Manila game

MANILA, Philippines -- Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel is pleased with their trip for the Global Games Tour in the Philippines but remains focused in spite the hoopla and promised to win the game on Thursday against the revamped Houston Rockets at the MOA Arena.

"We'll try to find the right balance for our game (Thursday) because we really want to win and we're playing to win but we also want to try different combinations," said Vogel, who led the Pacers within one game of the NBA Finals last season.

"We won't be playing regular season minutes but we'll be out there to win and play our best," he added.

Despite losing their first game of the pre-season against the Chicago Bulls, the third-year coach saw some silver lining and will use what they have learned for their game on Thursday.

"We've learned a lot from our film session against the Bulls game the other night in terms of what we have to do offensively to execute better," said Vogel.

"You can see the effects of the flight after about an hour of so in practice because they lost steam but they will be ready on Thursday," he added.

Vogel did not hide his delight with the warm welcome the team has received since their arrival after an 18-hour flight and had nothing but kind words for the Philippines.

"I love that the NBA game is so global, the support here in the Philippines and globally it's little bit overwhelming and fascinating but something really great, this is good for the game," said Vogel.

The 40-year old Vogel also shared that he had a Filipino neighbor in the states and heard a lot of great things before their trip to the Philippines.

"I love this country already, I got a neighbor whose parents are from here. The people are really nice and it's such a beautiful place. It's a little warm but I'm not a cold weather guy so its okay for me," he said.