NLEX ready for playoffs

MANILA, Philippines - NLEX could’ve finished the PBA Philippine Cup single-round eliminations with an 8-3 record but coach Boyet Fernandez isn’t complaining, particularly after the Road Warriors brought down highly favored Rain Or Shine, 111-106, to end up 5-6 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Saturday night.

There were three losses that could’ve gone the other way for NLEX. The first was a 97-95 heartbreaker to the Star Hotshots, the second an 88-80 overtime setback to San Miguel Beer and the third a 91-90 defeat to Barangay Ginebra. The Road Warriors jumped out to a 4-2 start in the conference then suffered four straight losses before pulling off the big win over the Elasto Painters to take the No. 7 slot in the standings.

“Our problem was in finishing so we carefully viewed tape, analyzed what went wrong and came out with the conclusion that we could’ve been a contender for an outright semifinals slot if only we played with confidence and teamwork down the stretch,” said Fernandez. “The one-point loss to Ginebra was a learning experience. We were up by 22 but still lost. That was our motivation against Rain Or Shine. We told ourselves we can do this, we’re capable if we just play together.”

Fernandez credited the players for snapping NLEX’ four-game losing skid. “The players worked hard, were well-prepared and followed our defensive gameplan,” he said. “We didn’t want to lose five in a row entering the playoffs. At least, we ended the eliminations on a high note. We still finished out of the magic six but we’re ready to compete.”

At presstime, NLEX awaited the result of the TNT-Ginebra game last night to find out which of the two teams the Road Warriors will face in the quarterfinals. “It will be hard either way,” said Fernandez. “TNT is a champion team while Ginebra is very, very tough, particularly with coach Tim (Cone). We’ve told the guys to just focus on Game 1, to forget about winning two in a row. Once we win Game 1, then we can focus on clinching the series. We can’t choose which team to play. We beat TNT in the eliminations but we were down by 20 plus while we were up by 20 plus over Ginebra but still lost.”

Fernandez paid tribute to Asi Taulava as the Road Warriors’ rock. “Asi’s our leader, the glue that keeps us together,” he said. “I’m lucky to coach a player like him. He’s 42 but he plays like he’s only 30. His discipline is incredible. He’s out there to win and he inspires us all.”

Another player who’s making a difference is Sean Anthony, one of several new faces Fernandez brought in during the offseason. The others were Kevin Alas, Rob Reyes and rookies Simon Enciso, Garvo Lanete and Glenn Khobuntin. Anthony fired a career-high 37 points to lead the Road Warriors’ charge against the Elasto Painters last Saturday. He leads the team in scoring with 20.4 points a game to go with 11.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 34.1 minutes. The two other players averaging in double figures are Taulava with 19.7, 12.1 rebounds and 32.5 minutes and Jonas Villanueva with 10.8, 3.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 31.9 minutes.

Veteran MacMac Cardona’s average has slipped to 5.6 points in only 12.9 minutes a game but Captain Hook played a key role in the win over Rain Or Shine, stealing the ball off Jeff Chan in the final minute to seal it. Cardona had 11 points, five rebounds and four assists in the upset. He didn’t play in NLEX’ previous two games.

“It’s all about rotation,” said Fernandez. “We know what MacMac is capable of doing, that when he has to, he’ll step up. At the start of the conference, we played MacMac and Garvo at two and they subbed for each other. We wanted to give Garvo a chance, to gain experience so he becomes more confident. We’re sure about MacMac stepping up but we still had to work on Garvo. We know Garvo can make shots so it’s a matter of giving him the opportunity. Against Rain Or Shine, we played Garvo at two and MacMac at three so they could play together, like a double-barreled gun. It worked.”

Fernandez said when Cardona was benched, he made sure there was no misinterpretation. “My role on the team isn’t just to coach but also to listen to the players, to address their concerns,” he said. “MacMac opened up to me and we talked. He stayed positive. He’s a true professional. We told him he’ll get his chance to play minutes, to be ready to step up. He did his job against Rain Or Shine.”

Fernandez said the NLEX rookies are contributing as expected. “They’re all stepping up and their positivity is incredible,” he said. “Glenn is coming along, Simon plays behind Kevin and we’ve told him he doesn’t need to score big to contribute because he can pass, defend and show leadership on the floor and Garvo is building up his confidence. We have to be patient and stay positive.”

A veteran on the reserve list is Wynne Arboleda whose contract expires in August next year. “Wynne’s ready to play,” said Fernandez. “He’s the leader of our reserve group. Right now, we’ve got 21 players in all. Wynne helps us at practice as the leader of the reserves in simulating our opponents. He scouts for us, advises our point guards and his attitude is excellent as we learn from his experience.”

While NLEX is a potent offensive machine, Fernandez has found a winning formula in defense. The Road Warriors are giving up 93.9 points a game, No. 3 in the league, and rank No. 1 in least second chance points allowed at 9.8 and least turnover points allowed at 11.7. Now, the challenge for NLEX is to overcome a twice-to-win disadvantage in the quarterfinals and make it to the Final Four.