source: Waylon Galvez | mb.com.ph
Despite the long lay-off, PBA coaches are not worried of the so-called “holiday rust,” believing their boys can dish out their usual performances much more now that the Philippine Cup is now entering its crucial stage.
“I don’t think the break is going to have that much effect because we actually had practice until the 31st (of December). But of course, actual game and practices are different,” coach Siot Tanquincen of San Miguel Beer said Monday.
“Likewise, every team had this break so no team actually has an advantage over the other.” Tanquincen added.
Alaska leads the field with an 11-2 record, followed by San Miguel’s 12-3, defending champion Talk ’N Text’s 10-5, while Purefoods TJ Hotdogs and Barangay Ginebra share fourth to fifth places with similar 9-6 records.
Sta. Lucia Realty sports a 7-6 slate, followed by Burger King (5-10), Rain or Shine (4-10), Coca-Cola (3-12) and Barako Bull (2-12).
The top two teams after the classification phase will earn outright Final Four berths, while the third to fifth teams will advance to the quarterfinals automatically. The sixth to ninth teams will figure in a knockout wildcard round for the last quarterfinal slot.
The 10th and last finisher will be eliminated automatically from the playoffs.
The last time the league held games was on December 25 with Purefoods winning over Burger King (85-74) and Ginebra beating Coca-Cola (106-97).
“The players looked re-energized and rejuvenated. We needed the long break to rest the aching bodies and give time for the injured players to recuperate,” said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio, adding that the players who benefited from the rest are injured stars James Yap (back), Kerby Raymundo (knee) and PJ Simon (MCL).
“I don’t think the long lay-off will be an issue since we all worked hard to remain sharp to maintain our goal of landing in the top four after the eliminations,” he added.
The Giants will resume play tomorrow when they face the Smart-Gilas national team in an exhibition game at 2:30 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.
Likewise, regular games will also return as Sta. Lucia meets Rain or Shine at 5 p.m., while TNT battles Ginebra at 7:30 p.m. in what should be an exciting match as both teams are still in the fight for the two outright seats in the semis.
“We only had a total of three days break after our 25th game. Of course there will always be that ‘kalawang’ as they say but hopefully we can get rid of it right away,” Ginebra’s Jong Uichico said.
“Break shouldn’t be an issue,” coach Chot Reyes of TNT said.
Latest PBA trade:
Burger King, Coke trade players
Games January 6 (Araneta Coliseum)
2:30PM — Smart-Gilas vs Purefoods
5:00PM — Sta. Lucia vs Rain or Shine
7:30PM — Talk ’N Text vs Ginebra
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