Robert Bolick (with ball) welcomes playing international style when they battle Eastern next. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
NLEX muddled up the race for a PBA Commissioner’s Cup playoff berth on Saturday night, thanks to a cutthroat effort against a Rain or Shine squad equally desperate to keep itself in the hunt.
The Road Warriors tabbed a 122-110 triumph at Ynares Center in Antipolo City to stay in the running for one of the last two slots in the eight-team playoff cast while complicating things for the ElastoPainters, traditional powerhouse Magnolia and dynastic San Miguel.
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Top NLEX gun Robert Bolick Jr. said they were simply making the most out of their chances—especially since they haven’t come too often here.
“We were given an opportunity [to compete in the playoffs]. And as coach said, it only happens once in a while,” Bolick, after a 40-point explosion, said. “So we grabbed the opportunity.
“We weren’t going to lose this game. If we lost, [the conference] would be over [for us],” he went on.
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Save for a few minutes in the opening frame, NLEX had a chokehold on the E-Painters, with Bolick orchestrating the offense with 10 assists. Import Mike Watkins finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds, Tony Semerad added 17 points and Xyrus Torres, Kevin Alas and Javee Mocon tossed in twin-digit scores to highlight a total team effort.
Jong Uichico, the champion coach calling the shots for the Road Warriors, said that the outing was exactly what the club needed as they hurtle toward one final obstacle from their immediate goal: Hong Kong Eastern.
“Everyone contributed. The effort wasn’t isolated on Mike and Berto, so it’s all good,” Uichico said. “If [the team] can become consistent, then it’s a good sign.”
Another scenario
“International coach, international play? It’s going to be a good test for us,” Bolick said of the match with Eastern, which will also need a win to sew up a twice-to-beat protection going into the quarterfinals.
“This is how they play,” he went on, likening Hong Kong to Rain or Shine. “They also have a big import. We just need to focus [on what’s] next.”
An NLEX win will improve its record to 6-6, and should Rain or Shine, San Miguel and Magnolia finish the elimination race with identical records, the Beermen crash out of the hunt, while the E-Painters and the Hotshots tangle one more time for the final quarterfinals ticket.
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“I hope we win again so that the playoff [race] would become confusing again,” Bolick said with a smirk. INQ
