NLEX coach Yeng Guiao said they would find out whether they’re for real or not when they take on titleholder Alaska Milk in a PBA Governors Cup Petron Blaze Saturday Special in Calasiao, Pangasinan.
“We have four wins pero hindi ko pa rin alam kung totoo ba talaga ito o nagkukunyari lang kami. The Ginebra game is a good test for us,” said Guiao ahead of their game against the Gin Kings set at 5 p.m. at the Calasiao Sports Complex.
The erstwhile also-ran NLEX team rides the momentum of a four-game romp against Alaska Milk, Kia, Rain or Shine and Phoenix Petroleum when it goes up against the Ginebra side which is coming off back-to-back victories over GlobalPort and Kia.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone foresees a slam-bang game with NLEX in the first-ever PBA game to be played in Calasiao.
“Whichever team coach Yeng handles, it’s always tough,” said Cone. “Add the fact that the game is to be played in the north, it’s virtually coach Yeng’s homecourt.”
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The Road Warriors rolled past the Fuel Masters, 95-91, the last time out to extend their winning streak to six games from last conference after their trade acquisition of Larry Fonacier, JR Quinahan and Alex Mallari.
“It’s a nice win for us and we’re starting to look like a team. We’re winning games in the endgame. We’re able to hold our own and we’re pulling through in crisis situation. It’s a good sign for a team that’s really just trying to put it together,” said Guiao.
But fiery NLEX mentor is realistic they are yet to face the heavyweights like San Miguel Beer and Ginebra.
“It’s a good measure to see what kind of a team we really are,” said Guiao of their match-up with the Kings.
The question is how will the Road Warriors match up with the Kings’ tall frontline that includes Greg Slaughter, Japeth Aguilar, Joe Devance and Justin Brownlee.
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The Kings have gone on a roll since reverting back triangle offense.
Moving the ball well, the Kings produced a league 14-year high of 39 assists on the way to a 120-99 whipping of the Kia Picanto Wednesday.
“The triangle is a good formula for us right now. We’re creating a lot of shots. We’re showing good ball movement and running a good tempo,” Cone said.
Slaughter contributed 18 markers while Mark Caguioa chipped in a personal season-high of 16 and closed in on becoming the next member of the elite 10,000-point club.
Caguioa, a one-time PBA MVP, is now 231 points away from hitting the mark achieved by James Yap in their last game.
