THE Bay Area Dragons are bracing for a tough road ahead in the playoffs of the PBA Commissioner's Cup.
As the top seeded team coming to the quarterfinals, the Dragons know the rest of the field will be after their necks, so much so they've been using the two-week break that they have to prepare physically and mentally for the expected tougher battle that comes along their way.
"We know the playoffs is going to be a different game and something we've never experienced before," admitted coach Brian Goorjian.
"It's a brand new season now, and this thing is going up on another level."
The Dragons wrapped up their elimination round campaign last Nov. 23 with a resounding beating of TNT Tropang Giga, 140-108.
The win allowed the guest team from Hong Kong team to finish with a 10-2 record and the no. 1 spot in the playoffs, where it enjoys a twice-to-beat advantage against the no. 8 seeded ballclub.
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Barangay Ginebra and Meralco are the only two teams which managed to take the fight out of the Dragons during the eliminations.
But Goorjian is not about to fall into complacency, knowing the rest of the playoff-bound teams are going to take their play a notch higher into the next round.
"I know from everybody, it goes up another level and all the areas have been a concerned for us," said the veteran international coach, who steered the Australian men's basketball team to its first ever Olympic medal (bronze) in the Tokyo Olympics last year.
"So I'm going to explain that strongly as I can to our team," he added. "It's a brand new season and we're just enjoying the hell out of the experience, the competition, the passion, and the energy from the Philippines."
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