Allen Durham is not letting himself and the Meralco Bolts fall into a false sense of security.
Even after taking Game 1 of their best-of-five series against the Alaska Aces on Sunday, Durham urged the Bolts to keep the intensity that allowed them to reach the semifinals by way of surviving six do-or-die games dating back to the eliminations.
"It is kinda nice to relax a little bit but we don't want to relax," Durham said after the Bolts prevailed 97-92 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
"It's been working for us to keep the intensity up and keep playing the way we've been playing so we're gonna keep trying to have that mentality that we've been having the past few games," he added.
Durham gave the Aces plenty of problems with 32 points, 14 rebounds and six assists as the Bolts dominated the first half before preventing the Aces' comeback in the fourth quarter.
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"He was so awesome and he was so efficient," said Alaska coach Alex Compton, citing Durham's 13 of 19 shooting.
Meralco shoots for an eighth straight win and a commanding 2-0 lead in Tuesday's Game 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
"I think we're in a groove right now. Everybody's peaking at the right time, we're playing well right now so hopefully we just keep going and ride on this streak as long as we can," Durham said. (JT)
