COACH Frankie Lim summed it up best when he described his NLEX team's faceoff with Phoenix Super LPG Saturday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Ynares Arena in Pasig.
"Must win iyon, for both camps," said Lim.
Indeed, the Fuel Masters need to prevail in the 3 p.m. match to fan their flickering hopes of gaining inclusion among the top eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals following the 11-game eliminations.
Although it is currently at 11th spot with a 2-5 slate, Phoenix remains alive as long as it avoids a sixth loss.
For their part, the Road Warriors are looking for another win that would not only get them back on track following a numbing loss their last time out and boost their current 5-2 record.
Sponsored content:
From there, Lim and his charges would be looking to add more victories in their last three elimination round games to realize their loftier goal, which is to land within the top two and be rewarded with the win-once advantage in the next round.
"Kailangan talunin namin iyon (Phoenix) para to stay in the hunt for second place, so we must win," said Lim.
"We have three more games after Phoenix. Kalaban pa namin ang San Miguel (Beer), Rain or Shine, tapos Barangay Ginebra pa sa huli. Medyo mabigat na schedule, pero we have to take it one game at a time." added Lim. "So the Phoenix game is very crucial for us."
Aside from putting into game the lessons learned from a sorry 101-104 loss to TNT last Saturday in Candon City, Lim also has a general idea of what his charges must do.
"We have to work hard and be precise doon sa aming gameplan," said Lim. "We also have to take care of the ball. Saka kailangan kontrolado namin ang rebounds para magawa namin ang gusto namin."
Sponsored content:
Bannered by Robert Bolick, who is the tournament leader in points (28.57) and assists (7.14), NLEX has managed to rack up four wins before that TNT game and Lim stated that putting the cuffs on Phoenix's main men should be another key.
"'Yung (Jason) Perkins kailangan naming ma-control, pati (Javee) Mocon, (RJ) Jazul. Kailangan ma-kadena mga iyon," offered Lim.(NC)
