Phoenix, NLEX shoot for No. 3
For the Phoenix Fuel Masters and the NLEX Road Warriors, going three in a row at the start of the conference is a route they have never taken before.
They intend to drive smoothly on the same path Wednesday in the PBA Governors’ Cup as the Fuel Masters take on winless GlobalPort Batang Pier and the Road Warriors test the caliber of the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters.
“We’re really prepared for this conference,” said NLEX coach Yeng Guiao after back-to-back victories over Alaska and Kia Picanto.
“We practiced the earliest and brought in our import earliest. It’s a validation of our preparation.”
Facing his former team at the 4:15 p.m. opener at Smart Araneta Coliseum, Guiao is confident that they can sustain their strong start with Aaron Fuller complementing well with locals Kevin Alas, Carlo Lastimosa and JR Quiñahan.
The Elasto Painters, whom Guiao led to two championships and six Finals appearances, survived the Batang Pier, 98-96, in their conference opener on Friday after big man Raymond Almazan converted two pressure-packed free throws off an offensive rebound.
Besides import JD Weatherspoon and the 6-foot-8 Almazan, the Road Warriors have to contend with the deep and prolific Rain Or Shine rotation of Gabe Norwood, Jeff Chan, Beau Belga, Maverick Ahanmisi, Jericho Cruz, James Yap and Jay Washington.
Just like NLEX, the Fuel Masters also defeated the Aces (95-93) and the Picanto (118-105) after the high-scoring Eugene Phelps took charge when it mattered most.
Opposite the Picanto on Wednesday, Phelps dropped 33 points and pulled down 14 rebounds before scoring the game winner at the buzzer versus the Aces.
Meanwhile, Star has replaced Cinmeon Browers after tapping the services of Malcolm Hill, who went undrafted in the NBA.
