Bolts return to work; PBA’s four-point era begins

Meralco acknowledges that it needs to shake off the championship hangover as fast as it can now that the chase for another title begins under the shadow of a different conversation starter for the new PBA season: The four-point line.

“We got the monkey off our back [in last season’s PBA Philippine Cup],” coach Luigi Trillo said ahead of the Bolts’ Sunday showdown with the Magnolia Hotshots at 7:30 p.m. inside Smart Araneta Coliseum.

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“Now that we have a bigger bull’s-eye on our back, we just have to accept [that] moving forward. We are proud of what we’ve done, but that’s in the past,” added Trillo, who wants Meralco, which he handles alongside active consultant Nenad Vucinic, to be in contention for the season-opening Governors’ Cup.

The Bolts are two months removed from their breakthrough title at the expense of the San Miguel Beermen, but their quest to replicate that feat may encounter some rough patches given their short preparation for the season.

Returning import Allen Durham was also in a hurry to get in shape and make the most of the Bolts’ preparation that started several weeks ago.

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Pleading officials

“It’s a different ball game, so the challenge for us is to try and be consistent in what we do,” said Trillo. “We’re not worried about wins or losses, first. We have to play the right way. We have to get our offense going, our defense going and we have to get our rules in place.”

Those rules may include how it uses the new 27-foot arc worth four points, which supporters, critics and curious ones will finally get to see how it plays out in a regular PBA game.

How the first attempt from either team is done may set the tone on how squads deal with the rule that the PBA decided to put in a bid to attract more audience.

PBA officials have pleaded to give the new line, to be experimented with for the duration of the season, a chance to see if it is a success or a flop.

Near-unlimited range

“Personally, it’s only a line,” PBA vice chair Alfrancis Chua of Barangay Ginebra said. “We’re doing this in order to make the league better. If teams don’t want to use it, then don’t. Who knows? Maybe those who are not in favor of it might be the ones who’ll use it more.”

Magnolia is seen as a team that could benefit from the shot, at least for one night against Meralco, with Paul Lee known for his almost unlimited range.

“We’ll just focus on finding the flow of the game. And if there’s an opportunity to take a shot, then we’ll go for it,” Hotshots coach Chito Victolero said.

The opener starts with the Leo Awards at 4 p.m. with the centerpiece Most Valuable Player seen as a two-way race between San Miguel Beer teammates June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez.

Then there’s the opening ceremonies that features teams with muses from various fields of entertainment and sports, namely singer Julie Ann San Jose (Ginebra), volleyball star Jema Galanza (Phoenix), national karateka and Samboy Lim’s daughter Jamie (San Miguel) and gymnastics Olympian Aleah Finnegan (Meralco).

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