Isaac feels Blackwater ‘can beat Kia any other given day’
Blackwater coach Leo Isaac is now bracing for a tough game against Rain or Shine on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. MARK GIONGCO/INQUIRER.net
BULACAN, Philippines — Despite taking an opening day loss to Kia, Blackwater head coach Leo Isaac’s confidence remains high.
The Elite dropped a 66-80 decision to the Sorento on Sunday but for Isaac, it’s just that kind of night where even the “easy shots” weren’t falling.
“It’s not a good basketball day for us but we still feel that we can beat Kia any other given day,” he said.
Isaac also added that his team didn’t play like one with his players looking to take it upon themselves rather than relying on one another.
“We had this positive thinking that we’ll be playing as one positive unit but we didn’t play as a team.”
Blackwater took a 13-point lead in the second quarter and had to battle a case of complacency after that, allowing Kia to get back into the game and eventually pull away in the last two quarters.
“Some of the players thought that Kia will just roll over and die but they proved us wrong,” Isaac said. “They were there to compete. No team will just give you a win in a basketball game.”
Many were surprised with how Kia played but not Isaac.
“Actually, I wasn’t surprised with how they played, I was surprised with how we played,” said Isaac, who steered the Elite to a championship in the PBA D-League. “I felt we were physically present here but mentally we weren’t there.”
The Sorento were still behind by nine at halftime before outscoring the Elite, 38-17, in the third quarter to put the game away.
The loss, in a game where they were expected to win, left the Elite with a steeper climb to come through with a victory.
“Generally, it’s really hard but as I’ve said we will do our very best and we will go for as many victories as we can,” admitted Isaac, whose squad beat the Sorento in the preseason held in Biñan, Laguna.
“We want to stay as a team in winning and losing. We should be a team that can accept defeat.”
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