Slingers ‘satisfied’ after Game 1 win, says Dragons coach Vanguardia

There couldn’t be a more painful sight for Westports Malaysia than see its fierce rival Singapore celebrate on its home floor. The Dragons could only watch as the visiting Slingers exchanged high fives and chest bumps in front of a stunned crowd after their comeback win in Game 1 of the 2016 ASEAN Basketball Finals last Friday. That celebration, however, was short-lived after a listless effort in a blowout loss in Game 2. “I felt the Slingers got satisfied that they got one win already and that was their mission here,” Malaysia head coach Ariel Vanguardia noticed. “They celebrated a little too early. This is a five-game series,” said American import Reginald Johnson, whose double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds helped the Dragons tie the series at 1-1 on Sunday night. The Slingers did have a big reason to feel good about themselves after rallying from 13 points down in the third quarter for an 84-80 squeaker in Game 1. After letting their fans down, the Dragons didn’t want to take part of any celebration unless it’s theirs. “They did celebrate a little too early and I think tonight we stood our ground and made sure they won’t celebrate again,” Johnson said. The mission now for Malaysia is to come to Singapore and regain homecourt or better yet, celebrate its first championship on the road. “We have to get back that homecourt advantage again. It won’t be easy. They’re a tough team,” said Vanguardia. “Their job is to try and come here and win one and they did that so now it’s our turn to go to Singapore and try to win two,” Johnson said.