Alaska Aces gang up on a Meralco player. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
For someone who has always brimmed with pride with the way his team plays, coach Alex Compton was extremely dissatisfied with Alaska’s sluggish second half effort against Meralco on Game 4.
“I was really disappointed in us last game. I haven’t had to say that much about our team. Usually, I’m proud of our effort, even in games we lose, but I thought our effort was poor and frankly, we got outworked last game,” he said.
READ: Meralco atones for ‘lazy’ performance, rips Alaska in Game 4
The Aces botched a chance to advance to the 2016 Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup, losing to the Bolts, 86-70, in game 4 on Monday.
Compton admitted that the team anticipated this fightback from Meralco, but what he didn’t expect was his team’s poor second half showing.
“I was afraid that with us being one step away from the Finals, the guys were too relaxed and they didn’t understand how hard Meralco is going to play. And we addressed that after Game 3, straight on, that Meralco is going to come out and give their best, so we better be ready. And we weren’t ready,” he said. “We played selfish on offense and Meralco beat us to the ball. That’s a recipe to be a team that doesn’t even make the playoffs, let alone win a game to go to the Finals.”
READ: Abueva assures Aces will bounce back in Game 5
The American mentor is just hopeful that the Aces have learned their lesson and make the most of their second chance in Game 5 on Wednesday.
“You don’t throw away opportunities, that’s for sure,” he said. “Meralco earned the victory last night and they deserve it, but I felt that if we’re going to lose this series, I want Meralco to deserve it because they beat our best, not a group that comes out soft and takes bad shots.”
Despite their consistent finals appearances in the past conferences, Compton wants his players to chase the finals spot because they, in fact, haven’t taken home the ultimate prize just yet.
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“Consistently, we play harder than most teams in the league, but we got dominated in effort in Game 4. We threw away an opportunity. These opportunities don’t come along,” continued Compton. “I know we’ve been in the Finals three of the last four times, but we haven’t won a championship. That’s only a small measure of success. I don’t see any reason why we should accept coming out flat. I expect us to play harder, though that doesn’t guarantee a win one bit, but I expect a good knockout affair tomorrow.”
“Whoever’s on that floor, I expect them to be playing. Everybody has put in too much work to fail at this stage.”