Racal Tile Masters. PBA IMAGES
Confidence has made all the difference for Racal so far.
The Tile Masters are oozing with it as they racked up a fifth straight win with a 90-81 victory over Tanduay on Thursday.
“Confident naman kami sa isa’t isa. Alam namin kung ano ang ginagawa namin,” said Tile Masters guard Jonathan Grey. “Minsan nga may ipapagawa si coach Caloy (Garcia) na di naman namin pinractice pero nae-execute namin sa game.”
That mutual understanding has allowed Racal to come out of nowhere and seize the top spot with a 9-2 card. It is win away from claiming one of the top two spots in the 2016 PBA D-League Foundation Cup which comes with a twice-to-beat incentive in the semifinals.
And Grey has been a huge part of the Tile Masters’ impressive run to the top, consistently putting up solid numbers in 11 games so far.
But the former St. Benilde standout was quick to downplay his performance, saying the recent string of success wasn’t ust because of him.
“Sistema na yun ni coach Caloy. Kumbaga, pag di mo araw, merong ibang player dyan na sasalo sa iyo at tutulungan ka. Kung medyo malas ako ng ilang games na, meron akong pwedeng pasahan,” he said.
The Tile Masters’ solid relationship allows them to freely point out miscues without causing tension, which has greatly helped them get to top.
“Naka-focus kami at nagtutulungan. Konting mali, sinasabihan na namin ang isa’t isa. Lahat naman dito, either ex-PBA o beterano na kaya alam na namin yung mga ganung bagay,” noted Grey.
Only also-ran AMA Online Education stands in the way of Racal’s quest for the top two. They face each other on August 9 at the end of eliminations.
Grey is positive that his team won’t treat their next opponent as lightweight and instead use the match up to find their flaws and fix
“Kumbaga practice na yan para sa next round. Kung ano ginagawa namin ngayon, malamang yan na rin ang gagawin namin sa semis or sa championship,” he said. “Confident ako na di kami magrerelax next game. Alam namin yung importance ng game so talagang go hard kami para makuha yung advantage.”