Struggling to find the right words to say, Kevin Alas offered one reason why NLEX is on a five-game tailspin.
“I guess we’re just playing selfish basketball. We weren’t playing smart basketball,” he said.
The Road Warriors lost grip of their 12-point lead in the third period and allowed Rain or Shine to roar back and steal the 107-97 win on Friday.
The loss further buried NLEX at the bottom four midway through the eliminations as it now sports a 1-5 card.
Alas chipped in 17 points on a superb 4-of-5 clip from three but it all went down the drain.
“It’s frustrating because I can’t remember when I lost five straight games.”
The third-year guard tried his best to end the slump, catching fire in the third period as the Road Warriors erected the decisive advantage.
But the finishing kick wasn’t there, as Jewel Ponferrada and Jericho Cruz helped the Elasto Painters pull the rug under NLEX.
Alas, however, is keeping his optimism on a high as he sees the holiday break as a chance for the Road Warriors to reassess and reboot their strategy this 2017 PBA Philippine Cup.
“I hope the Christmas break will help us think about what is happening because we know that we are the problem,” he said. “Everyone’s working hard. Maybe individually, we have to self-check ourselves what are our problems.”
NLEX will next face TNT at Angeles City, Pampanga on January 7.