Aces go small

Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

For the side that was on the losing end in the last two title series of the PBA Philippine Cup, there was no need asking Alaska coach Alex Compton what his target is for this season’s edition of the league’s most prestigious conference.

He didn’t even have to elaborate either.

What Compton rattled off, on the eve of his Aces’ return to action—and final drive to get the best playoff position possible and make it back to the best-of-seven title series—is how he wants his crew to do it, now that they have another big man down in six-foot-five Noy Baclao.

“We’ll have to be scrappy, like we always have been,” Compton said over the phone on the way to practice as he preps his Aces for their critical 7 p.m. clash with Star at Smart Araneta Coliseum today. “We’re officially without Noy (Baclao) for the rest of the conference. And that sucks.”

“We have to continue playing small ball.”

The Aces have something to prove to themselves this season, basically a year after blowing a commanding 3-0 lead over San Miguel Beer in the best-of-seven Finals and becoming the first team to lose the series with such a lead.

Compton has the same material he had last season, but with Baclao out and 6-7 Sonny Thoss still recovering from a leg injury, the road indeed has become uphill, considering that the Beermen are continuing to hold on to the No. 1 spot and playing better than ever.

“We have to take it one game at a time. If we can go 5-0 then we will take it,” Compton said, referring to their final five elimination round assignments counting this one against the Hotshots, and then, versus Blackwater, Mahindra, Phoenix Petroleum and Rain or Shine, in that order.

“I just think that there isn’t a team there that can’t beat us, but at the same time, I also believe that there isn’t a team out there that we can’t beat,” he said.

The Aces, at 3-3, will be coming off their first loss in the last four games and will be ranged against a Star side that is slowly adapting to its new identity of having Paul Lee as its new franchise player.

Calvin Abueva will be the main man on both ends for the Aces, especially now with the absence of Baclao and with no natural center remaining in the Alaska lineup.

With Baclao and Thoss out, Star has a decided advantage in the middle with Ian Sangalang, Rafi Reavis and Marc Pingris. The Hotshots’ guard and forward rotations are also formidable which would make it interesting to see how Compton counters despite his manpower woes.

Putting the cuffs on Lee should also be a premium, as the former Rookie of the Year has been leading the Hotshots in scoring while at the same time helping quarterback with great efficiency.

Compton doesn’t want to talk about a top two berth at this time—just making it past the elimination round.

“My concern, really, is to get us playing right and get to the playoffs,” he said. “If you’re playing right, anything can happen in the playoffs. We’re playing solid. Our last loss was against a strong TNT (KaTropa) team that just shot great.

“It wasn’t that we played poorly, but generally we played just decent and TNT played great.”

While Alaska and Star will be coming out in the nightcap trying to enhance their playoff chances, Meralco and Mahindra will bring the curtains up on a regular doubleheader at 4:15 p.m. just trying to stay alive.

The Bolts have lost their last four games and, at 2-5, can’t afford another, while the Floodbusters snapped a five-game slide last Christmas to keep their slim hope of advancing.