Meralco took too many 3s in Game 1, rues Black
Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
LUCENA — Despite Meralco’s eight-day layoff, coach Norman Black refused to blame rust for his side’s lackluster showing in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals Game 1 on Friday.
“We got outplayed tonight. It didn’t have to do anything with rust. I think we had three more days of rest than they had so I don’t see a big deal as far as that’s concerned,” said Black after the 102-87 loss to Ginebra in the series opener.
Article continues after this advertisementBut Black knows exactly where things went downhill for the Bolts.
READ: Keys to Victory: Ginebra-Meralco Finals series
“We shot poorly from the perimeter today,” he said. “Uncharacteristically, we took so many three-point shots. I think we took about 35 and we only average 21 a game. We give them credit for the defense at the same time, it was bad shot selections on our part.”
Article continues after this advertisementWhat caused Meralco’s first quarter downfall was its measly 2-of-17 shooting from three as Ginebra established control early and took a 49-35 halftime lead.
Though the Bolts were able to hit those three-pointers in their third quarter rally, their 8-of-24 sniping, which translates to 24-percent, was still way below their average of 37 percent, a league-best.
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Black reminded his wards to be more intelligent in their shot selections, saying that just because the Gin Kings’ defense are giving them space to shoot a three, it doesn’t mean that they should always go for it.
“They’re sagging, but you don’t have to take three-point shots because they’re sagging. Ginebra continues to make the extra pass and get a little bit closer to the basket. We can actually do the same thing. We’ve been doing that the entire conference long and I have no idea why we mixed it up into shooting a lot of threes,” he said.
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“Going into Game 2, we have to make sure we get good looks with the basket.”
Game 2 is on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
