Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Firing from all cylinders and quick to react on defense: that’s the kind of game Matthew Wright expects Phoenix to play this 2018 PBA Philippine Cup.
And on Sunday, the Fuel Masters gave everyone a glimpse on how deadly they could be, dealing NLEX with a 102-95 victory after a superb showing in the second half.
“Expect us to be like that,” he said after Phoenix turned a close 54-53 halftime lead to a decisive 90-73 advantage early in the fourth quarter as it cruised to its second straight win.
Wright was a big reason for the conquest, going 4-of-8 from three to finish with 19 points.
But it wasn’t just him, as fellow snipers Jeff Chan and RJ Jazul also hit their marks.
Wright said Phoenix’s stellar showing in the second half is a testament to the team’s conditioning.
“We take pride in being the best in-shape team and the best conditioned team. That’s something the fans can expect from us,” he said. “We beat NLEX because they weren’t in shape in the last quarter of the game.”
”You could see in the second half that they were trying to keep up with the tempo. We set the pace of the game and they kept trying to keep up with the tempo, but you can see in their faces that they were very tired and we took advantage of it.”
It also helps that this coincides with coach Louie Alas’ frenetic system, something which the Fil-Canadian sniper said that Phoenix is slowly learning to embrace.
“It’s a given that there’s a little bit of adjustment, there’s a little bit of a buffering period. It’s a new coach, new philosophy, new offensive and defensive game plans. So we’re just trying to unlearn the things, our olds ways last year that wasn’t working. And I feel like we’re on the right track,” he said. “But we’re not satisfied just because we won.”
Phoenix improved to 2-1 and will take a 10-day break before taking on Rain or Shine next Wednesday.