Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
He may have shot the lights out on Friday night, but Sean Anthony said that the credit for GlobalPort’s 101-76 rout of Blackwater should go to his team’s defense.
“We held them under 80 points and that was the key,” said Anthony, who ignited the blowout with his 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc to finish with 22 points, 21 coming in the first half, alongside seven rebounds, five assists, and two steals in the 25-point victory.
“Our offense just flowed and we stayed aggressive on defense.”
The Batang Pier defense kept the Elite in check for the majority of the game as they jumped to a 31-point lead numerous times in the fourth quarter en route to their second straight win in the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup.
For Anthony, the victory further justified coach Pido Jarencio’s pleas early in the conference to GlobalPort to double down on defense, something which the team has done in the past two outings which both ended up in victories.
“When we hold teams below 100 points, those are the two games we win,” said the 31-year-old. “Offense is going to flow because we got guys who can shoot. Some games they won’t drop, but other games it will. But as long as the ball moves, we take the right shots, and play together, we’ll get the win.”
Anthony feels that his team is slowly getting its groove after a 0-2 start.
“I feel like we started off poorly with NLEX. We kind of grew and had a good game against Ginebra but fell through the end. Then we’ve been building on our two wins, and a lot of it is because of our chemistry. We have a lot of new guys and a new coach, so our chemistry’s building and it’s getting better every day,” he said.
However, the tougher challenges are still ahead for the Batang Pier, and it starts next Wednesday against San Miguel.
Anthony thinks GlobalPort’s performance against the reigning three-time Philippine Cup champs will dictate how the team will fare this conference.
“They’re going to be the team to beat and definitely a barometer. We’ve got some time to get better, so we’ve got to keep working on our weaknesses and continue to get better every day,” he said.