Photo from ASEAN Basketball League
Renaldo Balkman promised a show when the 2018 ASEAN Basketball League rolled on, and with San Miguel Alab Pilipinas advancing to the Finals, things won’t be much different.
“All I got is my word as a man, you know. I believe in my guys, I believe in myself, and like I told you, I will give them a show,” he said.
The Puerto Rican forward has backed up his words, hiking his totals to 26.3 points, 14.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.0 steals, and 1.0 block in the playoffs.
Balkman further silenced all the doubters with his standout play in the semifinals, where the Philippine-based squad swept defending champion Hong Kong Eastern for its first ever championship appearance.
“Everybody kept talking about they’re the number one team, and they’re a great team. But I know how good we are. We prepared for these games and in the semifinals, I think we had an edge on them and that’s what I’m telling you, we put on a show,” he said.
Balkman believes that missing out on the outright semifinal berth and going through the grind in quarterfinals helped in keeping Alab Pilipinas at its peak heading into the most crucial part of the season.
“I think the best thing that happened to us is when we play in the quarterfinals. If we sat home and rested for 10 to 15 days, it would’ve hurt us. But since we played in the quarterfinals, we’ve gotten better going into the semifinals,” he said. “Not being arrogant or what, but I know how my guys are. We’re playing well because we playing together.”
Balkman, for his part, churned out solid outings in the Philippine squad’s two elimination meetings against the Thais, averaging 22.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.0 block in its two wins.
Alab, which has has won seven of its last games, is facing an equally determined Mono Vampire of Thailand, which slayed top seed Chong Son Kung Fu, in the best-of-five Finals series starting Sunday.
With the stakes as high as it is now, Balkman knows that there’s no room for complacency in the championship series.
“We got to prepare again. I’m gonna tell it one more time: it’s gonna be another show,” he said. “Win or lose, no matter what, it’s gonna be a show because these last three games, we got to win and it’s over.”