Phoenix is having its best start in franchise history in the 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup having won its third game in four outings.
The Fuel Masters immediately bounced back from their loss to Alaska last Wednesday to grab the fourth-spot tie with NLEX and players but they are far from satisfied.
“I’d rather go 4-0 but it is what it is right now, I’ll take 3-1, and this is probably our best start in franchise history but it’s nothing to be proud of and we still have a long way to go,” said Matthew Wright after their 112-82 domination of TNT on Friday.
But save for a few hiccups here and there, Wright and company have managed to keep things running smoothly.
“Our guards’ jobs make everyone else’s jobs really easy,” said forward Jason Perkins, who put up 22 points and five rebounds against the KaTropa.
“Matt [Wright], RJ [Jazul], LA [Revilla], they do a great job of setting everyone up,” added Perkins.
Wright, Revilla, and Jazul collectively average 27.25 points, drawing the defense to converge on them when they get the ball on the perimeter which has lead to 15.25 assists per outing.
The addition of Calvin Abueva, who has made name for himself as a do-it-all bruiser-slash-energizer, has been a big boost to the squad.
In his first four games for his new team, Abueva is averaging 13.5 points, 10.25 rebounds, 3.75 steals, 2.0 blocks, and 1.0 steals.
“Calvin brings intensity, he crashes the boards, he’s relentless, and he addresses our immediate weaknesses from last conference which is an extra scorer,” said Wright. “There’s a toughness about him and he makes us serious contenders.”