Yeng Guiao sees NLEX 0-2 start as feeling-out phase

Winless start doesn’t concern Yeng Guiao yet. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

NLEX has found itself in a 0-2 rut in the start of PBA’s Philippine Cup, but coach Yeng Guiao firmly believes that they just need time to recover their confidence

“We just turned the ball over too many times. We had 23 and three or four of them came in the crucial part of the game,” Guiao told the press shortly after the Road Warriors lost to NorthPort Batang Pier on Sunday night.

Despite the loss and the unpleasant early record, Guiao said there are still silver linings—one that he thinks could bode well for them as the conference progresses.

“This is only our second game and I think Poy (Erram) is beginning to play and jell better with the team,” he said. “He was able to get his touches and put himself into a [good] scoring position.”

“Of course he had six turnovers. But he was just trying too hard and forcing things. Some of those (errors) weren’t even his fault,” Guiao added.

Erram finished the game with a performance close to his usual numbers during his stint with Blackwater: 19 points on a 7-for-10 shooting clip, along with seven boards and three blocks.

Guiao, though, clarified that he is not talking the loss lightly. He said matter-of-factly that he is disappointed. But in the same breath, he said that his squad isn’t waving the white flag just yet.

“We’re bound to get better,” Guiao said. “We’re staying positive. We’ve improved on our rebounding which was a really bad [part of our play] in the first game.

“We’re a bit better with our execution of plays, too. We were close but again, the problem is that we committed our turnovers in a crucial part.”

Guiao hopes that the game on Wednesday heralds the turnaround he and his team is waiting for.

“We have two more games [on deck]—on Wednesday and Sunday. If we can start winning again, I think all we need is a little time to regain our confidence.”

NLEX faces listless sister team TNT first before going for Columbian next. Both games will be played at the Big Dome.