Calvin Abueva (right) hopes to help Phoenix soar past JR Quiñahan and NLEX. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Soaring in a way they have never had in franchise history, the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters have every right to feel good about themselves.
But Louie Alas offered a warning that was timely and relevant.
“It’s not the way you start,” Alas said on the heels of a 114-95 drubbing of Blackwater at Ynares Center last week.
There’s a reason to look at Phoenix’s league-leading 4-0 slate as a mirage of sorts.
For one, the team has plowed through the easy part of its schedule, knocking down teams it was supposed to beat—a preseason challenge Alas hurled at the Fuel Masters.
“Before we can start figuring out how to compete against the top teams, we must be able to take care of the teams we’re at level with,” Alas told the Inquirer before the season started.
They’ve done that so far.
But their schedule will begin baring its teeth once Phoenix flips its calendar. There, the heavyweights await. And the Fuel Masters have dealt with hot starts before, only to falter at the homestretch of their schedule.
“We haven’t done anything yet. We haven’t done anything worth bragging about. We haven’t won a playoff game yet,” said top gunner Matthew Wright, echoing his coach’s warning that his teammates should not let their lofty perch cloud their goal.
The team wants to roll into the playoffs with momentum, not just barely making it there gasping from the beatings handed out by league heavyweights.
“We have to sustain this,” Alas added.
Phoenix also had a strong showing in the elimination round of the Governors’ Cup last season, but failed to make it past the quarterfinals—a lesson Wright and his teammates hope to learn from.
We’re still so far from where we should be,” Wright said.
At the same time, however, Wright feels that this version of the Fuel Masters is exactly the team that will help the franchise make its mark on the league.
“I feel it in my bones that we’re going to be something special,” said Wright. “We just have to keep at it.”
The Fuel Masters will face the NLEX Road Warriors on Friday, looking for a fifth straight win against an opponent that is still feeling its way through its new roster.
Game time is at 4:30 p.m. at Mall of Asia Arena. Later in the night, Rain or Shine will battle NorthPort with the Painters hoping to keep in step with the Fuel Masters on top.
The Painters have also been doing great, riding on throwback performances by former MVP James Yap and solid contributions from rookie Javee Mocon.
On a sad note for Alas, he won’t be coaching against son Kevin, the NLEX gunner who lost yet another season after tearing his ACL again.
That leaves NLEX, which is still dealing with Keifer Ravena’s suspension, trying to stop Phoenix behind JR Quiñahan and star big man JP Erram, an offseason acquisition.