CALASIAO, PANGASINAN—Phoenix Pulse coach Louie Alas studied the sheet of paper on which he had scribbled how he planned to divvy up the minutes for his North All-Stars.
“I’m just making sure everybody gets their playing time,” said Alas. The piece of paper represented a tangible reminder that Alas was here as a first-time all-star coach.
Without it, his focus would have wandered to far more important business.
“It’s hard to focus and get really excited when the playoffs are just around the corner,” said Alas, whose Fuel Masters are the No. 1 seed in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup.
The All-Star weekend has given Alas the chance to relax here, but every time he starts relishing the opportunity of coaching some of the biggest names in the league, reality pulls him back.
Specifically, the scrapfest for survival shaping up at the bottom of the playoff field.
Any of four teams—Alaska, NLEX, Magnolia or NorthPort could wind up being Phoenix’s quarterfinal foe.
“Of those teams, we beat three by just a single possession,” Alas said. “That’s why as much as I’m so happy and thrilled to be an All-Star coach, my mind keeps drifting to the playoffs.”
Phoenix defeated NorthPort, 98-96, on a game it could have easily lost but for an offensive foul slapped on Sean Anthony of the Batang Pier that nullified a tie-breaking triple with the game knotted at 96.
The Fuel Masters rallied to beat Magnolia, 89-87 on a clutch triple by Jason Perkins. And they held off the NLEX Road Warriors, 83-82, when Calvin Abueva swatted Bong Galanza’s potential game-turning shot.
“That’s why I keep stressing how important possessions are,” Alas said.
The only comfortable win among the teams battling it out for position and survival was against Alaska, 94-80.
“But that’s Alaska and you know Alaska is too good a team to beat twice like that,” said Alas.
So serious was Alas about the playoffs that he brought the Fuel Masters here so they could schedule practices amidst the festivities of the All-Star weekend.
“But they are really just general preparations. Until we know our opponent, we cannot fully prepare for the playoffs,” said Alas.
“It’s difficult right now for us and it really doesn’t matter who we will end up facing. Whichever team it is, the only edge we have is that we own the twice-to-beat advantage,” he added.
The Fuel Masters finished the elimination round on top of the standings with nine wins in 11 outings and will only need to win once to advance to the semifinals. Their opponents, on the other hand, will need to beat them twice in a row to advance.