Phoenix’s Matthew Wright. PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—Phoenix has been one of the revelations in the condensed PBA Philippine Cup, not only finishing as the second seed at the end of the eliminations but also becoming a viable contender for the title.
The Fuel Masters’ rise was thanks in no small part to Matthew Wright and Jason Perkins who have made their respective presences felt and are seen as two of the best players this conference.
Both players finished in the top 10 scoring list while also performing their own specialized roles with Perkins listed as the no.4 best rebounder, 9.45 a game, and Wright as the third-best passer this conference, 6.00 a game.
Despite the chatter of taking the All-Filipino’s Best Player of the Conference award, the BPC plum with the most bearing for the MVP, the two are laser focused on the task at hand and that is to win the Philippine Cup.
Phoenix head coach Topex Robinson said that it’s always nice for one of his players to win the award but they know that winning the championship is always the priority.
“We have bigger fishes to fry in the ocean,” said Robinson after Phoenix’s 110-103 Game 2 win over TNT in the semifinals Friday. “Just the experience of being together, the shared challenges, that’s what’s more important for us.”
“If they win then that’s that’s the product our why and who we are.”
Wright was the second-best scorer in the eliminations with 22.82 points per game while Perkins was at no.7 at 19.09 ppg.
Both are also the most used players in the conference with Wright averaging a league best 40:55 and Perkins at third at 37:34.
“They know their roles, they know that it’s always one more guy,” said Robinson. “It’s not about whoever wins that award, it’s being the best version of ourselves.”