PBA: Terrafirma sustains hot start, trims NLEX for lead share

Juami Tiongson (No. 3) still gets away with a teamhigh 21 points despite 5-for- 17 shooting for Terrafirma. —PBA PHOTO

As the unquestioned leader of the Terrafirma Dyip, it would be understandable if Juami Tiongson was overjoyed with the rare winning start to a conference for one of the PBA’s perennial bottom feeders.

But Tiongson doesn’t want to get too high on the 2-0 start of the Dyip in the Philippine Cup, which came after grinding out a 99-95 victory over the NLEX Road Warriors before a small Sunday crowd at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“This 2-0 start is just a small sample size,” Tiongson told the Inquirer. “I don’t want to be too confident and too happy that we’re 2-0. But hopefully we can sustain our form, build on our two wins.”

SCHEDULE: 2024 PBA Philippine Cup

The win capped off the first week of the All-Filipino tournament with Terrafirma also sharing the scenery at the top with another lightweight in Blackwater.

Terrafirma hasn’t produced such an impressive start since the 2016 Governors’ Cup, the same conference the franchise made its first and still only playoff appearance.

Known as the Mahindra Enforcers then, that team won four games before finishing the eliminations at 6-5, good for fifth in the standings, before being booted out by Meralco in the quarterfinals.

The Dyip are hoping that the pair of wins would be a sign of things to come.

“Our goal is to make the quarterfinals. But of course, we’re not the only ones that have gotten better,” coach Johnedel Cardel said as Terrafirma faces an acid test on Saturday against TNT.

Keep believing

“That’s why every game is important for us and we have to play together. But I think there’s a belief that we can win more ballgames, more than two games, as long as we work together, especially on defense.”

Behind another all-around showing from rookie Stephen Holt, plus steady games from Javi Gomez de Liano, JP Calvo, Isaac Go and Gelo Alolino, the Dyip weathered a 13-point deficit in the first half deficit—and a 29-point showing from Road Warriors star Robert Bolick.

Tiongson led all Terrafirma scorers with 21 points despite 5-of-17 shooting.

The Dyip hold the longest active playoff drought in the league that has greatly contributed to the poor perception of fans and observers of the team, something Tiongson and company would like to shed at least for this conference. INQ