Troy Rosario (with ball) will shoulder tremendous responsibilities for the Blackwater Bossing. —PBA IMAGES
Blackwater believes that sustaining its unexpected early surge in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup will rest on how Troy Rosario holds the fort.
“How we do, how we perform and how well we do is really on his shoulders,” coach Jeffrey Cariaso said of Rosario, who will be key in the Bossing’s bid to go 3-0 (win-loss) in the tournament against the Converge FiberXers on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
A win in the 4:30 p.m. match and Blackwater is going to match its best start since a similar record in the 2019 Commissioner’s Cup.
SCHEDULE: 2024 PBA Philippine Cup
It also raises the probability of the Bossing making the playoffs, a rare development for a franchise that has endured countless double-digit losing spells in the last five years.
In that stretch, however, was a quarterfinals berth in the 2022 Philippine Cup thanks to a 6-1 start.
The Bossing are sharing top spot with another perennial cellar dweller in the Terrafirma Dyip, who also won their first two outings.
READ: With rare start, Bossing seek end to being league backwater
Blackwater nailed its two victories at the expense of two traditional playoff teams in the Meralco Bolts and the TNT Tropang Giga, with Rosario playing a key role.
Rosario averaged 17.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals in the first two games, and was instrumental in taking down his ex-team TNT on Saturday.
Free agent soon
His play and current status as among the top big men in the league has also led to whispers of Rosario possibly going to the big teams once he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the immediate future.
“There’s one or two guys on almost all the teams that will have that responsibility,” Cariaso said. “And for sure under Blackwater, he is that guy.”
READ: PBA: Troy Rosario, healthy again and well rested, primed for strong showing
Blackwater is going to be on its toes against Converge, on a 0-2 start and is coming off a tough overtime loss to NorthPort, squandering an 18-point third quarter lead.
The second game pits Meralco and NLEX at 7:30 p.m., the winner moving to 2-1 in the season-ending tournament.
Meralco bounced back from its loss to Blackwater by pulling out an overtime triumph over Rain or Shine while NLEX fell to Terrafirma.