Blackwater import George King in the PBA Governors’ Cup.–PBA IMAGES
The turnaround from a 0-3 start behind a series of splendid performances from import George King should give Blackwater enough reason to be confident of its quarterfinal chances in the PBA Governors’ Cup.
But coach Jeffrey Cariaso warned that the Bossing remain far from where they want to go to, after climbing into playoff contention on Friday with a 110-99 win over the NLEX Road Warriors at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
“I think the players understand the situation that we’re in,” Cariaso said after King produced 39 points, 15 rebounds and five assists that put Blackwater on level terms with NLEX at 3-3 in Group B.
“They all understand that we have not done anything yet, we haven’t achieved anything yet,” he continued. “The goal remains to get better and to improve, and we’re already thinking about our next game.”
That next game is on Tuesday at the same venue against Barangay Ginebra, the same team Blackwater defeated the previous Friday behind KIng’s 33 points and 19 rebounds in his first game replacing the ineffective Ricky Ledo.
It will surely be a hotly anticipated game, given the manner in which Blackwater prevailed, 95-88, and how it was sealed by a four-pointer and a “Night-Night” gesture from rookie guard Sedrick Barefield.
“That is gonna be a really big opponent so we have to prepare well,” said Cariaso. Ginebra was facing winless Group B foe Phoenix at press time, seeking to improve its even 2-2 record.
Troy Rosario stepped up for the Bossing with 15 points and 14 rebounds and Barefield added 14 points and five assists.
NLEX slipped to its second straight defeat, a skid that started last Tuesday with a 28-point drubbing handed by Ginebra at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Import Myke Henry posted 26 points and Robert Bolick added 21, but the two shot a combined 12-of-37 from the field.
Meanwhile, Magnolia parades Shabazz Muhammad as a replacement to fellow ex-NBA player Glenn Robinson III for Saturday’s out-of-town encounter in Panabo, Davao del Norte.
The final provincial sortie of the group stage set at 6 p.m. will see Muhammad facing the Bolts, who in his initial stint in the 2022 Governors’ Cup went off for 57 points but was held to 24 by the same team when they next met.
Muhammad takes the place of Robinson, who in five games averaged 24.2 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.8 steals but failed to rescue the Hotshots from a 3-2 start.