With ‘too high’ feeling over, Batang Pier out to stop slide
Rain or Shine ElastoPainters against NorthPort Batang Pier in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. –PBA IMAGES
After taking the scalps of a pair of tournament heavyweights in successive fashion, NorthPort on Thursday night is on its first streak of the losing kind in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
And for Arvin Tolentino, the root of the problem stems from those two victories that preceded the Batang Pier’s current skid.
“I feel like—in my opinion—from what I saw, we were a bit [relaxed],” he told reporters on the heels of a 127-107 beatdown at the hands of Rain or Shine at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
“We were coming off back-to-back wins against Eastern and Ginebra, which were big games against easily two of the top teams in the PBA right now. And we were a bit too high on that,” he added.
Against an ElastoPainters squad eager to get out of a slump, NorthPort wasn’t able to play with the very same zest it was playing with when it was building its 7-1 record.
That lackluster effort has reared its ugly head since the Meralco game, where the Batang Pier logged a tournament-low 94 points after winning games with an average output of over 110 points.
But the remedy to the team’s woes isn’t something complex, according to the versatile forward who has emerged as one of the league’s finest in the last two seasons.
“I’m good with our offense. It all seems OK. It’s just our defense,” Tolentino said. “I feel like our energy [on that end] is just low. I guess we just have to be better at that.”
With a 7-3 win-loss record for second spot, NorthPort actually has two more games to check that and earn a shot at a much-coveted playoff protection—the twice-to-beat edge for finishing in the top two—which many teams still have a shot at.
Beermen are next
And that is what is keeping Tolentino upbeat despite the specter of a losing streak.
“We’re still in a pretty good position. We’re going into the playoffs and that’s one thing we’ve already achieved this conference,” he said. “The next step is to get to the top two. We’re in [the race for] it. We’re competing for that, so [we] might as well get that advantage.”
Up next for NorthPort is struggling powerhouse San Miguel, which the Batang Pier could only hope has been softened and rendered even more deflated by TNT after their grudge match in Candon City, Ilocos Sur, this Saturday.
“They’re a bit struggling [and] I like our chances,” Tolentino said. “Though it’s going to be tough, we’ll try to figure out what happened to us these past [two] games.”
