MAGNOLIA Ang Pambansang Manok coach Chito Victolero maintains nothing has changed as far as his outlook is concerned on his side's PBA Governors' Cup semifinals duel against Meralco.
"Ganu'n pa din, defensive game, it's still gonna be a dogfight, a grind-out affair each game. Halos buong series ganyan 'yan," said Victolero on the eve of the best-of-five series' Game 3 Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
"Kasi both teams want to win, both play hard on both ends of the floor, so walang magbabago d'yan. The whole series will be close all the way," added Victolero.
The Bolts eked out an 81-75 win in Game 2 last Friday, negating the Hotshots' come-from-behind 94-80 victory in the series opener two days prior.
Aside from turning the duel into a best-of-three, Meralco coach Norman Black believes the hard-earned win gives his team additional confidence going to Sunday's match. "We have a little bit of momentum now," he said.
"But the next game is a new game, so we have to have the same intensity."
Victolero spoke while on his way to practice, but admitted he has already pinpointed some areas his team needs to fine-tune. "I think it's about execution and also we have to be smart," he said.
"We put them on the (foul throw) line 28 times so masyadong marami free throws nila," added Victolero. "Actually, we'd gain momentum, no matter how short, rally namin nandoon na. But because of the fouls, ayun na naman, babagal na naman laro. Early penalty, iyon main problem namin."
The Hotshots' offense also needs some tinkering, specifically their three-point shooting that was a dismal 3-of-28 in Game 2, according to Victolero. "We shoot a lot of three-points, but that's not our forte," he stated. "We have to look at the film, tingnan kung ano p'wede naming i-adjust."
For Black, containing Magnolia import Mike Harris and his own reinforcement in Tony Bishop dishing out a fitting follow-up to a 22-point, 14-rebound performance in Game 2 would be crucial.
"I thought we also did a really good job on Mike Harris, especially in the second half, and that really helped us win," said Black of the former Best Import awardee, who still finished with 25 points and 17 rebounds.
"It's very important for Tony to produce in this series and I say that because he's playing against Mike who's producing every night," added Black.
