Games Today (The Arena, San Juan)
2 p.m. – Phoenix vs AMA
4 p.m. – Caida vs Wangs
Title favorites Caida eyes its third straight win and the solo lead when its tackles Wangs Basketball today in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at The Arena in San Juan.
One of the most impressive teams of the tournaments so far, the Tile Masters look to continue their impressive form after winning their first two games with relative ease as they face the Couriers in the second game at 4 p.m.
Phoenix-FEU shoots for its second victory against AMA University in the 2 p.m. opener.
Caida coach Caloy Garcia have had the luxury of using the team’s depth to its full potential while also making the best out of newcomers particularly top overall pick Jason Perkins, Jonathan Grey and Rey Nambatac.
Perkins rebounded from his so-so debut by scoring 16 points in Caida’s 103-84 rout of AMA last Tuesday in a game that also saw the first game of Nambatac for the Tile Masters.
But even if they have won the first two games handily, Garcia insists that this is a team that has a lot to learn, saying that there is still a lot of adjustments to be made with how they run things.
“Again, it’s a good thing that we won two games but there’s still a long way to go,” said Garcia. “Teams are adjusting and we have to find ways to keep improving.”
They’ll need to showcase a different dimension this time around as they face Wangs squad with momentum on its side.
The Couriers erased an 18 point deficit to snatch a 97-88 victory over Mindanao last Thursday. Coach Pablo Lucas leaned heavily on Ateneo forward Gwynne Capacio and the second-generation athlete delivered for his squad.
Capacio scored nine of his 23 points in the overtime period to lead the Couriers to their first win of the season and Lucas certainly hopes it’s not the last.
“Malaking lesson sa amin yung nangyari nung last game kaya sumusunod ang mga players. Yung intensity nila at rotation sa depensa, nagagawa nila,” said Lucas.