NLEX, Cebuana face tough foes in semis
MANILA, Philippines - NLEX and Cebuana Lhuillier begin their semifinal series against separate rivals at The Arena in San Juan today, looking for victories and another showdown for the PBA D-League crown.
The Road Warriors beat Gems to claim the Foundation Cup title last year with the two teams just two wins away from sealing another duel for the league’s second title – the Aspirants’ Cup.
But they are in for a tough outing as Freego Jeans and Big Chill are also coming into the best-of-three semis series confident of their chances and raring to prove their worth.
The Gems and the Jeans Makers clash in the 2 p.m. opener while the Road Warriors and the Super Chargers collide at 4 p.m.
“Big Chill is a very formidable team. We’re the top team in the elims but we have no advantage over them,” said NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez.
The Road Warriors swept their last seven games to close out their elims campaign but the Super Chargers are out to score a repeat over their fancied rivals.
Big Chill dealt NLEX its lone loss in the elims, an 85-83 squeaker marred by ejections and technical fouls from both sides.
Fernandez said he expects the series to be as heated as their first encounter.
“I expect Big Chill to play very physical and rough. I just hope what had happened in our first meeting will not happen in the playoffs,” said Fernandez.
Big Chill coach Arsenio Dysangco has opted to downplay his wards’ chances, citing the absence of two of his injured gunners – Jefferson Morillo and Raffy Mangahas.
“NLEX is a very deep team. I don’t think we could match up with them. We just have to dig deep and try to find a way to win,” Dysangco said.
In contrast, Freego Jeans coach Leo Austria believes they can match-up well against second-seed Gems, even hinting at his troops’ readiness to play in the finals.
Like Big Chill, Freego Jeans beat Cebuana, 71-66, in the elims.
“I hope our opponents would realize that they can’t take us lightly,” said Freego coach Leo Austria.
Source: http://www.philstar.com/sportsarticle.aspx?publicationsubcategoryid=69&articleid=770831&keyword=sp_pba
