Road Warriors eye semis berth against Steelmasters
NLEX seeks to move closer of clinching an outright semifinals berth when it faces RnW Pacific Pipes Thursday in the PBA D-League Aspirants Cup at the Meralco gym.
With Cebuana Lhuillier already securing the first semis spot, the Road Warriors are expected to go all out against the Steelmasters at 2 p.m. as the elimination round winds down.
NLEX is the second-best team in the league with a 6-1 card and the Road Warriors aim to extend their five-game winning run against the Steelmasters.
The Road Warriors are fresh from a 77-54 rout of Boracay Rum on Tuesday before facing the dangerous Steelmasters, who are still hoping to secure the third or fourth spot and the twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals.
Even with a hot streak, NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez insisted that it will still be a hard road for his Road Warriors with three games left in their elimination round campaign.
Fernandez even singled out RnW’s point guard JR Buensuceso, who sparks the Steelmasters' fastbreak plays.
"RnW practically has the same system as Boracay relying on their fastbreak. But I think RnW will be a tougher team because of how JR Buensuceso plays on the break," Fernandez said.
NLEX can't afford to lose with Freego (6-3), despite dropping a 78-76 decision against Café France also on Tuesday, still has an outside shot of an automatic semis berth.
In the 12 noon first game, PC Gilmore shoots for its fourth straight victory against Blackwater.
The Wizards are very much in the hunt for a quarterfinals seat racking up a 3-5 win-loss card after a sluggish start.
With four games remaining in their schedule, the chances of the Elite (3-3) making it to the quarterfinals are still within their hands despite the team occupying sixth spot in the standings. — JVP, GMA News
Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/243473/sports/basketball/pba-d-league-road-warriors-eye-semis-berth-against-steelmasters
