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| The Road Warriors bled for their points before stealing the win from the Barangay. PBA Media Bureau |
By Ivan Saldajeno
PASAY--Even Coach Yeng Guiao could not believe NLEX scored a win on Saturday night against Ginebra to snap a four-game losing streak.
[Related Story: NLEX snaps skid in hard-fought match against Ginebra]
"I really don't know how we won the game," Guiao gave his first take of the match held at a packed Cuneta Astrodome.
The Road Warriors won despite making only 35.7 percent shooting and with virtually everything going the Barangay's way entering the dying moments of the game.
"We're still struggling," rued Guiao. "I thought that, with the way we're playing in the first half--maybe in the three quarters--we would not have enough in the endgame, because our offense was really bad just as we lost our four games before this. We really couldn't find a way to get into any scoring rhythm."
But Guiao was thankful his team showed its never-say-die attitude against the team known for that mantra.
"We just put on an effort. It's just sheer determination and some breaks in the endgame," he continued. "Mabuti na lang it's a defensive game. The scores are below 80. It's been a rugged game. It's turning out to be very physical, and you have to mentally adjust to that kind of game. We're just happy that we were able to do that in this game."
The result had an important bearing in the team standings as both sides are now tied at 3-4, further stacking the middle of the table as they try to evade both the twice-to-beat disadvantage in the quarterfinals and even outright elimination.
"The important thing for is we break our losing streak and we give ourselves a chance to be in the fight," Guiao further said. "Just having the chance to play the next games with a hope that maybe you can make it to the next round would be a big encouragement for us."
With that said, Guiao looks to use this huge win as a springboard to a late run to a better seeding in the playoffs.
"We will try to use this win as a spark for us to work harder in the next games and get ourselves a chance to go into the next round," he further said as the team looks forward to its remaining four games.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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