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Coach Nite Alparas, seen here sitting behind the Philippine team, wants his squad to bring its A-game against Indonesia. SBP (file photo) |
MANILA--With only two teams competing in the Southeast Asian Conference of the FIBA Esports Open and the Philippines being arguably ahead of Indonesia in terms of esports savvy, the Philippine NBA 2K squad is expected to win over its Indonesian counterpart in the said event.
But four matches in, the Philippine team's domination has been too evident.
The Philippines simply razed through everything Indonesia had to offer, leading to consecutive blowout wins to inch closer to a full five-game sweep of their series.
The Philippines could have just used Game 4 to map out new plays in preparation for future NBA 2K Pro-Am events following its series clinching Game 3 win on Saturday night.
But instead, the team of Philippe Herrero, Aljun Cruzin, Rial Polog, Custer Galas, and Clark Banzon pummeled Indonesia anew in Game 4 with a 79-44 rout.
As it turns out, according to Polog, their coach, Nite Alparas, wanted them to not let their guard down even if they are the heavy favorites.
"Sabi lang talaga sa amin ni Coach, from first to fourth quarter, no mercy talaga. Kumbaga, ibibigay namin yung todo namin," Polog, adjudged the Best Player for Games 3 and 4, said after the team's Day 2 stint.
Polog's statement echoed Herrero's comments the night before after they were done with Day 1.
"From the start, talagang ang order sa amin, 'Shoot to kill' as in from [the] first quarter to the fourth quarter, kahit tambak yan ng 20, 30, or a hundred," Herrero, the team captain, said on Friday night.
The Philippines is showing it on both sides of the virtual hardwood.
The Filipinos kept on hounding the Indons defensively especially with the latter opting to play deliberately and slowly.
Once the Philippines gets the ball, the team would quickly step on the gas and run the fastbreak.
Should the Indonesian defense get back on track, point guard Cruzin will take over by his fantastic drives leading to a wide open dunk or a kick out to Herrero for the corner three.
The result: a 27-point win to start the series for the Filipinos followed by a string of 30-point routs.
In Day 2, Polog, the reigning two-time NBA 2K Asia Champion, dropped 30 points in Game 3, nearly matching Indonesia's total output, and another 28 plus four assists and five steals in Game 4.
The Philippine team can sweep the series on Sunday night.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
Polog's statement echoed Herrero's comments the night before after they were done with Day 1.
"From the start, talagang ang order sa amin, 'Shoot to kill' as in from [the] first quarter to the fourth quarter, kahit tambak yan ng 20, 30, or a hundred," Herrero, the team captain, said on Friday night.
The Philippines is showing it on both sides of the virtual hardwood.
The Filipinos kept on hounding the Indons defensively especially with the latter opting to play deliberately and slowly.
Once the Philippines gets the ball, the team would quickly step on the gas and run the fastbreak.
Should the Indonesian defense get back on track, point guard Cruzin will take over by his fantastic drives leading to a wide open dunk or a kick out to Herrero for the corner three.
The result: a 27-point win to start the series for the Filipinos followed by a string of 30-point routs.
In Day 2, Polog, the reigning two-time NBA 2K Asia Champion, dropped 30 points in Game 3, nearly matching Indonesia's total output, and another 28 plus four assists and five steals in Game 4.
The Philippine team can sweep the series on Sunday night.
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno