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| Converge plays in its first Christmas Day game on Wednesday night. PBA Images (file photo) |
MANILA--On its third year of existence since taking over the franchise left by Alaska, Converge gets to play on Christmas Day for the first time in its PBA stint.
The FiberXers, who have quickly established their potential as title contenders, especially in the ongoing Commissioner's Cup, will be featured in the first game of a two-match card at the first stop of the conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Current head coach Franco Atienza gets the privilege of being the main man of Converge's first Christmas game roster, and he told Dugout Philippines that he is also privileged to be with his "second family" for that Wednesday night.
"Apart from yung individual families namin, our family is the team and the fans. It's always nice to spend with them. If you play on Christmas Day, it's always a blessing, and we are after that," Atienza said.
He added that he would not mind if they will play their eighth game of the PBA Commissioner's Cup--all the more against a tough Meralco squad--as long as it would be a special moment for them.
"Kahit na sunud-sunod yung games namin, even if we're up against a good team like Meralco, masayang maglaro [sa Pasko], and we're looking forward to that game. We are actually excited to play on Christmas Day in front of everybody," Atienza further said.
On his part, Bolts head coach Luigi Trillo said that they have a duty to make the PBA fans happy on that Christmas Night clash with the FiberXers.
"We're looking [forward to] this Christmas Day game. It's for the fans. They wanna see the guys, so we have a responsibility to play sa Pasko," Trillo said in a previous interview with some reporters.
The clash between Meralco and Converge is scheduled at 5 p.m. right on Dec. 25, right before the anticipated first "Manila Clasico" of the season between Ginebra and Magnolia.
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