By REYNALD MAGALLON
Converge may have been boasting a lineup capable of competing against the league powerhouses but head coach Dennis ‘Delta’ Pineda was the first to admit that the team is still lacking in experience to grind it out against the perennial contenders.
The FiberXers bounced back from a tough loss to defending champion San Miguel – a setback that Pineda believed became beneficial to Converges especially in building its composure in the end game.
“‘Yung loss sa San Miguel talagang tanggap naman po namin yun. That’s a champion team. So, beterano pa lahat. Sa amin, mga bata, kulang po siya experience. Tanggap namin yung talo na yun. But, doon kami matututo eh,” said the rookie PBA coach.
True enough, Converge displayed poise down the stretch to shake off the gritty Blackwater, 99-94, – a win which Pineda credited to his wards applying the lessons from their loss to SMB
“Doon matututo yung team, matututo yung mga bata sa pagkakamali namin. Yung mga lapses namin during that game na nakapag-adjust ngayon. Up to the end, ngayon nakita namin. Hindi kami nagmamadali sa offense namin itong mga dying minutes,” he added.
Converge star Alec Stockton echoed the same sentiment.
“We were very upset. We really wanted to compete with them. Although, we kind of did, but towards the end, we kind of melted down. So, sabi namin kay Gov na, we really wanted to bounce back in this game,” said Stockton, who topscored the team with 28 points – none bigger than his timely hits in the final frame.
That composure, however, will be put to a stern test once more as Converge takes on another champion-caliber team in Barangay Ginebra in their next game.
“Mga champion team, makakatapat. So, wala talagang choice kami. Kailangan namin harapin ito kahit gaano kagaling itong team na ito. We need to prepare,” said Pineda.
“Basta yung mga adjustment lang namin ang gagawin. Make sure na yung offense namin, hindi kami nagmamadali. We need to execute our plays,” he stressed.
