CHICAGO - After NorthPort broke a five-year, 14-game losing streak against Ginebra last January 8, the hard-to-please coach Tim Cone was generous with his praise.
"They played really well. They gave our defense fits all game. And just for that, they are for real," Cone said after the Batang Pier climbed to the top spot of the PBA Commissioner's Cup standings with the 119-116 victory over the Kings.
Since then, though, the Batang Pier lost their next two games by a combined 37 points.
Arvin admits complacency to blame for NorthPort in slump
Just when we were about to believe in them, when their perceived image of being a so-called "farm team" was about to slowly shed, the seeds of doubt have sprouted yet again.
After scorching Ginebra with a high 52.4 percent clip from the field (44 of 84) and 58.3 percent from three (14 of 24), NorthPort's shooting turned stone cold while the usually easy flow of their offense looked constipated.
In bowing to Rain Or Shine and Meralco, the Batang Pier converted only a combined 72 of 169 field goals (42.6 percent) and a pathetic 15 percent from long distance (6-of-40) They were also outrebounded,121-91, and got shredded in the distribution of assists, 53-39.
BACK TO THE PAST
Poor shooting, inferior work on the boards, and inability to manufacture a high supply of assists plagued the franchise. Old habits die hard.
To make matters worse, the Batang Pier defense was as mushy as an orange traffic cone and yielded 238 points to the Bolts and the Elasto Painters.
Thankfully, their last two elimination round games will be against skidding San Miguel and 2-7 Blackwater, which means NorthPort will likely settle at 8-4 and earn a ticket to the quarterfinals.
But who's afraid of the Batang Pier entering the playoffs?
Nobody. Not amid this two-game slide. And not after losing to 3-6 Phoenix, 115-109, last December 17.
I don't think NorthPort will be a serious threat to win its first PBA title this conference but they have enough talent to advance to the semifinals.
LOCKED AND LOADED.
Unlike San Miguel, which lifted a page off the Magnolia playbook and has gone through four imports so far, NorthPort has a very good one in Kadeem Jack who is averaging 31.2 points and 12.4 rebounds through 10 games.
If he isn't already, Joshua Munzon is on his way to stardom. After a circuitous route that took him to the ASEAN league and the Fiba 3x3 tournament, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2020 PBA Rookie Draft, is finally here to stay.
Averaging 18.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists this conference, Munzon is at the fulcrum of NorthPort's surge.
At only age 29, Arvin Tolentino already has two All-Star nods and a pair of titles he collected during his time with Ginebra from 2020 to 2022. His continued growth has translated into 24 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 blocks per game this conference.
Former college stars Evan Nelle of La Salle and Fran Yu, a three-peat champ with Letran in the NCAA, have proven they can play at an elite level in the pros and deserve honorable mention in NorthPort's marked improvement.
But whatever enthusiasm we have for NorthPort will always be tempered by the whispers of the "F" attached to them for years.
So the real challenge this team faces is the eternal question.
Can NorthPort keep their core together or will their best assets eventually end up in the roster of rich teams like what's happened so many times in the past?
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