IN just his first conference as PBA coach, Jimmy Alapag has led NLEX to a quarterfinal berth in the PBA 50th Season Governors’ Cup with an opportunity to even take the No. 1 seed in their group as the elimination round enters the home stretch.
But Alapag has bigger goals in mind for NLEX, which is why he is not taking their next games, including Wednesday’s match-up against also-ran Titan Ultra at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, lightly.
“Malayo pa,” said Alapag. “I think the players deserve credit for what they’ve been able to do these first 10 games but still, so much work to be done.”
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NLEX is in first place in its group with an 8-2 win-loss record after the Road Warriors beat Macau Giant Pandas, 138-78, with the 60-point victory being the biggest winning margin in the 51-year history of the league.
That win catapulted the Road Warriors to a quarterfinal berth, but Alapag is far from satisfied.
“We have bigger goals in mind for this conference and we’re not there yet. So we will keep working. We’ll keep building,” said Alapag.
The game against Titan Ultra set at 7:30 p.m. is another opportunity for NLEX to integrate Deonte Burton to the team after he became the replacement for injured DeQuan Jones. Burton had 22 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists, six steals, and two blocks in his PBA debut against Macau.
After the Titan Ultra match-up, NLEX faces San Miguel on October 21 to close the eliminations in a potential battle for the No. 1 seed in Group A.
“Our preparation for the playoffs starts now so I think it’s important for our group to be in that mindset for the road ahead. I think these next two games are just part of the preparation,” said Alapag.
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