DESPITE the string of losses, Baser Amer stressed it's not yet over for the Meralco Bolts.
With five games left in their eliminations schedule, Amer, 26, said it's not too late for the Bolts to get their act together and salvage their bid for a place in the PBA Governors Cup playoffs.
“Kailangan 'yung confidence namin kahit natatalo kami, dapat hindi bumaba,” he said after the Bolts’ went down to their sixth straight defeat, 99-94, this time against NorthPort on Friday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“Hopefully, we’ll stay positive pa rin.”
The Bolts are currently in 10th place with a 1-6 record, a huge letdown for a franchise that advanced to the finals of this same conference the last two seasons behind basically the same core of players.
The 1-6 card is the worst start in Meralco franchise history, as per PBA chief statistician Fidel Mangonon III.
So what’s bugging the Bolts?
“Kailangan naming lahat na mag step-up, first, second, and third group. Hindi lang dapat si (Allen) Durham ang laging maganda ang laro,” explained Amer.
“Lack of effort lang talaga. May kaunting mali na nagkakadugtong-dugtong,” he added. “Hindi kami nag-uusap sa loob at yung depensa namin hindi nae-execute ng maayos.”
Against the Batang Pier, only Mike Tolomia and Chris Newsome managed to score in the payoff period outside of Durham, who came through with a game-high 37 points, 19 rebounds, and seven assists.
Amer noted most of Meralco’s losses are actually close ones.
“Sayang yung mga games namin, kasi lahat naman ng mga talo namin hindi kami natatambakan,” he said.
At the same time, he doesn’t want to make the absence of injured veterans Ranidel de Ocampo and Jared Dilliger as a major excuse.
“Sila yung inaasahan namin sa team, pero hindi dapat excuse yun para sa amin. Kasi pag tiningnan mo yung team, ang lalim ng lineup namin. Lahat kami puwedeng mag-contribute,” said Amer
“So it’s on us talaga, yung utak namin, yung body language namin.”
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