NORTHPORT suffered a third straight blowout loss against Barangay Ginebra and now sits on the edge of elimination in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals.
Down –and almost out - at this stage of the best-of-seven is something main man Arvin Tolentino didn’t expect heading to the showdown pitting the top-seeded Batang Pier against the No. 4 seeds and battle-tested Kings.
READ Ginebra one win away from PBA Finals after Game Three blowout
“Actually mataas yung kumpiyansa namin coming to the series kasi nanalo kami sa kanila nung elims, so may mental advantage kami,” he said, referring to the 119-116 victory the Batang Pier eked out in their lone match-up in the eliminations.
Northport also had the benefit of practicing as a complete team for two weeks prior to the semis, unlike Ginebra which had to lend coach Tim Cone, players Scottie Thompson, Justine Brownlee, Japeth Aguilar, Jamie Malonzo, and deputies Richard Del Rosario and LA Tenorio to Gilas Pilipinas for the final window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.
“We also had two weeks of preparations, so hindi nga namin actually ini-expect 'yung ganito,” added Tolentino.
Who wouldn’t be?
The Batang Pier headed to the playoffs with a league-best 9-3 (win-loss) record, and proceeded to shut the semis door on the streaking Magnolia Hotshots, 113-110, in the quarterfinal finals to advance in the Final Four for the first time in six years.
The franchise looked to be ripe for a breakthrough stint in the finals.
But Ginebra turned those expectations into disappointment as it won all the first three games of the series by huge margins.
In all, the Kings had beaten the Batang Pier by an average margin of 20.6 points.
“Yeah, I can say that,” said Tolentino when asked if the Batang Pier were surprised by the gloomy turn of events.
Only one team in San Miguel managed to overcome a massive 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven duel to win a series, and the way Northport played in the semis so far, pulling such special feat looked definitely remote.
But Tolentino and the Batang Pier are staying defiant no matter if this series appears to be over.
“We’re just really trying to be positive and sticking to each other. It’s really a hard thing to do now being down 0-3,” said the 29-year-old forward, who finished with 15 points – his highest in the series – in the Game 3 loss.
“Good thing we still have one more chance.”
That would be on do-or-die Game 4 for the Batang Pier on Wednesday also at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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