GABE Norwood sees the rest of the PBA Governors Cup Finals turning into a veritable "chess match" between coaches Yeng Guiao of Rain or Shine and Tim Cone of San Mig Super Coffee.
Norwood, Rain or Shine’s top defensive player, admitted that Cone's decision to go with a zone defense caught them by surprise early in Game Two, allowing San Mig to lead by as much as 12 points.
“I’m sure they’re (Mixers) gonna make some adjustments. They surprised us with the zone (defense) to start the game, and we didn’t know what to do,” Norwood told Spin.ph.
“It’s something we didn’t prepare for. But we know coach Tim’s a great coach. He’s gonna come up with great schemes so we got to adjust.”
Nonetheless, Norwood has so much faith in his teammates and coaches that when push comes to shove, they won’t just let anybody run them over, especially with the PBA title now on the line.
Battling through a seven-point deficit during the fourth period, the Elasto Painters showed character in forcing overtime before eventually grinding out the 89-87 victory that tied the series at one game apiece.
“It’s (comeback) a credit to our team because that’s the make-up and chemistry of our players. We don’t give up on each other. It’s an emotional game and guys get mad at each other, but no one takes it personal,” he said.
There may be moments during games when Rain or Shine players would be seen yelling at each other, but Norwood explained that they do that out of their desire to fire each other up.
“We’re all trying to win. It’s the same thing with coach (Yeng Guiao). He yells at us but he just wants us to win, and we all respect each other. That’s how we play on the court,” he added.
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