CHICAGO - As their name suggests, the Phoenix Fuel Masters appear to have a penchant for playing with fire.
After trailing by 13 points against San Miguel last Wednesday, they dug a 23-point hole against NLEX tonight. They lost both games - 111-107 to the Beermen and 100-95 to the Road Warriors.
"For two games, we started out flat," Phoenix coach Jamike Jarin told me via text message on Sunday night while alluding to being punched in the mouth twice at the starting gate, trailing by 10 against San Miguel and by 9 against NLEX after one quarter.
But Jarin didn't reach the highest levels of coaching by folding like a beach chair when adversity strikes.
"We just need to get it together," he said after the Fuel Masters dropped to 0-2 in the week-old Governors' Cup.
AND THERE'S PLENTY OF WORK TO DO.
Glass cleaning, for starters. Through two games, the Fuel Masters have been outrebounded, albeit slightly, 97-96. More rebounds means extra possessions and more field goal attempts.
The ball needs to move, too. And that hasn't been the case the last two outings where the Phoenix offense looked lethargic and rigid at times, churning in a combined 41 assists.
Jayveous McKinnis is above average and certainly not Ricky Ledo. But at least for now, a week into his baptism of fire in the PBA, he is not yet up to the standards of Ginebra's Justin Brownlee and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson of TNT.
Through two games, Mckinnis has compiled 28 points, 29 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 12-of-25 from the field. By comparison, June Mar Fajardo pelted the Fuel Masters with 37 points, 24 rebounds and 4 assists.
"McKinnis needs to be assertive. We know he can play better." Jarin adds.
IT'S NOT ALL GLOOM AND DOOM AT PHOENIX.
Jason Perkins, the face of the franchise, has been solid throughout the two-game slide with 31 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists.
After a tepid 5-point, 3-rebound debut, Kai Ballungay put together 8 points and 6 boards while hitting 4-of-7 shots in 22 minutes of play against the Road Warriors tonight.
"He's got a bright future," Jarin said of the former Ateneo star. "He just needs to get stronger and mature quickly. He is a young version of Troy Rosario."
Another Fuel Master with a real bright future, I think, is Ricci Rivero, who dazzled with 15 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists against the Beermen.
And teams better not sleep on Tyler Tio. Thus far, the sniper, who can go off without notice. Tio has a combined 19 points.
Obviously, Fuel Masters fans wished their team were 2-0 instead of the other way around.
But if it's any consolation, Phoenix has the pieces and the great coaching that are necessary to rise from the ashes of the temporary chaos.
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