BLACKWATER coach Bong Ramos said the absence of Poy Erram is not to blame for the Elite’s first loss of the PBA Governors’ Cup on Wednesday.
The Elite’s best start in franchise history came to a disappointing end on Wednesday night when they lost to NLEX, 124-106, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum in a game Erram missed due to a bad case of flu.
Ramos, however, said Blackwater's flat performance had little to do with Erram' absence.
“Kasi TNT nga tinalo namin without Poy eh. So ako, tiwala ako na we can play kahit sino mawala. Kaya lang ang nangyari lang talaga, ‘yung start namin flat so kulang kami sa energy, sumasabay kami sa takbo nila,” said Ramos.
Instead, Ramos said he was to blame for the loss.
“Don’t worry about that. Don’t blame anybody. Ako na. I take responsibility sa pagkatalo. Ayoko makakarinig na may bine-blame kayo diyan sa mga kasama niyo na hindi namasa, nanisi, o hindi dumepensa. Ako na magko-correct niyan sa ensayo,” said Ramos.
Ramos said he was unable to adjust to the tempo of the game and by the time the Elite tried to sped up the pace, it was already too late.
“Di kami makatakbo ng mabilis. I told the guys na kailangan tumakbo kami. Dumikit kami ng nine points kasi tumakbo kami. Kaya lang hanggang doon lang,” said Ramos. Hindi kami maka-connect. Defensively, off din kami. ‘Yun ang tinatawag ng law of averages."
At NLEX, Yeng Guiao has a 'scary team' in his hands, Ramos added.
“I give credit to coach Yeng and the team. Malakas naman ang NLEX. Siguro nakauna lang kami sa 4-0 pero kung titingnan mo, nakakatakot ‘yung NLEX,” said the first-year Blackwater coach.
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