MERALCO got a welcome lift from Raymond Almazan on Sunday during the Bolts’ win over Rain or Shine in the 2021 PBA Governors’ Cup.
Almazan had a conference-high 17 points and shot 7-of-8 from the field in Meralco’s 93-88 win, the team’s fifth in six games.
Almazan’s breakout game of the conference came after a pep talk from head coach Norman Black, who noticed the big man has been rushing things around the basket.
“I talked to him in practice yesterday and I asked him to slow down just a little bit,” said Black. "He gave us a big lift offensively."
Almazan scored eight of his 17 points in the third to keep Meralco in the game. Six came in a 10-0 run that wiped out a 62-53 Rain or Shine lead.
“Sometimes, he gets the ball in the paint and he rushes it, he loses the basketball, or misses a pretty easy shot underneath," said the Meralco coach.
"I thought today, he really took his time and was very deliberate around the basketball. He hit a couple of jump shots for us, got to the foul line for us, and that’s what we need from Raymond.”
Black hopes for more consistent play from Almazan, an integral part of the Bolts since he was acquired from Rain or Shine in 2019.
“The one thing I always know with Raymond Almazan is since he joined the Meralco team, we’ve been doing very well in our win-loss record. He is a big part of our team. He gives us that big man in the middle that all teams need.
"And tonight, he played very, very well. It was exceptional actually,” said Black.
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