SIMON Enciso earned plaudits from TNT coach Bong Ravena for his defensive clampdown on Stanley Pringle in Game Three of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
Enciso led a TNT defense that held Pringle to 11 points — 18 points below his average in the PBA Finals — as TNT claimed an 88-67 decision against Ginebra to pull to within 1-2 in the best-of-seven championship series.
Even though Enciso was also brilliant on offense with his outside shooting in the series, Ravena said the TNT guard’s bigger role was on defense as he took on the responsibility of guarding Ginebra’s explosive scorer.
“Simon has been really playing well especially on defense,” said Ravena. “’Yun ang pinaka-role niya eh. Siya mismo ‘yung nag-ano na siya ang magbabantay kay Stanley.”
Shortly after the Game Three win, Enciso, acquired in a trade with Alaska early in the year, admitted criticisms against him on his play, especially on defense, was a huge motivation entering Friday’s match.
“It’s just added fuel to the fire,” Enciso wrote on Twitter.
Enciso came away with 14 points by hitting four three-pointers in the match. One of his treys extended the Tropang Giga's lead to 19 points, 80-61, midway through the final quarter.
On defense, Enciso rarely allowed Pringle easy looks at the basket. The Ginebra star ended up making just four of 14 shots.
Ravena said Enciso’s energy on defense is exactly what the team needed.
“’Yung points niya, kasama ‘yun sa system namin. If he is open, may green light naman siya to shoot. What’s important with Simon is madiin ‘yung depensa niya. ‘Yun ang kailangan namin especially from Stanley,” said Ravena.
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