MACAO – Other than donning the Seoul SK Knights jersey, Arvin Tolentino will also fly Philippine pride high when he makes his maiden East Asia Super League Finals appearance.
The 30-year-old Tolentino and the SK Knights take the Tap Seac Multi-Sports Pavilion floor at 5:15 p.m. against the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots, with the winner advancing to the semifinals against Alvark Tokyo.
With Meralco and KBL team Changwon LG Sakers featuring Carl Tamayo falling short of making the playoffs, Tolentino is now the lone Filipino player to represent the country in the third season of the tournament’s home and away format.
He now tries to become the first Filipino to win an EASL championship since Rhenz Abando did it with Anyang KGC during the 2023 Champions Week.
But Tolentino is tring to shrug off the pressure of winning, stressing the need to just play his usual game with Seoul.
“For me, it’s more of an honor than pressure. Hindi ko naman iniiisip na ako na lang yung Pinoy dito kaya kailangan kong manalo. Hindi naman ganun,” he said after their practice at the Centro Desportivo Mong-Ha Sports Centre on the eve of the playoffs.
Tall task for Tolentino
Of course, facing a formidable Pilots side is also not going to be a walk in the park for the SK Knights, according to Tolentino.
“Mabigat yung laban especially kasi hindi pa naman namin sila nakakalaban. It’s always a challenge,” he said of Taoyuan, which was actually once beaten by by the Bolts in the group stage, 85-76.
He also describes their opponent as a high-scoring team, saying, “Yun ang nakita namin sa kanila. Offensively, I feel complete yung arsenal nila. Their guards can create and score, and their bigs, offensively and defensively, magaling.”
But Tolentino is confident Seoul can be competitive.
“Confidence? I’m a pretty confident guy. Everybody knows that,” he said with a big smile
“Of course it’s a team game. I’m representing Seoul SK right now and at the same time, in my heart dala ko yung Pilipino.”
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