BREN'S TEAM A managed to secure a momentous victory over Onic PH on Saturday, March 26, to keep their playoff hopes alive.
So why did they deploy their second unit the next day against Nexplay EVOS?
This was a major question that struck Bren Esports fans, some of whom have criticized the coaching staff for their decision.
However, Coach Paulo “Pauloxpert” Munsayac expressed the squad's reasons for fielding the reserve unit.
“Ang lock of lineup sa MPL is 6 o’clock before the day of your game. E syempre hindi kami maka-decide kung mananalo ba yung Team A sa Onic or matatalo ba sila, so we gave [the reserves] the opportunity to play against NXP,” he recounted.
He then pointed out the grueling three-day game schedule.
"At saka may point din naman na mag-divide kami ng work kase nga three games yung ano namin sa this weekend," he said. "Super stressful iyon kung lahat ng tatlong games na iyon, iisang team lang yung nagpre-prepare. So dini-divide namin yung work para hindi mentally stress yung mga players.”
In the end, he expressed his desire to give everyone an equal opportunity. “Actually we have no main five. We win as a team, we lose as a team, wala kaming main five. So we try to give both teams equal opportunities lalo na noong na-zero-two kami ng RSG noong Friday.”
Does Bren still have a shot at the playoffs?
While diehard fans are hoping for Bren to make a last-ditch playoff push, the odds of them going to the next round are very slight... something Munsayac pointed out..
“Well, based on the calculations, syempre super slim. Pero hopefully matalo yung mga teams na ahead sa amin para may chance kaming makapasok sa playoffs,” he reflected. “So doon din nakasalalay yung playoff spot namin kung maganda performance ng Blacklist, NXP, or kung gagandahin lalo yung performance namin.”
He added: “Kahit gaano kaganda yung performance namin, let’s say winstreak kami pero winstreak naman pala yung Blacklist, hindi kami makakahabol. So kailangan talaga hopefully they drop some games.”
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