PETRON Blaze coach Gee Abanilla would not be drawn into any word war with former mentor and current Rain or Shine counterpart Yeng Guiao, much less start one.
Instead, Abanilla would rather let his charges do the talking through action when the Boosters and Elasto Painters begin their PBA Governors’ Cup semifinal series 7:15 p.m. Monday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
A win is a must for both teams since the pairing is just a race-to-three and the loser would be burdened with making adjustments in just a day’s time in the every-other-day schedule.
But the protagonists have put each other under the microscope, know the other side’s tendencies and have prepared accordingly. That is why more emphasis is being put on the mental aspect of the game.
“Going back to an old cliche, we will take this one game at a time. We can’t afford to look any further,” said Guiao.
“We have to look for a weakness even if they don’t have one. We have to be strong mentally to make up for their depth and talent. Keep the game close to give ourselves a chance at winning.”
“We are excited about our game tomorrow,” countered Abanilla. “We have to raise our level of play a notch higher and expect a battle against Rain or Shine. Being physically and mentally prepared against them is a priority if we want to be successful.”
Abanilla actually got the better of his former mentor in their lone elimination round meeting, winning via a 99-84 count last Aug. 23.
That does not mean Abanilla is ready to discard his tag of student to Guiao’s teacher at once, however. Abanilla served as one of Guiao’s assistants in their Red Bull days before being enticed to come over to the San Miguel Corp. group in the early 2000′s.
After serving as deputy in San Miguel Beer and Petron Abanilla was named the Boosters’ head coach only late July.
“It’s really hard to quantify kung ano ang mga natutunan ko kay coach Yeng,” said Abanilla. “Let’s just say na marami akong natutunan kay coach Yeng. I know for a fact that his leadership skill is very high. I really appreciate that, I really admire that from him.”
Besides, Guiao has been known to spring some surprises starting with his first five and relievers, not to mention plays, which are sure to come to the fore in these playoffs.
“Going against this guy is a big challenge. You never know what to expect from him,” said Abanilla.
Main reason why the rookie coach has primed up the likes of Elijah Millsap, Arwind Santos, June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter and Alex Cabagnot to be ready for any eventuality.
Rain or Shine’s manpower problems are Guiao’s main concern.
Pau Lee, usually good for 12.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, is a doubtful starter due to a right calf muscle he injured in the course of a 108-106 victory over GlobalPort in their quarterfinals matchup last Thursday.
Also, top E-Painters sniper Jeff Chan has to fully get his groove in the conference, averaging a shade under just 7.0 points per game and a measly 16 percent from beyond the arc.
Good thing for Guiao the likes of Arizona Reid, Ryan Arana and JR Quinahan have taken turns picking up the slack. (NC)
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