MAHINDRA Enforcer import James White is not the only reason the team has been winning consistently this 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. The biggest reason is actually the way the local players have stepped up this conference.
LA Revilla and Mike DiGregorio alternate at point guard giving the Enforcer a quick-stepping facilitator who can create his own shots or set up teammates.
Both guards can drill the outside shot, have the ability to move closer and score from midrange and are strong enough to drive inside and finish at the hoop.
Paolo Taha, Keith Agovida and KG Canaleta are the explosive wings. All three are frighteningly athletic slashers who are virtually unstoppable when they drive to the paint. All three have the range to drill the outside shot all the way from three-point distance.
Additionally, Taha and Agovida are the team’s most tenacious wing defenders who are usually assigned to shackle the top offensive players of their opponents.
Stretch forwards Aldrech Ramos and Hyram Bagatsing give them size for rebounding and defense as well as long-range sniping from the outside at the offensive end.
Big man bangers Bradwyn Guinto and Jason Ballesteros man the paint, gobble up rebounds and sacrifice their bodies for screens and for boxing out opponents.
Tying it all up nicely is the long-limbed White who serves as the last line of defense for the pressing, trapping wing defenders of Mahindra. White is also a nearly unstoppable scorer who combines athleticism and a reliable mid-range shot to score when needed. He can also be counted upon to make rim-rattling dunks when he gets drop passes from Revilla or DiGregorio.
Mahindra tallied its biggest win this conference with a 107-104 decision over TNT Ka Tropa last Friday. TNT endured its first loss this conference while Mahindra clinched a playoff appearance for the first time in franchise history.
The Enforcer led early against TNT Ka Tropa posting a 51-44 edge at halftime and protecting a 78-72 advantage after three quarters. TNT cut that margin late in the game coming to within three, 90-87, before Canaleta and Revilla each drilled a triple while White flushed the ball with his right hand after getting a nice alley-oop pass from Revilla that pushed Mahindra to a 101-92 lead with barely two minutes left to play.
Mahindra coach Chris Gavina praised the effort displayed by his players as they notched another victory to add to their record.
“Our guys were really dialed in and we had nothing less than a championship effort. Our selfless style of basketball really kicked in,” said Gavina during the post-game interview even as he admitted sweating bullets when Jason Castro led the TNT rally which almost overhauled the Mahindra lead.
White led Mahindra with 24 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, three assists and two steals in over 40 minutes of burn.
“It was a nerve-wracking game. I would really like to commend TNT. (Jason) Castro is definitely the best point guard in all of Asia. This is definitely new ground for us. We’re happy we made franchise history by reaching six wins in a conference,” said coach Gavina.
The soft spoken Mahindra import on the other hand said his teammates were just grateful for beating a powerhouse team like TNT and for being where they are this conference.
“We’re just thankful for this opportunity and we’re still going to keep building off of it. We’re just having fun from it. It’s a blessing from God. We understood that Talk ‘N Text is a great team and we understood that on the offensive and defensive end, we got to execute on every play and maximize every possession,” said White.
With the victory Mahindra (6 wins, 2 losses) grabbed solo second place behind TNT Ka Tropa (6-1). Right behind them are Barangay Ginebra (5-2), San Miguel Beer (5-2) and the Meralco Bolts (5-3).
The other teams include the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (3-3), the Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters (3-4), the NLEX Road Warriors (3-5), the GlobalPort Batang Pier (2-4), the Alaska Aces (2-5), the Star Hotshots (1-5) and the Blackwater Elite (1-6).
Mahindra has already qualified to the playoffs. They are now gunning for more victories to gain a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
Their next games will be against championship contenders Rain Or Shine, Ginebra and Meralco. The level-headed attitude of the team members of Mahindra serves them well. They said they haven’t proven anything yet and aim to do even better than just making it to the playoffs.