TWO teams want a share of the early lead, while two other squads eye rousing debuts at the resumption of the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup.
After winning their initial assignments, defending champion San Miguel Beer (1-0) and NLEX (1-0) face separate opponents as they hope to join unbeaten Rain or Shine (2-0) as the early leaders of the tournament.
The Beermen will lock horns with retooled Meralco (0-0) at 7 p.m. in the main game, while the Road Warriors open the show against Barako Bull (0-0) in the initial offering at 4:15 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Determined to make a statement as it starts its title defense, San Miguel was off to a tremendous start as it dominated GlobalPort, 97-86, in a one-sided affair last Saturday in Davao City, where reigning Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo led the way with 21 points.
Knowing that the bull’s-eye will always be on their back, San Miguel coach Leo Austria wants his wards to stay focused and be ready for the dangerous Bolts’ upset bid.
“We know everybody wants to beat us,’’ said Austria. “We always have to be ready and be focused against Meralco in this next game.’’
The Bolts had a huge off-season as they were able to upgrade their roster with the acquisition of veteran and resident National team player Jimmy Alapag as well as the re-addition of big man Rabeh Al-Hussaini and entrees of blue chip rookies Chris Newsome and Baser Amer.
It’ll be interesting to see how these new additions will be able to help out Meralco in its quest for a breakthrough season.
“I believe we’ve got some really good players that can help us improve and we’re looking forward to seeing how we can compete against these strong teams in the league,’’ said Meralco coach Norman Black.
While resident go-to guy Asi Taulava and veteran new addition Sean Anthony led the way in its 90-86 opening game victory against Blackwater, NLEX got a huge boost from promising rookie Simon Enciso, who had a surprisingly splendid debut with 15 points.
NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez expects his team to even get better as the tournament goes.
“We learned a lot from our first game. That served as a lesson for us and we’re looking to continually improve,’’ said Fernandez. “Our veterans like Asi and Sean are delivering and Simon Enciso is a really good acquisition for us.’’
The Road Warriors will face a new look Barako Bull squad which now have veterans Mick Pennisi, Mac Baracael, Jervy Cruz and Josh Urbiztondo to team-up with mainstays JC Intal, RR Garcia, Chico Lanete and WIlly Wilson.
Meralco and Barako Bull were supposed to make their debut last week, but that playdate was postponed to a later one due to the delay of the season’s opening caused by Typhoon Lando.
Games Wednesday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum):
4:15 p.m. • NLEX vs. Barako Bull
7 p.m. • Meralco vs. San Miguel