Alaska head coach Alex Compton is hoping the Aces do not commit the same mistakes in Game Two of the 2016 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
The Aces lost to Rain or Shine in Game One Friday night, 105-97 and Compton was quick to rue his team’s lack of poise towards the end of the match.
“We made a bunch of mistakes down the stretch. We were disappointed with those mental lapses. We wasted the best offensive game of (Rob) Dozier this year. We really gave them points,” Compton said.
“That is one of the reasons why Rain or Shine is consistently good. You make mistakes, they make you pay. All the time. We made mistakes at the start of the game, we made mistakes at the end of the game.”
The Aces were caught flat-footed to open the game, as the Elasto Painters went on an 18-7 start. But the Aces fought back and even led 70-65 at one point, although Rain or Shine dominated the fourth quarter, 31-20 to take the series opener.
“I like to see us sharper down the stretch. We got to earn the championship. We did not take Game 1 of the road to the championship. They did,” Compton shared.
The Aces gave up 27 turnover points to the Elasto Painters, and were also outrebounded 51-41 in the match.
Dozier, who notched a career-high with 41 points on 18-for-22 shooting, also said the Aces cannot fall behind early especially against an experienced squad like Rain or Shine.
“You can’t start off the finals like that. Play the first four minutes without anything. They take advantage of that and that was pretty much the game right there,” Dozier said.
“I think we just have to come out with better focus. It’s simple, we should not wait to get behind like we done in the playoffs. We have to show our true colors and just have to play from the beginning.”
Compton concluded by saying the Aces have to earn the win the next time the two sides square off.
“That’s a veteran team. They’ve been doing that for years. If you make mistakes, they’ll make you pay. We have to find a way to make Rain or Shine take a bunch of tough shots. It’s the finals. You have to earn it. They earned it (in Game 1),” he said.
