Terrafirma head coach Johnedel Cardel could only concede after seeing his wards on the receiving end of a humiliating beatdown from Bay Area.
The Dyip on Friday suffered a 130-76 blowout at the hands of the guest team, which not only kept the ball club winless in six games in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup but also extended their losing skid to 22.
“Halos dalawang buwan ‘yung tambak,” lamented the seasoned mentor to Tiebreaker Times.
“Talagang masama lahat ang laro.”
The one-sided affair that took place at the Philsports Arena in Pasig actually wrote its place in the PBA’s history books.
According to league stats chief Fidel Mangonon III, Bay Area tallied the biggest winning margin in the last 36 years, or since Shell beat Tanduay, 154-100, back in November 16, 1986 in an Open Conference match.
The 54-point gap, furthermore, is tied for the second all-time biggest win margin in league history. Aside from the aforementioned, UTex is also in the list with its 170-116 victory over Fiberlite way back in September 30, 1976.
The record is 55 points, which was set by UTex as well in July 12, 1980 when it took down Great Taste, 154-99.
Bay Area undeniably was as masterful as those squads from the past, with Andrew Nicholson leading the way with 37 points and 10 rebounds in a performance that saw him score 31 in just the first half alone.
The former NBA cager did star yet again in the win, but the other Dragons stepped up as well. Bench guys such as Zheng Qilong and Song Jianhua finished with 17 and 15 markers, respectively.
Brian Goorjian’s wards, as a whole, shot 58.2-percent from the floor, including 42.5-percent from beyond the arc as they nailed 17 three-pointers.
(C) PBA Images
“Malakas talaga tong Bay Area Dragons na ‘to,” Cardel said. “Malalaking mama ‘to. And they’re playing good basketball talaga, international basketball level.
“‘Yung mga players, talagang na-intimidate sa laki nila … lahat pinasok nila. Wala na kaming magagawa roon,” added the former cager.
While Bay Area had itself quite a day, the same definitely can’t be said about Terrafirma. It only converted 29 of its 89 attempts from the field, with Juami Tiongson (21) and Lester Prosper (18) the only double-digit scorers.
“Parang miserable ‘yung ring sa amin,” said Cardel, whose team was shooting 41-percent prior to Friday.
“‘Di makakita ng ring ‘yung mga players.”
But like what he usually does, Cardel refuses to make any excuse whatsoever and even took accountability for the harrowing loss his crew absorbed.
And there’s also no room to cry over spilled milk, as the 52-year-old would want his wards to turn their attention on next Friday against Ginebra.
“As the coach of the team, kahit ganun nangyari, even if we lost by that big, I’ll try to push them and pagsabihan sila na nakakahiya tayo,” said Cardel.
“It’s a very big lesson sa amin, itong nangyaring ‘to.”
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