A miracle of some sorts is what NLEX head coach Yeng Guiao hopes for as he wishes to have a complete and healthy lineup at his disposal sooner, now that the team has secured a spot in the 2022 PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.
The Road Warriors are still missing the services of three key players, namely Calvin Oftana, Tony Semerad, and Michael Miranda due to injuries.
Though there’s optimism that Miranda could go back, the same could not be said about the other two, which both got hurt in their match versus Meralco last February 11 that saw them yield to a 100-110 defeat.
Oftana suffered a fractured ring finger and was ruled out for six weeks. Semerad, on the other hand, suffered a strained calf.
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It isn’t lost on Guiao that it will be hard to have them on board as soon as possible, but as they say, hope springs eternal.
“I’m hoping may milagro, makabalik sila,” he said. “Kasi nasa quarterfinals kami. Kailangang-kailangan namin sila. But medyo malabo. Maybe Mike Miranda can come back, but I don’t think Calvin or Tony can make it.
“But we will still try. We will still try,” he continued.
“We have good physical therapists, we have good doctors, so we’ll see if they can still help us out in the playoffs. Pero ano pa rin, worried pa rin ako.”
NLEX has played three games so far without the aforementioned, including Wednesday when it beat Alaska, 106-89, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo to collect its sixth win — and to clinch a spot in the next round.
The champion mentor expressed satisfaction with how the Road Warriors have responded even without some of the key pieces of their rotation.
Well, since that loss to the Bolts, they have now won twice in a row, hiking their record to 6-3 to sit at third in the team standings.
“I’m satisfied. We lost, actually, three key players — Mike Miranda, Tony Semerad, and Calvin Oftana. And yet we’re able to compensate for their losses. Malaking bagay para sa amin ‘yun,” Guiao said.
“These are key players, and I was worried when we lost them, especially si Tony at tsaka si Calvin. Sabay pa namin nawala, so I was really worried. But the guys are stepping up,” he added.
But then again, if there’s any way for NLEX to welcome back the injured ones, Guiao and Co. will definitely take it.
“Today, we just had a good game. What if we did not shoot that well?” he said as NLEX shot 40-percent from the floor versus the Aces, including seven of their 13 triples in the opening frame that set the tone for the rout.
“What if… Players get their bad nights, so kakailanganin talaga namin every player on our bench, especially those guys that we lost. So, ‘yun. I’m still worried about them not being able to play for us, especially in the playoffs.”
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