Jason Perkins said that he didn’t change anything in his role on offense when Vic Manuel arrived at Phoenix Super LPG.
The 34-year-old star came aboard following a blockbuster trade with Alaska last February, indeed a welcome addition to a Fuel Masters team that was just coming off a remarkable run in last year’s Philippine Cup bubble in Clark.
Some, though, wondered how he would fit into a frontline led by the fourth-year bruiser and Justin Chua, both of whom were key cogs in the previous all-Filipino wars that saw them reach the semis for the second straight season.
But then, it’s hardly an issue for Perkins. “I mean, I can play whatever. I’m not looking at stats. I just do whatever the team needs. I can also play the wing out before, but Vic wasn’t there. And I didn’t need to because I was inside.
“I mean, regardless, we’re also playing basketball within our offense, we don’t really have positions. We play positionless basketball,” furthered the former Rookie of the Year.
“Regardless, we play the same thing.”
That was evident Thursday. Phoenix burst the bubble of Terrafirma through a 96-84 win, and the two bigs spearheaded the assault.
Photo by PBA Images
Perkins powered the Fuel Masters with a season-high 28 points, 20 of which he made in the first half alone. He shot 58-percent from the floor and also had four rebounds and the same number of assists against zero turnovers.
The De La Salle product had nine in the opening frame, including the first basket that started an 11-0 run for his side.
And when the Dyip attempted to come back, Manuel was there to halt their plans. He scored nine of his 18 points in the final period, sparking a 15-3 run. That propelled his crew to an 84-67 lead with less than eight minutes left.
For Perkins, who was averaging 12.6 points prior, the execution was key in Phoenix’s performance that enabled them to get their third win.
“We’re just executing, playing basketball as we do,” he said.
“Moving the ball around, executing and passing the ball to the open man.”
