Kobe Paras admitted that he could not follow Niigata’s game plan in their second game against San-En on Sunday.
The 24-year-old winger lauded his teammates for Albirex’s spirited rally. Still, he was hard on himself afterwards.
“My teammates did a great job today, but personally, I was not able to follow the team’s plan and looked for my shot,” said the 6-foot-6 product of University of the Philippines.
Coming in the game, Paras was averaging 18.7 points on 45.7-percent shooting from the field, 42.1-percent from downtown. He also had 2.0 assists against 1.0 turnovers.
Against NeoPhoenix, however, Paras went just 4-of-13 from the field, 0-of-4 from distance for 11 points. He also had four turnovers and three assists in a foul-plagued outing.
But despite the struggles of Paras and going down 61-50 early in the final stanza, Albirex still put up a fight against the hosts.
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“The players fought for 40 minutes,” lauded Albirex head coach Fujitaka Hiraoka after their 82-85 loss. ” I think that our turnovers and defensive lapses during the crucial parts of the game took their toll on us.
“I am still proud of our players who did not give up in the end.”
Still, Paras is grateful for a chance to face off against his good pal Thirdy Ravena, who had 13 points, nine rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block during their series-evening win.
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“I’m very happy to play against my best friend Thirdy and I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity,” said Paras.
Next weekend, Paras and Niigata will head to Hokkaido to take on the 0-4 Levanga. And they hope to get their first weekend sweep of the season during that series.
“We will watch the video on the games and make the necessary adjustments,” closed Paras.
