It’s going to be another Manila Clasico this coming Friday for LA Tenorio, but the Magnolia chief mentor isn’t one to get caught up with the hype whatsoever.
While it will be his second time in a row figuring in another battle against Tim Cone and his former team, the young coach is choosing to focus on his own Hotshots and on finding ways to better their PBA Commissioner’s Cup campaign.
“Manila Clasico, it’s a big game for the PBA, for the fans, but overall as a team we are really focusing on the things that we want to worry about, the things that we need to get better,” said the 41-year-old.
“‘Yun ang importante sa amin.”
Tenorio said as much after their 85-70 win over Terrafirma Tuesday, the team’s second in a row after a string of losses to start the midseason joust.
With new import Clint Chapman leading the way once more, and with the vets showing up as well, the traditional contenders have continued the turnaround, although the former star PG turned mentor remains hardly satisfied.
“We’ll be ready also not because it’s Ginebra, and Manila Clasico, but because we need to get ready because we’re still below .500 in the standings,” pointed out the former star PG as they’ve only hiked their record to 2-3.
Needless to say, the Hotshots will even their record, and the crew will try to do just that against his ex-team, which Tenorio himself knows would be easier said than done, knowing that they’re set to face a team bent on bouncing back.
It could be recalled that the Kings are coming off an 85-82 defeat at the hands of San Miguel, in which they lost hold of a lead as big as 15 points and went on to yield to a lethal Don Trollano corner three-pointer in the dying seconds.
The former ‘Gineral’ knows so well how much his long-time mentor wants to get back on track coming off losses, and he’s bracing his men for that.
Add to that the added motivation on the part of Cone and his charges to go above .500 themselves, as they fell to 2-2 following that collapse.
“I know Ginebra will be ready after the bad loss last game. I know Coach Tim, he’s gonna make his team ready going into Friday’s game,” he said.
But then again, their attention isn’t just about what the other team would do but on their very own selves, especially now that they remain in the process of adapting to the new scheme of things being implemented by Tenorio.
“Yes, it’s Manila Clasico, it’s big, probably bigger than any of the normal games, but I’m not worried about that. I’m worried about us, how we will play on Friday, and then after Friday. ‘Yun lang yung importante sa akin ngayon,” he said.
