The Aces were on the verge of winning Game 2 of the PBA Governors’ Cup finals before the Beermen seized control towards the end, thanks to triples from Marcio Lassiter.
The Beermen won 103-95 to extend their series lead to 2-0 and left the Aces in disbelief, and Beermen head coach Leo Austria even called him the league’s top shooter.
Here are more thoughts from the squads’ head coaches:
Leo Austria
On what the Game 2 win means: “It is a nice game for us. We thought na matatalo na kami because of the adjustment they made. They tried to limit AZ’s production from the mid-post, doubling him to kick out. Fortunately, we had Marcio at the corner and June Mar at the post. I am happy to have a game like this because this is what we need heading into the third or fourth game. We were struggling up to the last five minutes of the fourth quarter and I am glad yung composure nila hindi nawala. Na-maximize namin every possession.”
On execution in the end game: “The last four plays are for Marcio just in case there is no option for June Mar and AZ off the pick and roll. They tried to defend (AZ) and forgot we had Marcio at the corner. This is the game ipinakita ni Marcio that he is really the PBA’s top shooter right now.”
On being wary of Alaska’s series comeback: “Their shooters are not visible yet, so anytime they can explode. We will do everything for us to win. But we have to keep monitoring what kind of adjustments they are doing.”
On whether he thinks AZ Reid is motivated after losing Best Import: “Before the awarding, we know manalo siya or hindi, what is important for him is to win the championship. I think it is more important than the Best Import award.”
On mindset in the next games: “It needs four wins to win a championship. There is no reason for us para magrelax. We have to be consistent in what we are doing. Later on, pakikinabangan nila ang ginagawa namin. Every game is important for us.”
Alex Compton
On problems defensively: “This is what causes me sleepless nights. The dilemma we have is the most dominant local in the game, June Mar Fajardo, requires attention. He is great. AZ Reid is an incredible scorer. You got those guys, it is a nice combination and it causes us problems. I think I did not give my guys enough options against those ball screens.”
On losing towards the end of Game 2: “I think generally we played Alaska basketball. We grinded it out but they exploded for 25 in six minutes. That is a problem. 25 in a quarter for us is high. We did a better job on the glass today because we didn’t get dominated. I don’t know the stats in the last half but we had shots that we didn’t make, which will happen sometimes. I was not able to equip them with variety on defense.”
