Having played for the Blackwater Elite franchise for four years, Poy Erram admitted that it was weird being on the other side.
Erram faced his former team for the first time on Sunday evening at SMART Araneta Coliseum, or since being traded to the NLEX Road Warriors back in December 2018 in exchange for rookies Abu Tratter and Paul Desiderio.
“Oo nakakapanibago, kasi kasama mo sila for how many years, ‘di ba? Tapos makakalaban mo,” said the 6-foot-7 center out of Ateneo, who had been with Blackwater when they joined the league back in 2014 as an expansion team.
“Parang unusual din.”
But that feeling subsided once they all set foot on the hardwood. Erram even played as if shipping him away had been a bad choice, producing 20 points and 10 rebounds to help NLEX to a resounding 122-101 victory.
“Wala naman na, neutral lang. Kasi trabaho ‘to eh, it’s either you win or you lose. Nanalo kami so maganda sa side namin,” he said.“Part lang ng trabaho yun, kailangan move on.
“Focus ka sa ginagawa mo and sa nasa harap mo.”
The Road Warriors have now won their second win in a row to go 4-5, and have improved their chances for the playoffs. Currently, they have climbed up the team standings to the seventh spot, as they have overtaken the Columbian Dyip.
NLEX will have to win their last two matches to secure their spot in the next round. It will not be a walk in the park, however, as they have the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the Magnolia Hotshots waiting for them.
Erram knows there will be tough challenges ahead, but he’s confident with their chances as long as they keep playing defense.
“Basta we continue to play defense, yun ang importante sa’min,” said the five-year pro. “Kailangan namin dumipensa, kailangan namin magsipag.
“Kasi ‘pag hindi kami dumidipensa, mahihirapan kami sa opensa.”
