Instead of feeling animosity, Romeo Travis was glad to step on the court and face his former team, the Alaska Aces, on Sunday night.
It was a reunion between Travis and the Milkmen that took three years to happen, since they went to war together that was the 2015 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals, where they lost to AZ Reid and the San Miguel Beermen via sweep.
“I was talking to them the past three years when I wasn’t here and it’s been pretty cool. It’s pretty cool to play against my guys,” said Travis, who also won the Best Import award when he played for the storied Alaska franchise.
“I know Vic’s (Manuel) not gonna undercut me or not gonna try to me hit in the head or something like that. And Chris (Banchero) knows that when if he’s on a fastbreak, I’m not gonna try to take his head off,” quipped the journeyman.
“Just because you know, we have a really good relationship.”
But as much as he’s delighted to see the players he still considers his brothers up to now, Travis did not forget the task at hand. He had 19 points and 17 rebounds to lead his Magnolia Hotshots to the 83-73 conquest of the Aces.
“Just great team basketball, you know. Cant’ play for just one guy in our team. Just keep playing great team basketball. That’s what we’re doing, that’s what we built,” Travis said.
“We’re a very deep team so it’s very hard to focus just on one guy.”
With Sunday’s win, the Hotshots have extended their winning streak to five, making them the hottest team in the conference right now. Given that, their chances of securing a twice-to-beat advantage have improved.
But Travis isn’t looking that far ahead.
“We just look at it one game at a time. We’re playing Meralco on Friday and that’s what we’re about right now. If you start thinking about twice-to-beat and positioning and things like that, you gonna stumble,” he warned.
“We gonna stumble so we just wanna focus one one game at a time and right now, that’s Meralco.”
