NLEX head coach Yeng Guiao felt relieved when the Road Warriors finally made it into the win column of the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Wednesday.
After starting the mid-season conference with six straight losses, NLEX earned their first triumph after defeating Meralco Bolts, 100-91. They did, however, have to avert a 23-point meltdown before walking away with the win.
“We’ve been waiting for this for quite a long time.
“In the fourth quarter, I guess [the players] relaxed a little bit and they were able to come close to us. Pero the important thing is we had one win at this point,” Guiao shared.
Guiao lauded his players – particularly Tony Mitchell and new guy Jericho Cruz – for delivering the goods in the win.
Mitchell powered the Road Warriors with 32 points, 20 rebounds, four assists, and a block in nearly 37 minutes of action. Meanwhile, Cruz provided 16 points, six assists, three rebounds, and a steal coming off the bench.
“I felt that Tony Mitchell played his best game so far for us today. I’m really happy for Jericho because he’s getting his confidence, he’s getting his groove, and we’re trying to accelerate that as much as we can,” Guiao said.
With Wednesday night’s win, the Road Warriors have given their playoff chances a boost. The best win-loss record they can attain is 5-6, but they can still qualify with that slate – or at least earn a chance at the next round.
Guiao knows that it won’t be easy. Still, they’re using it as motivation to play better in their remaining assignments.
“We have four games left. Of course, there’s still a mathematical chance that we can make the next round. Kahit papaano, that’s something for us to chase. But of course, the probabilities or the possibility is not that good,” he said.
“But again, we’d like to look at our chances as something to motivate us still even at this point.”
