LIKE any other young team, Converge still has a long way to go before being considered as "made."
Coach Franco Atienza acknowledges this while preferring a step-by-step approach towards that ultimate goal, starting with his FiberXers' collision with a skidding NorthPort side Friday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
The Batang Pier want nothing more than to snap out of a four-game slide, improve to 2-4 and from there stoke their drive for inclusion among the top eight teams advancing to the quarterfinals following the 11-game eliminations.
Converge is in a far more comfortable position with a 4-3 slate, but is aching to get back on track following a sorry 66-85 loss to Barangay Ginebra last Saturday to move up from its current sixth-running spot in the standings.
In a way, Atienza welcomes that loss to the Gin Kings even though his team's three-game winning streak was cut short.
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"'Yung mga ganoong laban we could use as we grow as a team, kasi hindi mo makukuha 'yung ganoong atmosphere, pressure, sa ensayo. Makukuha mo lang iyan sa game na makakalaban ka rin ng magaling," Atienza averred.
"We may have lost that game pero for the bigger picture, hopefully, we gained something and that's for us to find out, kung ano na-gain namin come Friday's game," added Atienza.
Better execution is surely something Converge worked on. Against Ginebra, Atienza's crew shot just 25-of-80 from the stripe and committed 18 turnovers that prevented the FiberXers from building up any offensive rhythm.
And when Converge's offense sputtered, so did its defense, as Atienza himself admitted. "Kung naka-put together kami ng two, three straight stops, baka nag-iba complexion ng game na 'yun," he said.
Poor shooting was also NorthPort's dilemma, particularly from the stripes, in its 104-105 heartbreaker to Meralco last week. The Batang Pier actually led by as much as 52-37, but missed a total 16 free throw attempts, including five inside the final minute.
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Now NorthPort has to go into battle without Arvin Tolentino anew since the Best Player in the last Commissioner's Cup continues to be bothered by a right hip flexor issue, marking the fourth time he would be missing a game.
Atienza insists NorthPort cannot be taken for granted. "For sure we will not treat them lightly. Wala namang team sa PBA na you can take lightly. Lahat capable of beating any team," he said.
"So paghahandaan namin," added Atienza. "We went back to the drawing board after last Saturday's game and sana ma-translate namin into game kung anuman 'yung mga adjustments namin." (NC)
