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Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio admitted the wear-and-tear
for playing long minutes has taken its toll on his two
superstars—James Yap and Kerby Raymundo.
Apparently, the state of health of his 1-2 punch has
contributed to the Giants’ continuing struggle in the
2008 Smart-Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Cup.
With a
bench that is not considered that deep, Gregorio is
forced to rely on his two stars to carry the load most
of the time.
“We
simply can’t get into a good grove. We can’t get into a
good rhythm. James and Kerby have been playing too long
and too hard and it’s beginning to take its toll on
them…mentally and in their legs,” Gregorio said.
Purefoods’s campaign in the league’s season-ending
conference has been an up-and-down, roller-coaster ride,
but it did little to shutter the hopes of Gregorio and
his struggling troops.
“Its not
gonna be for a long time that we’ll be languishing in
the lower half of the standings,” the Purefoods coach
proclaimed moments after the Giants escaped with a 93-91
decision over the Red Bull Barakos, who currently tied
for first place with Coca-Cola and Air21.
Certainly, it’s not far-fetched.
As has
been the case the past few games, the result of one game
can drastically alter the standings. With eights teams
practically in a neck-and-neck battle for a spot in the
top five, just about anything can happen.
Sunday’s
victory improved the Giants record to 7-8, just two
games behind the leaders and a fighting chance to make
the cut for an outright spot in the playoffs.
“The
best streak we had this conference is a two-game winning
streak. After that, it’s been an up-and-down,
roller-coaster ride for us. I hope this one [win over
Red Bull] will creates a little streak for us,” Gregorio
said.
Up next
for the Giants are the free-falling Talk ’N Text Phone
Pals on Friday. After that, they face the Sta. Lucia
Realtors, another skidding club, on June 27, before
winding their elimination-round campaign against the
Express on July 2.
“We are
determined to make a difference in the next three games
and, hopefully, that will propel us to the next level.
For as long as we stay together, for as long as we are
determined and for as long as we can wield ourselves to
victory, who knows, we could be in the top five,”
Gregorio offered.
But for
now, Gregorio and his troops are taking a well-deserved
rest.
“Hopefully, the seven-day break will enable James and
Kerby to recover and reenergized their banged-up
bodies,” Gregorio said. |
