ADONIS TIERRA will be on NLEX’s hot seat for the second straight game as the Road Warriors go for back-to-back victories against the Blackwater Bossing in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Sitting as interim coach as newly-appointed head coach Frankie Lim serves a suspension he incurred seven years ago, Tierra and the Road Warriors take the floor against the Bossing at 3 p.m.
Tierra made a good account of his coaching abilities when he steered NLEX past Rain or Shine, 96-90, in an anticipated showdown between the Manuel V. Pangilinan franchise and its former head coach, Yeng Guiao.
The bond between coach and players was stuck like glue that in the pre-game shootout, the Road Warriors approached Guiao in the Rain or Shine bench to show respect to their former taskmaster.
But a game is a game and they had jobs to do. And the result was a come-from-behind win for the Road Warriors and a stinging setback for Guiao.
Import Earl Clark was a former Phoenix Sun, Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavalier for nothing and posted 26 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks in his PBA debut.
“Phoenix is going to be a tough adversary to deal with. They played great after losing their opening game,” said Tierra, adding that he’s implementing Lim’s game plan for a fast-paced and half-court setup. “We just have to keep playing better.”
Lim was an assistant coach at Barangay Ginebra San Miguel when he had a physical confrontation with Calvin Abueva, who was then with Alaska in the 2015 Governors Cup and was slapped a one-game suspension. He was immediately dropped by Ginebra and no longer served the ban.
But Commissioner Willie Marcial opted to serve Lim the penalty “in deference with the then Commissioner’s Office decision” at the time of the offense.
Blackwater recovered from an 87-133 opening day rout at the hands of guest team Hong Kong Bay Area Dragons by beating Phoenix, 97-85, last Saturday for a 1-1 record.
Blackwater import Cameron Krutwig had 17 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists against the Fuel Masters.
Meralco, meanwhile, starts its campaign in the import-laden conference when it meets NorthPort at 5:45 p.m. The Bolts have another National Basketball Association veteran, 6-foot-9 Johnny O’ Bryant, as import.
Meralco coach Norman Black expects O’ Bryant to make a difference.
“We just want to get a solid player, somebody who we know is good offensively and defensively and who can rebound,” Black said. “We want a guy who also plays inside the paint because that’s our weakness.”
With defensive-minded import Prince Ibeh around, the Batang Pier are expected to rely on the offensive game of Robert Bolick, Arvin Tolentino and Roi Sumang to bounce back from a narrow 105-104 defeat to the Dragons.
NorthPort is also sporting a 1-1 card.