Purefoods hinges title defense on renewed defensive energy with Blakely

Foiled the last time out, Purefoods Star coach Tim Cone already knows what the Hotshots need to focus on if they intend to get back on the top.

“If we want to get to the mountain-top, we need to do it defensively,” he stressed, visibly pleased with Purefoods Star’s sustained defensive stance in its smashing 83-70 victory over upstart GlobalPort on Friday night, successfully opening its title-retention bid in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Fired-up following their stunning exit in the Philippine Cup where they fell prey to the Meralco Bolts in the opening phase of the quarterfinals, the Hotshots made life miserable for the Batang Pier throughout, their defense in full display during a decisive 16-to-nothing breakaway in the third canto that enabled them to turn a tight contest into a virtual cruise.

Standing tall in their unforgiving defense during that five-minute spectacle on both ends was do-it-all import Marqus Blakely, who swatted four attempts to finish with a conference-best of seven blocks aside from collecting 26 points, 19 rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 35 minutes of dominant play.

Although standing a mere 6-foot-5 and giving up practically four inches against GlobalPort counterpart CJ Leslie, Blakely, the reigning Governors' Cup Best Import awardee, proved he can still hold the fort in the lane while temporarily filling up the role of Purefoods Star’s preferred import Daniel Orton, who is close to finishing his commitments with the Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association.

"Marqus comes in for us and he’s like a warm blanket for us,” beamed Cone. "We know what to do with him. It’s kind of an advantage that he plays like a 6-foot-9 in terms of rebounding. He has seven blocks tonight and it shows what kind of a person and an athlete he is.”

Also playing a key role in their ninth straight victory over the Batang Pier was energetic forward Marc Pingris, who played through a nagging back and put the clamps down on Leslie, who finished with a team-high 25 points but was virtually absent in the face of the Hotshots’ ferocious attack in the third canto.

“Ping was not supposed to play. But he came up to me and told me ‘Coach, can I try (to play and defend Leslie)?’ And he did a spectacular job in guarding their import. He’s one of the best in guarding imports and it’s nice to have him back,” shared Cone.

GlobalPort guards Terrence Romeo (19 points) and Denok Miranda (10) scored in double figures but the rest of the Batang Pier struggled from the field, notably in the third where they could only come up with 10 markers. Overall, they shot a paltry 27-of-78 (35 percent) from the field, a far cry from their sizzling 50 percent shooting clip in their opening-day 100-89 victory against the Kia Carnival four days ago.

Despite the absence of top guard PJ Simon and key reserve Ian Sangalang, Cone could not help but beamed with his wards’ immediate response to the defensive challenge, something they failed to do last conference. "I think we failed last conference defensively.  We didn’t have that hunger and intensity on the defensive side,” pointed out the two-time Grand Slam coach.

With an expected matchup ahead against his former team Alaska on Tuesday, Cone is also sweating on the fitness of Blakely, who apparently dislocated his left shoulder in the early goings against the Batang Pier and is likely to be evaluated closely by team doctors.

However, Blakely, a former University of Vermont standout, is already looking forward to their anticipated clash with the Aces, the Philippine Cup runners-up who will parade Virginia Military Institute’s DJ Covington.
"We know it’s gonna be physical. But it’s a good test for us I guess. We know how tough they are, how talented they are just like what they have shown in the All-Filipino,” tressed Blakely. "We just have to buckle down in practice and get ready and have us all in one page."

Even Cone echoed Blakely’s observation, saying: "We’re playing a very energized team. It’s harder play the runners-up than the champions. They are motivated, ready and want to prove themselves. They are still the toughest guys to play."