Ginebra getting close to top form says LA Tenorio
Barangay Ginebra guard LA Tenorio is convinced he and his fellow Gin Kings are starting to get their acts together with the run-and-gun system of returning coach Ato Agustin.
“Siguro mga nasa 80 percent na kami going to the halfway of the conference,” said the 5-foot-8 Tenorio following their 100-92 victory over expansion club Kia Motors on Friday night in the PBA Commissioners Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. “‘Yun naman talaga ang laro namin. (I think) nakukuha na rin talaga namin.”
After battling stomach flu that forced him to spend the past few days in the hospital, Tenorio still came through with a solid performance with a game-high seven assists aside from 11 points, five rebounds and two steals against a pair of errors in more than 30 minutes of play.
But more than his individual exploits, the former Gilas Pilipinas playmaker also credited the Gin Kings’ collective desire to play lockdown defense, notably in their decisive surge in the payoff canto that allowed them to pull away for good from the upset-conscious Carnival, led by 7-foot-3 Puerto Rican PJ Ramos.
“Nakakapag-fastbreak kami kasi nakakadepensa kami,” stressed Tenorio, aware of their big 16-to-nothing edge in points off transition attacks.
The proud native of Nasugbu, Batangas, however, admitted Kia Motors isn’t a pushover anymore, convinced the Carnival have what it takes to compete even with the pro league’s heavyweight squads.
“Kia is not the same team as last conference. Malaki rin ‘yung import nila. Plus the addition of Leo Avenido. Mark Yee is also playing right now. Malaking morale ang nabibigay nila sa Kia,” he said.
Although they gained a fitting follow-up to their impressive 95-82 victory over reigning Philippine Cup titlist but struggling San Miguel Beer last Sunday and improved their record to an even 2-2, Tenorio still feels they will have their hands full when they take on long-time rival Talk ’N Text this Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“‘Yun talaga ang true test namin,” said Tenorio of the Tropang Texters, who stopped erstwhile rampaging Barako Bull 80-75 earlier in the day and tied their latest victim at third spot with identical 3-1 marks. “It’s always been a hard match-up for us. I think added motivation ‘yung nangyari sa amin last (All-Filipino) conference. Sila ‘yung nag-eliminate sa amin (in the quarterfinals stage). Iba ang nilalaro ng Talk ’N Text ngayon. Nakukuha na nila 'yung sistema ni coach Jong (Uichico) plus their import (Richard Howell) na Best Import pa last season).
“So we just have to play aggressive basketball for 48 minutes. We have to be ready,” Tenorio stressed. “'Yung mga nilaro namin the past few games, I on’t think that’s enough to beat Talk ’N Text. We just have to double our efforts."
