NLEX head coach Frankie Lim was very much pleased with how the Road Warriors played on both ends against Magnolia although he was also quick to play down the achievement especially that the last conference’s bridesmaid finishers were far from their top form.

Even with the resounding win, Lim said it would be hard to take the game as a gauge on how the Road Warriors would actually fare against the other league contenders.

For one, Magnolia, a team which made the finals of the last conference behind its signature defense, was without two of its defensive linchpins in Rome Dela Rosa and Calvin Abueva, as well as knockdown three-point shooter Aris Dionisio.

“Mahirap magsalita kasi undermanned sila. Wala si Rome defensive player. Wala si Abueva, another defensive player, and Dionisio who is their three-point shooter. So malaking bagay,” said Lim after the 87-74 win over Magnolia.

Still, that couldn’t take anything away from NLEX as it was still a great win for the team according to Lim. The veteran mentor said his wards did not lose their sharpness despite the long break especially on the defensive end.

“Malaking bagay din yung depleted yung lineup ni Magnolia but my guys played well offensively and defensively. They stuck to the game plan and I am just happy it worked well,” said Lim.

“Our defense did well against their small guys namely Lee, Barocca and Jalalon and I just felt that all the practices we had in the past week did us well tonight,” he stressed.

While their defense held up against Magnolia’ backcourt trio, Robert Bolick and Tony Semerad took care of the offense for the team. Bolick had 26 points and nine assists while Semerad finished with 22 points built on five days.

“We were just lucky to make our shots  and that gave a lot of confidence sa mga players namin and syempre mas mataas ang confidence level nila when they know that our game plan is working,” he added.