By noli cruz
HONG KONG — Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals coach Derick Pumaren is right when he said defense would key their success in the Gran Matador Brandy 2006 PBA Philippine Cup. Lack of it led to their fall in their first two games.
"We have plenty of scorers in the team," he said before starting their campaign in the all-Filipino tournament. "Defense ang kailangan naming i-improve."
Barangay Ginebra Kings gunner Mark Caguioa and the offensive-minded Air21 Express underlined Pumaren’s initial thought about his new team.
Caguioa fired a personal season-high 39 points and the Express tallied a conference-high 105 against the Phone Pals.
The Phone Pals will try to address their defensive problems when they go up against the Purefoods Chunkee Giants today at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium here.
This would only be the second time the league holds an official game outside of the Philippines.
The first happened last year in Jakarta, Indonesia where the Phone Pals clobbered the Shell Turbo Chargers.
Offense is never a problem for the team of three former MVPs – Vergel Meneses, Willie Miller and Asi Taulava. They can connect everywhere.
The Phone Pals have deadly shooters in Jimmy Alapag and Miller and inside monsters in Taulava and Harvey Carey. They can even connect outside of the playing court, thanks to the excellent roaming service of their mother network.
Miller had 25 points in their first game while Alapag accounted for 30 and 11 assists in their second game, underscoring the explosiveness of the Phone Pals’ backcourt.
Taulava, on the other hand, had double-double numbers on both occasions to show the way in the frontline. But the nagging question remains.
Can they limit the production of their counterparts?
Meanwhile, the San Miguel Beermen eye their third straight win and a share of the lead as they face the undefeated Coca-Cola Tigers in the front end of the usual weekend doubleheader at the Araneta Coliseum.
The second game pits the Alaska Aces and the Air21 Express, teams sporting similar 1-2 cards. With Danny Seigle back on his old deadly form, the Beermen clustered two straight wins after losing their opener. Seigle is averaging almost 23 points in three games.
The Tigers are more impressive, winning their first three games to seize early lead in the tournament.
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