The Titan Ultra Giant Risers notched their second win this PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday with a convincing 97-86 victory over the Blackwater Bossing at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. That win hiked the Giant Risers’ record to 2-4—or just a game behind Barangay Ginebra San Miguel for eighth place in the standings.
Deep down, though, the Giant Risers know they should’ve been 3-3, not 2-4, after letting what looked like a sure win against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters slip by them. Lots of blame was on Joshua Munzon, whose foul on Anton Asistio at the four-point arc sent the Rain or Shine guard to the line for the game-winning freebies.
But even before that fateful boo-boo, the Giant Risers had already been shooting themselves in the foot. Up 97-84 at the eight-minute mark of the fourth, Johnedel Cardel’s wards looked primed for another gigantic upset, having played superbly in the first three quarters. Then, the Giant Risers started missing shots. They failed to execute and kept turning the ball over. In other words, they allowed the Elasto Painters to climb back from being down—slowly but surely.
Titan Ultra Gets a Long Break—and the Chance for Some Soul-Searching
That loss to Rain or Shine was surely deflating, especially for a team trying to prove it belongs. But, as fate would have it, Titan Ultra would get two full weeks to get over that stinging defeat. And, according to Fran Yu and Coach Cardel himself, the Giant Risers made full use of that break to do some soul-searching.
“After nung game last time, nagkaroon kami ng parang get-together bago kami mag-break,” Yu shared to the media after Titan Ultra’s bounce-back win over Phoenix. “Sinabi ng mga coaches and management na kalimutan na ‘yun kasi mahaba pa naman ‘yung season. Pagbalik namin nung [November] 2, nag-prepare kami ng maayos para hindi na maulit ‘yung ganung breakdown sa fourth quarter.”
Cardel concurred, noting how he made a conscious decision to give his players more time to process things and to make that loss a teachable moment.
“‘Yung nangyari sa ‘min against Rain or Shine medyo mahaba namin pinag-isipan. I gave them a long break, like four days, and sabi ko sa kanila na nangyayari talaga ‘yan,” Cardel said. “Instead of pagalitan ko sila, sinabi ko na lang na [part ‘yun] ng pagiging isang team, dadaan talaga sa ganyan. So, we learn from that mistake na ‘wag mangyari ‘yun ulit…”
Now, if Titan Ultra’s first game back since that Rain or Shine debacle is any indication, it looks like the Giant Risers got the message loud and clear.
