It appears the Meralco Bolts have learned their lesson, pulling out a wire-to-wire 118-105 victory over the Titan Ultra Giant Risers on Sunday—just a day after falling to the importless Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Friday.
According to main gunner CJ Cansino, that loss to Rain or Shine humbled him and the Bolts, mostly because they didn’t give all-out effort in that surprising reversal. That’s why he and his teammates have vowed to avoid bringing that same lackadaisical approach moving forward.
“Bumalik kami sa viewing namin and nakita namin na talagang hindi kami nagbigay ng 100% effort dun sa laban namin against Rain or Shine,” Cansino admitted. “Talagang nag-usap-usap kami after ng game na ‘yun na hindi pwedeng ganun pa rin kami maglaro sa mga upcoming games. ‘Yun ‘yung naging motivation namin, and kasi nagising rin kami sa game na ‘yun dahil coming from 2-0, na-humble kami sa game na ‘yun na hindi pwedeng ganun…”
Cansino Echoes Meralco Coach Luigi Trillo
Incidentally, Cansino’s admission closely echoes what Meralco coach Luigi Trillo already said in the aftermath of that Rain or Shine loss: just showing up won’t cut it.
“We did not do well. When you gave 29 and 31 points in the first and fourth quarter, I’m a defensive coach, and I think our identity is defense. So, play with fire and you get burned,” said Trillo. “You just can’t come in there and just play basketball and have fun. You have to know your opponent and take away their strength.”
The Bolts didn’t play with fire on Sunday—at least for the first 36 minutes. In that time, Meralco held the Giant Risers to just 65 points in the first three quarters while firing 89 of its own. However, Cansino and company gave up 40 to Titan Ultra in the final quarter to make things a bit more interesting.
That last-quarter fightback should serve as another important reminder to the Bolts: They still have a lot to work on.
