The Converge FiberXers secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the PBA Governors’ Cup on Sunday after a 152–119 victory over the Titan Ultra Giant Risers. And with the playoff berth secured already, team veteran Alec Stockton is looking to change the narrative that the FiberXers are playoff chokers.
Must Have the Mindset of a ‘Veteran Boxer’
Stockton finished with 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists against the Giant Risers. And, after the game, the sixth-year guard explained to Rebanse that Converge must adopt the mindset of a “veteran boxer” as they enter the quarterfinals if they want the results to go their way.
“Just put more emphasis on the smaller details moving towards the end. Right now we need to have a mindset of a ‘veteran boxer’,” he said. “We’re not tryna knock out in the first round, not tryna get a knockout in the first round, but as we get or try to get into those 12 rounds, we’re well conditioned, we’re well oiled.”
The FiberXers have made the quarterfinals consistently since Season 49 but missed the bus last conference to end their streak of four consecutive conferences with quarterfinal appearances. That’s also as far as Converge has gone, leading to the perception that it chokes when the games matter most. Stockton is well aware of this narrative.
“We know what to do already, so at this point we’ve gotten so many heartbreaks, being knocked out so many times, so I guess those experiences have piled up. At this point, we tryna make sure we don’t give it up at this time around,” he added.
Stockton isn’t the only one with so many heartbreaks. There’s also Justin Arana and Justine Baltazar, both of whom have never gotten past the quarters.
Overcoming the Quarterfinals Hump
With a quarters spot already secured, Converge can start looking ahead somewhat, although the final seedings have yet to be determined. As of this writing, seeds 1 through 4 are still at play in Group A, and the FiberXers still have a very slim chance of maybe even getting the top seed depending on the results of the other games.
What’s final, though, is that Converge controls its destiny. And whatever seed the Purple Nation ends up at, best believe that Stockton, Arana, and company will use those past heartbreaks as fuel to finally get over that quarterfinals hump.
