THE break that the Commissioner’s Cup of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) took to give way to the recently concluded Southeast Asian Basketball (SEABA) Championships allowed the teams to recharge and further sharpen their arsenals heading into the crucial stages of the tournament.
One of the teams that may have benefited from the week-long break is the Alaska Aces, who have struggled lately after starting the mid-season tournament strong.
The Aces have lost their last three games after opening their campaign with four straight wins.
Alaska’s veteran Cebuano guard Dondon Hontiveros said the break gave the Aces precious time to make the necessary adjustments.
“For us to experience these struggles in the middle of the tournament means we have a lot of things to work on. Having more practice time heading to a four-game stretch from May 20-31 before the playoffs helps,” Hontiveros told Cebu Daily News.
The string of losses pulled Alaska down to the sixth spot after taking the number one spot at one point in the tournament.
“We have to get better defensively. I think, we rank last or second to the last in defense. We allow teams to shoot at a high field goal percentage,” said Hontiveros.
Alaska looks to arrest its slide when it faces TNT Ka Tropa in an out-of-town game today at the Ibalong Recreation Center in Legazpi City.Coming off a 97-107 loss to the Star Hotshots, TNT is slightly ahead of Alaska in the team standings, occupying the fifth spot with a 6-3 (win-loss) record.