Bolts get new weapons for
Finals trilogy with Ginebra
Meralco has already lost twice to Barangay Ginebra in the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals.
The Bolts were denied in 2016 after “The Shot” by Justin Brownlee in Game 6.
Meralco lost in 2017 in front of a record crowd at the Philippine Arena for Game 7.
As the Bolts get another shot in the 2019 Finals, they’re bringing key backups with Raymond Almazan, Allein Maliksi, and rookie Bong Quinto.
“Sa dalawang Finals nila, wala silang big man. Nandito na ako ngayon so medyo madali ‘yung trabaho sa amin,” Raymond Almazan said.
Almazan also has some personal goals in the upcoming series as his last Finals stint was with Rain or Shine three years ago. He’s raring to go.
“Sana makabawi ako sa Finals. Hindi ko iniisip ‘yung semis kasi panalo naman kami. Sobrang tagal ko na [huling] nag-Finals, 2016, so very excited ako,” he added.
Another guy raring to go in the upcoming Finals is Allein Maliksi.
Allein’s last Finals was five years ago when he won a Grand Slam with San Mig Coffee. When he was traded to the Bolts earlier this conference, Maliksi wanted a shot at a title.
He’s got one now.
“S’yempre gusto ko ‘yung chance namin na ‘yan,” Maliksi said.
“May katulong na si AD, may katulong na si Baser. Kailangan namin maka-prepare ng maigi, makapag-adjust pa kaming mga bago na part sa Finals,” he added.
Ahead of the Finals, head coach Norman Black will be looking at his new trio to help make a difference for Meralco.
“Obviously Almazan, Maliksi and Quinto have added to our depth compared to when we faced Ginebra in the past. They’ve made us a better team,” he said. (sports.abs-cbn.com)
