Despite punching a ticket to the semifinals of the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup, Phoenix’s mission is still far from done.
Fuel Masters head coach Jamike Jarin said they will keep on working in a bid to make their first finals appearance since taking over the Barako Bull franchise in 2016.
Jarin said they still made some mistakes despite booking an 88-84 win over Meralco in their quarterfinal showdown last Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“We’re a young team so we’re allowed to make mistakes. One is enough, two is too much, three cannot be,” said Jarin, who drew 21 points and 16 rebounds from import Johnathan Williams.
“These are the games that make you mature and these are the experiences that you will gain in these types of games. Experience is the best teacher.”
Phoenix, which last advanced to the semifinals in the Philippine Cup in 2020, started out strong as it posted eight wins in 11 games in the elimination round of the season-opening conference.
Armed with a superior quotient, the Fuel Masters were given the twice-to-beat advantage against the Bolts in the quarterfinals.
But making it to the next round wasn’t easy.
Phoenix failed to capitalize its momentum, leading to a tough 107-116 loss to the Bolts in a triple-overtime quarterfinal encounter last Wednesday.
Fortunately for them, Williams restored order as he led the Fuel Masters back to the semifinals after a four-year absence.
Waiting for the Fuel Masters is the red-hot Magnolia, which emerged as the top seed in the post-season after winning nine of their 11 matches in the elimination round. Game 1 of their best-of-five seminal encounter starts on Wednesday also at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Jarin admitted that making it to the finals will not be easy, but they will work hard to inch closer to their first ever PBA crown.
“They (Magnolia) are considered the favorites before the conference started so we have our hands full,” Jarin said.
“We’re not supposed to be here. Nobody predicted that we’d be in the top four. We’re just happy to make it to the semifinals and we’ll continue to work harder, and hopefully, things will continue to fall our way.”
