LA Tenorio is the newest member of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, but he isn’t afraid to point out problems with the team this early in his tenure.The spitfire guard, acquired in the offseason in a five-team blockbuster trade, said the team’s sluggish performances after the halftime break is the reason behind the Gin Kings’ three-game slide.
“Problema namin yung third quarter. Doon kami nagiging matamlay. Doon kami napag-iiwanan. Kailangan maglaro kami ng strong third quarter para hindi kami laging naghahabol,” said Tenorio.
Ginebra was outscored by Petron, 26-19, in the third period of the Gin Kings loss last Sunday. In its first defeat at the hands of Meralco, the Bolts outscored Ginebra, 32-21, in the third period.
Curiously, Ginebra edged Barako Bull, 25-20, in the third quarter of their game, although the Energy Colas won the fourth quarter of that game, 24-13, to notch the victory.
But veteran guard Jayjay Helterbrand is not yet ready to push the panic button.
“It’s not about whether there’s something wrong with the team. It’s about the adjustment period. This team is an entirely different team from the previous ones that we have,” Helterbrand told InterAKTV.
“There were a lot of new players, a lot of key additions. We’re all adjusting to one another. We’re still learning one another. But we take this setbacks as valuable lessons and move forward.”
Helterbrand thinks the team hasn’t peaked yet, and he feels comfortable with the present setup of the team despite the consecutive losses.
“I would prefer losing games this early rather than losing games in the latter stretch of the tournament,” said Helterbrand. “Last season, we were winning games in the early stage, but we fell short and failed to make it to the finals of all three conferences.”
-Rey Joble, InterAKTV
