ANTIPOLO – After Converge FiberXers saw their winning streak come to an end on Wednesday, head coach Delta Pineda urged the team to lock in on the defensive end.
Pineda acknowledged the team's offensive effort, rallying back after trailing the San Miguel Beermen by as much as 17 points in the first quarter.
"Kulang pa po [yung effort on defense]. Maybe on offense andun narin ho. Yung chemistry because another 36 assists kami. It means nag-shashare na andun na tiwala," he told reporters after the 128-122 loss at the Ynares Center Antipolo.
READ: King, Perez too much as San Miguel throttles Converge
Seven Converge players tallied double digits along with 36 assists, while only committing 11 turnovers in the duration of the game.
But for the FiberXers coach, he emphasized that their defense also needs to click, especially against a San Miguel team with a lot of options on offense.
"I think we need to adjust on defense. Nakukulangan ako sa gigil ng mga bata on defense. Lesson learned. Sabi ko nga sa mga bata, even if we score more than 100 every game pero kung papa-score natin yung kalaban sa ganun paraan, wala rin," Pineda stressed.
Aside from ending their three-game win streak, the loss spoiled another huge outing from Justin Arana who scored 29 points.
"Balewala naman yung ganda ng laro kung talo kayo diba? Useless yun eh. So mag-reregroup kami, papahinga kami ng one day and prepare kami ng next game," Arana told reporters after the loss.
"Sabi lang niya [coach Delta Pineda] ganun talaga. Isang talo palang naman din. Kailangan namin mag-regroup talaga at kailangan namin bumawi," he added.
The Converge big man admitted their defense could not keep up with San Miguel's offensive surge in the second half.
"Siguro yun nga, nag-collapse lang talaga defense namin. Siyempre maganda talaga rotation ng bola nila. Especially pag nakay CJ [Perez] or George [King] yung bola,"Arana said.
With the defending champions as their next opponent, the Converge mentor is not letting his guard down despite TNT Tropang 5G losing to the Titan Ultra Giant Risers.
"Even tinalo ng Titan yun, hindi ganun yung team na yun. Bo-bounce back yun. We need to prepare for Talk 'N Text. Importante pa rin na paghandaan yun," Pineda said.
Converge and TNT will clash on Tuesday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.