Why Blackwater, Terrafirma are on top of the PBA for first time. Ever

Why Blackwater, Terrafirma are on top of the PBA for first time. Ever

BLACKWATER and Terrafirma have surprised PBA fans with their impressive start to the 48th Season Philippine Cup.

The two perennial cellar-dwellers have found themselves on top of the team standings with identical 2-0 win-loss records, the first time that the 2014 expansion teams share first place.

Ever.

One could argue that teams such as San Miguel, Magnolia, and Barangay Ginebra have yet to start their campaigns, but Blackwater and Terrafirma still defeated quality opponents on their way to perfect starts.

The Bossing opened the conference with wins over two MVP Group teams and perennial playoff contenders in Meralco and TNT.

After their first-ever franchise win over Converge, the Dyip held on in the final minutes to beat NLEX on Sunday to maintain their unbeaten start, repeating their feat in the 2016 Governors’ Cup where the Mahindra Enforcer started 2-0, which was also the only other time the team made the playoffs.

It goes without saying that the local players are, so far, playing to their potential after they struggled during the import-laden conference.

After being part of a crowded backcourt at Rain or Shine, Rey Nambatac has so far thrived at Blackwater after finishing with 27 points and a career-high 10 assists against Meralco in their conference opener.

But even in the absence of Nambatac in Blackwater’s second game due to an ankle injury, holdovers Troy Rosario and RK Ilagan stepped up against TNT with 20 (best output against former team) and 15 points, respectively.

Being groomed as Blackwater’s leader, Rosario is averaging a team-best 17.5 points per game, and could be in line for the best conference of his career if he consistently produces for the Bossing.

The entry of two-time PBA MVP James Yap was also a big boost for Blackwater, giving the team a winning mindset and a veteran presence in the locker room.

On the Terrafirma side, Stephen Holt is already off to a strong start in his second conference in the league. After deciding to stay in Manila to do offseason work, the Season 48 No. 1 overall draft pick is averaging 22 points per contest, a far cry from his 12-point clip in the Commissioner’s Cup.

Juami Tiongson’s scoring production has also blosommed at a rate of  25.5 points a game, on pace for a career-best if he maintains it throughout the conference.

Defense has also been a major factor for Terrafirma, which has limited opponents to 97 points a game. In the Commissioner’s Cup, the Dyip gave up the most points in the league at a rate of 110.6 per outing.

Blackwater coach Jeff Cariaso hailed the players’ effort early in the conference and their willingness to buy into the winning culture that he intended to bring to the Bossing since he was hired as coach last year.

“The ask of the staff to the players is to level up. That’s where we are. We have a young team. We are still getting to know each other,” said Cariaso.

“You have to figure out how to win games while you are figuring out the team. And that’s where we are. I’m really happy with the way the guys are playing. All credit to the players,” said Cariaso.

Recently, Yap said his message to his Blackwater teammates was to play together in order to reach the playoffs as the standard in the PBA as far as leaving a lasting legacy in the league is the number of championships a team and a player won.

Cariaso said Yap is exactly what the team needs.

“To bring in a player like James who understands what it takes to win, that’s why it is important to have guys like him within your locker room sharing what it takes to play at the next level and play at a high level.

“Every advice he can give to the players with regards to preparation and even the small advices he gives over the course of the game, that is very crucial for us because we don’t have that. If you want to have a winning culture, you have to have guys who know how to win,” said Cariaso.

Terrafirma coach Johnedel Cardel said they want to build on the two wins, adding the Dyip can only do that by focusing on defense, due to their lack of size.

“We have two wins pero sabi ko sa kanila, every game, kailangan naming manalo. Hindi namin iniisip na may dalawang panalo na kami kasi baka mag-relax sila. Every game, kailangan 1-0 (ang mindset) hanggang sa makuha namin ‘yung goal namin na makuha ang quarterfinals,” said Cardel.

“Same thing, kung ano ginagawa namin in practice, we have to continue that especially since we are focusing on team defense and individual defense. ‘Yun ang nagpapanalo sa amin. Kailangan talaga naming magtulungan kasi maliliit kami. Gusto namin maging kumportable sila sa defense,” said Cardel.

Can Blackwater and Terrafirma maintain their solid start?

Let’s keep our fingers crossed.