SURPRISING league leader Blackwater gets its biggest test as TNT KaTropa challenges it to see if it’s the real deal as the 2016-17 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup resumes.
Both coming off huge victories in their previous assignments, the Elite (2-0) and TNT KaTropa (1-1) both want to keep their momentum going and follow-up with another win when they face each other at 4:15 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today in the first game.
Right after that, GlobalPort (1-0) aims on keeping in step with the other teams up top when it goes head to head against Star (0-1), which is looking for its first win, at 7 p.m. in the nightcap.
The Elite and the Tropang Texters both notched wins on the same playdate, last Sunday, to boost their current stand in the ladder.
Blackwater stunned Governors’ Cup runner-up Meralco, 86-84, while TNT KaTropa gained a morale-boosting 108-103 triumph over Governors’ Cup champion Barangay Ginebra.
“Slowly, you can see the glitter in our team and hopefully we can keep it up until we reach our full potential,” said Blackwater coach Leo Isaac of his squad’s good start. “We got the players we want and now we’re continuing to develop as a team.”
One big reason why the Elite is enjoying its best start in franchise history so far is the stellar play of top rookie Mac Belo, who was named as the first Player of the Week for this season.
Belo dropped 25 points against the Bolts as he continues to show why he is highly-touted and why he is dubbed as a next superstar in the league.
As for the Tropang Texters, a very familiar face is expected to make his season debut as superstar Jayson Castro is expected to suit up after missing the team’s first two games to rest.
The Batang Pier had a rousing debut when it annihilated Mahindra, 97-75, last week.
On the other hand, Star didn’t exactly have the start it wanted when it dropped its opener in the first game of the tournament against San Miguel Beer, 96-88.