Defending ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) champion San Miguel-Alab Pilipinas looks to bounce back from a heartbreaker last week when they return to home soil and take on the visiting Macau Black Bears on Friday (January 18) at the FilOil Flying V Centre in San Juan City, LIVE on ABS-CBN S+A and S+A HD at 8 pm.
 
After five straight wins to open the season, Alab is now 6-2 in the standings after absorbing their second loss in three games in a 72-73 squeaker against Formosa Dreamers last Sunday. Both losses came during the final possessions of each game.
 
Nevertheless, ABL analyst Martin “Coach Hammer” Antonio said there is no reason for Alab coach Jimmy Alapag to press the panic button yet as these defeats are just road bumps in a long season for a title defense.
 
“There should be no alarm at all for Coach Jimmy since it’s a good time to lose and make it a springboard for his team. They can take this time to mentally focus on a possession by possession basis,” he shared.
 
As for what Alab Pilipinas can do to arrest their skid, Coach Hammer believes that integrating all their new parts, like Caelan Tiongson and Ethan Alvano, to a squad led by former NBA players Renaldo Balkman and PJ Ramos, and reigning ABL MVP Bobby Ray Parks, is of utmost importance.
 
“They are a relatively new team, which is loaded in all spots. Familiarity and cohesiveness will be the key to bouncing back,” he said.
 
Meanwhile, the Black Bears, formerly known as Chong Son Kung Fu, will rely heavily on their world imports Anthony Tucker and Ryan Watkins, who lead the team in scoring and rebounding respectively, as they fight for their seventh win and the top spot in the league against the defending champions.
 
Can Alab recover its moxie and stamp its class once more on a squad they defeated en route to their maiden title?
 
Catch the upcoming San Miguel-Alab Pilipinas-Macau Black Bears tiff this Friday (January 18) LIVE from the FilOil Flying V Centre at 8 pm on S+A and S+A HD as the squad tries to get back to its winning ways.
 
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