"Please don’t ask me the possibility of a sweep. We’re just happy we’re up, 1-0," said Banal minutes after the Water Force survived the Paint Masters, 59-54, last Saturday.
Truly, Banal knows that a Game 1 victory doesn’t win a championship, much more ensure a sweep as the Water Force found out last year when they took the series’ opener only to lose the crown in five games to dethroned champion Hapee Toothpaste.
Instead, Banal wants to talk about winning Game 2 and gaining a comfortable 2-0 advantage as the Water Force and the Paint Masters go at it again today in Game Two at the Pasig Sports Center.
"For us, we want to tie our head-to-head match. We want to make it 3-3. It also means advantage and momentum for us and less pressure going to Game 3," said Banal, who is 1-3 against Welcoat mentor Carlos Garcia before the finals.
Seizing a 2-0 advantage would mean the Water Force playing tough defense again against the Paint Master’s uptempo game anchored on the prolific duo of Chester Tolomia and Jojo Tangkay.
Tolomia, formerly of the Barangay Ginebra Kings, was held to just five points, way behind his 20-point plus average before Game 1. Tangkay did finish with 15 points but he was held scoreless in OT that hastened Welcoat’s downfall.
"We need Jojo and Chester in this series," said Garcia. "But we also need some other guys, perhaps like Marvin (Ortiguerra), to step up to open things up for Jojo and Chester," he added.
Meanwhile, Arwind Santos hopes to bag the MVP plum when the league holds its achievement award set at 2:30 p.m.
are teammates Mark Isip and Dennis Miranda and Welcoat’s Tolomia and Tangkay.