MANILA, Philippines -- Now that they have punched a ticket to the PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinals, the NorthPort Batang Pier are far from satisfied.
NorthPort escaped the Magnolia Hotshots, 113-110, Thursday evening to grab the first seat to the semis.
This continued Batang Pier’s exceptional run in the import-laden conference, where they finished on top of the elimination round.
But now that they have advanced to the next round, NorthPort forward William Navarro said that they are “not satisfied here.”
“I'm happy for the franchise siyempre… Pero still have more games. It's okay to be happy today, but the season's not over,” Navarro told reporters after the game.
“So we have to focus on our next game. We have to watch yung mananalo sa magiging kalaban namin. Then celebrate for today, then focus sa next game,” he added.
Navarro came up big for the Batang Pier, finishing with 15 points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. He scored nine of his total points in the second half, including six in the fourth quarter.
The 6-foot-6 forward also embraced an underdog mentality, as he acknowledged that they have a “chip on their shoulder.”
“We have a chip on our shoulder na people don't even talk about NorthPort even though we're number one. So, I mean, underdog kami no matter what happens,” he said.
“So, we're not satisfied here. We want more.”
NorthPort will take on either Barangay Ginebra or the Meralco Bolts in the semifinals. The Gin Kings are up, 1-0, in their best-of-three quarterfinal clash.
Game 2 of the Ginebra-Meralco quarterfinals will be on Friday evening.