DOES Blackwater now really belong among the elite?
Coach Leo Isaac and his troop get another good test as they face the TNT KaTropa Texters Wednesday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Elite are inspired by back-to-back wins over champion teams Rain or Shine and Barangay Ginebra as they tangle with the Texters at 7 p.m. with a shot at a tie at second place with the Magnolia Hotshots at 3-1.
The Texters, meanwhile, are smarting from a 76-88 loss to the San Miguel Beermen in their Petron Blaze road tussle in Iloilo on Saturday.
With the return of Mac Belo and Poy Erram, their recruitment of Allein Malicsi, Roi Sumang and Mike Digregorio plus the arrival of Toto Jose, the Elite have improved, showing indication they can now compete with the big boys.
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"They are truly one of the up and coming teams in the league. They are building their team the right way," said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.
TNT coach Nash Racela himself is wary of the Elite, noting Blackwater's big improvement.
While almost all the teams beefed up their lineup, the Texters, on the other hand, lost some offensive punch from their previous all-Filipino lineup on the exit of Ranidel de Ocampo and Larry Fonacier.
The Texters are off to a struggling start in the tourney, dropping games against the Elasto Painters and the Beermen, and winning just once against the Alaska Milk Aces.
"We've been working on correcting our mistakes. And we're hoping we could execute better," said Racela.
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The Texters did well majority of the way versus the Beermen but reeled on the Beermen's decisive run from late in the third period in their Iloilo game.
TNT was still in the game before eventually succumbing on the 10-2 closing attack of Arwind Santos and Alex Cabagnot in the last two minutes of the contest.
A bit off the last time, TNT sentinel Jayson Castro is surely aching to come out strong now. (SB)
