CONVERGE and Meralco intend to not only have a merry Christmas but also end the year on a high note when they collide Wednesday in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The FiberXers are looking to rack up a fourth straight win and finish 2024 with a 6-2 record following the match, their very first Christmas Day game since acquiring the Alaska Aces franchise in March, 2022.
It is also the Bolts' first-ever Christmas game and takes on additional importance since they are looking to regain their winning ways following losses to Blackwater last Dec. 12 and to Busan KCC Egis in the EASL last week and in the process jack their current 3-1 slate.
Gametime is 5 p.m.
At first glance, the odds seem to favor Converge. The FiberXers are coming off a 98-91 victory over Barangay Ginebra last Saturday in a game where they rallied from a 17-point deficit to reprise their 18-point fightback against Phoenix just two days before.
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Acting head coach Franco Atienza, however, warned that the momentum his side has built up could just as quickly vanish should the rigors of playing their fourth game in nine days finally take its toll on his FiberXers.
"May question na ito ng fatigue, may question na dito ng stress, tapos holiday season pa kaya medyo busy rin with other matters," explained Atienza on the eve of the match, his team's last for the year before their next game on Jan. 11.
"Pero focused naman kami, maganda naman mga pinraktis namin. We know kung gaano kalakas ang Meralco at matatagal na ring magkakasama iyan unlike us, so once again character test na naman ito sa amin," added Atienza.
"We have to turn into game kung ano man magandang ginawa from our past games and learn from the mistakes we were doing."
Meralco has actually started its mid-season campaign with some key players missing and just recently added Raymond Almazan to that list. The Bolts even opted to sit out DJ Kennedy in the Blackwater game to rest the replacement import's sore calf.
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Atienza knows Allein Maliksi has been activated and will finally see action for the first time in the tourney while original import Akil Mitchell, who powered Meralco in its first two games before being sidelined by a fractured nose, will once again reinforce the Bolts.
"We've anticipated Mitchell coming in and we also learned about Maliksi finally suiting up so I think prepared enough naman kami," said Atienza.
"The biggest question for us, actually, is kung paano hindi kami mauunahan and that would only be fully answered tomorrow." (NC)
