WHILE playing in a bubble set up has its drawback, it also has its own merit.
NLEX coach Yeng Guiao tries to go beyond the downside of having to play in an enclosed environment and being away from the family just like what the PBA did last year in order to restart the Philippine Cup.
In particular, the 62-year-old mentor likes the total focus the bubble offers to players and teams who do nothing but to think about games and basketball on a 24/7 notice.
At the same time, he favors ballclubs playing three times a week as they did in Clark, and having less practice sessions since as he reasons out, competitions make teams better.
"It's actually the competitions that make you better. The practices actually, up to a certain extent, helps you, but to a certain point it burns you out. So the competition, I think, is really the best way to get better," Guiao told the program The Huddle on his experience playing in the bubble last year with his team the NLEX Road Warriors.
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"You don't need to wait too many days and you're able to pace your practice."
At Clark, teams were either playing two or three games a week under a compressed schedule as the bubble was projected for only a two-month stretch.
But with the globalization of the game, Guiao believes the PBA should consider playing under a similar atmosphere, whether it's a bubble setup or not.
"In the NBA, in the Japan league, in the Chinese league, that's how it is. More games, less practice," said the ever outspoken mentor.
"You do your practice in the off-season. But you play and get better during the games."
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Guiao's take on a bubble format comes at a time when the league is again considering going through the same procedure as a last recourse in a bid to finally kickoff its 46th season.
At the moment, the PBA is adopting the vaccination approach where it hopes players, coaches, and team staff will be inoculated for COVID-19 before opening the Philippine Cup under a closed-circuit system.(RG)
