PHOENIX has shown its newfound character by winning its first two games in the PBA Philippine Cup via overtime.
How the Fuel Masters' grit would hold up and prop them to the solo leadership would be known when they tangle with dangerous Columbian Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After surprising defending champion San Miguel Beer in their first game last Friday, the Dyip are themselves looking to notch a first-ever 2-0 start in any tourney.
But Phoenix is not as unwary as SMB, with Fuel Masters coach Louie Alas pinpointing the areas where Columbian excelled in shocking the Beermen.
"Main concern ko is their hustle points, points off turnovers, transition points and second chance points. A total of 59 points, almost half of their output," noted Alas.
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"Di kami kailangang ma-outwork ng Dyip," stressed Alas.
Columbian actually goes into the game with a disadvantage as lead point guard Jerramy King has been sidelined, possibly for the rest of the conference, by a strained posterior cruciate ligament he suffered during that SMB game.
Despite having to wage war without the team's leading local scorer last season, Dyip coach Johnedel Cardel remains confident his remaining players would be able to get the job done.
Such optimism stems from the way top overall pick CJ Perez debuted with a 26-point, five-rebound game against SMB.
Jackson Corpuz also was a major factor with 21 points and 11 rebounds while Reden Celda, JayR Reyes, Russell Escoto and Eric Camson did their share.
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Alas and the rest of Phoenix are also upbeat, what with Matthew Wright, Justin Chua, Alex Mallari, Jason Perkins and Calvin Abueva coming up with solid performances thus far.
JC Intal and LA Revilla have also occasionally come up with big plays, enabling the Fuel Masters to outlast both Meralco and TNT in OT, the last via a 93-84 count last Saturday.
"Last conference mga ganyang (overtime) games? Natatalo kami, eh. So it's a very, very good experience for us," said Alas after the KaTropa game, obviously pleased with his team's notable improvement.
"Very happy, pero pag naging 3-0 (record) mas happy kami." (NC)
