March 12 ------ ARVIN Tolentino said NorthPort will get better after its semifinal appearance in the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup. The Batang Pier’s campaign came to an end on Friday after a 126-99 defeat to Barangay Ginebra in Game 5 of their semifinal series. NorthPort failed to reach the finals despite being the No. 1 seed on a 9-3 win-loss mark in the eliminations.
The 29-year-old Tolentino, however, is focusing on the positives after only the third semifinal appearance in franchise history, which saw the Batang Pier avert a sweep with a 108-103 victory in Game 4 last March 5. “That’s a great experience for us as a team,” said Tolentino, who also carried NorthPort with his averages of 20.28 points, 7.28 rebounds, and 3.89 assists. “Like last game [Game 4], ang ganda nung nilaro namin. We fought really hard para ma-extend ‘yung series. “I’m proud of my teammates. I’m proud of what the team has accomplished this conference. Wala namang nag-akala na mag-pplayoffs kami or even mag-nnumber one. Kahit nga kami, hindi nga namin alam na magna-number one kami. But we still believe. I’m proud of the effort na binigay ng mga teammates ko, the hardwork, and sacrifice."
Tolentino said he spoke to the team after the Game 5 loss where he delved on the positives of their campaign. “I told the team, as much as we want to feel sorry for ourselves sa laro or in this series, we still overachieved. And that’s something na we have to be proud of. It just so happened na nakalaban namin ‘yung Ginebra sa semis. Alam naman natin na malakas sila, we all know kung paano ‘yung team nila. They are a great team. “We are still happy doon sa naging result ng conference namin. Like I said, wala namang nag-akala na magpe-playoffs, semis, or even No. 1 kami. Ang dami rin naming nagawang history this conference,” said Tolentino.
The 2024 Mythical First Team winner is optimistic that NorthPort can carry its good form into the Philippine Cup although the Batang Pier will have to do so without import Kadeem Jack. “We all saw kung paano maglaro si Kadeem, kung ano ‘yung value niya sa team namin. (But) we have two or three guys coming back," he said, referring to Jio Jalalon, among others. "And Josh [Munzon], I’m proud of him. I think he took us to the next level this conference with the way he played. Malaking reason bakit kami nag-No. 1 and finally made it to the semifinals. I’m proud of that guy. “Everyone, kahit ‘yung mga hindi naglalaro sa amin, ‘yung sacrifice nila sa practice, pushing, pinu-push kaming mga starters, ‘yung willingness nila to learn, to improve, and to be better. I guess we’re only going to get better from here. This is a great experience for us as a team na madala namin next conference,” said Tolentino.
Source: spin.ph
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