MANILA – Alaska Aces hope to lessen their turnovers as they fight for their tournament life in Game 3 of their 2018 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals series against Magnolia Hotshots on Sunday night at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Aces head coach Alex Compton said they will make some adjustments in their game plan in the 6:30 p.m. face-off to avoid the 26 turnovers they committed in Game 2.
“Getting 25, 26 turnovers. I think that’s the prime story of the first two games of the series,” said Compton, who has yet to win a PBA title in four PBA Finals appearances. “Credit to Magnolia – they’re the best defensive team all conference.”
Compton and the Aces could be on the verge of another PBA Finals disaster if they will not be able to pull one back, with the Hotshots already enjoying a 2-0 advantage in the race-to-four series.
But the American mentor wishes that the Aces will get fair calls from the referees, who he said let Hotshots guards Andy Mark Barroca and Jio Jalalon get away with numerous non-calls in their 71-77 loss in Game 2.
“I have not yet once publicly commented about the officiating, but those guys foul a lot,” Compton said. “I’m all for good defense, and I know those guys are great defenders. But a foul is a foul.”
“If you’re karate chopping, pushing somebody, or you’re leaving your foot so you’ll trip a ball handler, it’s a foul. And it’s a big part of the game, and for whatever reason, they (referees) didn’t want to call it,” he added.
Still Compton is confident the Aces are out to run for their first PBA title in five years but admits they have to start their climb in Game 3 to avoid a 0-3 deficit.
“I’ll tell you what, though: we’re gonna keep going, we’re gonna battle,” he said. “They better be ready to work because we’re going to keep going. If this is a three-game series, it’s over. But I don’t think this is over yet.”/PN
