B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados Will Try Their New Import Myron Allen as They Collide with The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in Semis

B-Meg coach Jorge Gallent readily pointed to their inability to play consistently as the cause of
the Llamados’ struggles in the elimination round of the 2011 PBA Governors’ Cup.

With pressure off their shoulders, he expects his troops to pick up the pace and raise their level
of intensity in the semifinals.
“We have to play consistently to be able to compete [for a Finals berth]. Hopefully this game will
bring us to that attitude to play 48 minutes of basketball,” said Gallent after the Llamados
closed out their elimination round assignment with a 111-89 victory over Air21 last July 15 to
secure their place in the round of six.

Gallent is also counting on import Myron Allen and new acquisition Josh Urbiztondo to make an
immediate impact to bolster the team’s drive for a second straight win.

Allen is a replacement for Darnell Hinson – who cut short his PBA stint and rushed back to the
States to attend to a child custody hearing – while Urbiztondo was netted from the unrestricted
free agent market to fill the shoes of Jonas Villanueva, who underwent surgery to repair his
anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee.

The duo will be making their debut on Friday as B-Meg opens its semifinal drive against Rain or
Shine at 5:30 p.m. at the Araneta Colseum.

The Elasto Painters dominated the Llamados in their only meeting in the eliminations, 95-82. They
should be more dangerous on Friday as they try to bounce back from a frustrating 90-98 loss to
Barangay Ginebra last Wednesday at the close of the elimination round.

B-Meg and ROS finished the eliminations with 4-4 [win-loss] records which they will carry into the
six-team, single round semi-finals.

Although only one game separates the teams in the standings, B-Meg and ROS have their sights on
winning four of five games to secure a playoff for the second Finals spot.

“I hope naka-adjust na si Myron sa system ng team because he only arrived last Sunday,” said
Gallent, who expects Urbiztondo to provide the team with the energy similar to what former guard
Paul Artadi brings before he was traded to Air21.

That should be no problem for Urbiztondo, who could be a nightmare for any opponent once he gets
hot. In contrast, Allen, with his 5-11 frame, could encounter some mismatch problems defending
against bigger guards.

But Gallent believes it all boils down to consistency.

“We need to ride the momentum of that big win against Air21 and do the things we did then in order
for us to have better chances of winning against ROS. We need to share the ball more and keep on
trusting each other,” Gallent said. (DBC)

SOURCE : http://www.pba.ph/news/