“I guess we can throw that first game out the window,” said Cone, referring to the Mixers’ 79-75 defeat to Barako Bull with import Matt Rogers sitting out because of food poisoning.
“But our import, who ran into some bad luck (and some bad food), will be available this time around and we’ll get a chance to see where we are at this point.”Rogers’s anticipated debut on Friday did not happen because of the illness, leaving the defending champions without a player who can match up Barako Bull reinforcement Evan Brock.
Despite playing without an import, San Mig Coffee managed to hang around against Barako Bull throughout the match.
Two-time Most Valuable Player James Yap carried the scoring load for the Mixers while new recruits Leo Najorda and Alex Malari had decent debuts with the team.
Najorda had eight points on 4-of-6 shooting off the bench while Mallari finished with five points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Cone said the game against Petron on Wednesday will give him a better idea about his team’s true strength.
“Petron and Talk ‘N Text are still favorites despite losing their first games so we obviously have our work cut out for us,” he said.
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