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PBA: Blackwater import stays confident even as losses mount

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/tvpatrol/04/16/pba-greg-smith.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Blackwater import Greg Smith. <cite>Richard Esguerra, <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/basketball/photos" target="_blank">ABS-CBN Sports</a></cite></div></figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines – Blackwater import Greg Smith will not give up on the Elite&#x27;s campaign in the 2017 PBA Commissioner&#x27;s Cup even as their losses continue to mount.A 91-102 setback to the Meralco Bolts on Sunday dropped the Elite to 1-5 in the midseason conference, meaning they are now in a must-win situation in their last five games if they hope to make it to the quarterfinals.Smith, who had 19 points and 14 rebounds in the loss, stayed defiant despite the tall odds against his squad.&quot;I&#x27;m confident,&quot; he said. &quot;Even if we lose 10 games in a row, I will stay confident. That&#x27;s who I am.&quot;&quot;On Tuesday (in practice), I&#x27;m gonna bring that mindset and play hard to let the guys know that we should start winning, regardless of who we&#x27;ll face,&quot; he added.Their coach, Leo Isaac, had the same message to the team following the loss, according to Smith.&quot;(He told us that) we gotta keep fighting,&quot; the import said. &quot;Continue to fight because you never know when it&#x27;s going to be our turn to come up with a winning streak.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/basketball/news/2017/04/16/bolts-shut-elite-furious-late-game-run-24779">READ: Bolts shut down Elite with furious late-game run</a></li></ul>For three quarters, it appeared that the Elite were on its way to a second straight victory. They led 80-72 at the end of the third frame, with veteran KG Canaleta torching the Bolts for 14 points in the quarter. Yet their offense fell off the rails in the fourth period, where they scored a paltry 11 points.Smith credited Meralco&#x27;s defense for containing them in the fourth quarter, but also admitted that the Elite shot itself in the foot by relaxing.&quot;I think we just started to just chill, and not be aggressive, like we were in the first three quarters,&quot; he acknowledged. &quot;That kind of hurt us in the fourth.&quot;That game is over and done with, however, and Smith&#x27;s focus is now on Tuesday&#x27;s practice where he hopes to fire up his teammates and lead them to a winning streak with just five games left in their elimination round schedule.&quot;I know that any day, any game, it can turn around,&quot; he said. &quot;We can win five straight, or four of the last five. Anything can still happen.&quot;&quot;There&#x27;s no reason to look back at these first six games thinking we&#x27;re done and we&#x27;re not good enough,&quot; he stressed. &quot;Now it&#x27;s time to get back to practice on Tuesday, learn to fight more and start to prepare for the next games for us to win.&quot;For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/" target="_blank"> ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.

Blackwater import Greg Smith will not give up on the Elite's campaign in the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup even as their losses continue to mount.

Blackwater import Greg Smith will not give up on the Elite's campaign in the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup even as their losses continue to mount.

PBA: Blackwater import stays confident even as losses mount

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PBA: Blackwater import stays confident even as losses mount

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published April 16, 2017 10:15 PM PHT

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Updated April 18, 2017 11:24 AM PHT

Read More:

PBA

Commissioner's Cup

Blackwater Elite

Greg Smith

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