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PBA: Coach Gavina hails Kia's effort despite loss to NLEX

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/sports/12/21/coach-gavina.jpg"/><figcaption>Kia coach Chris Gavina. Josh Albelda, <a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/basketball/photos">ABS-CBN Sports</a></figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines – Kia Picanto was a punchline among basketball fans for most of the offseason, no thanks to their much-maligned trade of the top pick in the 2017 PBA Rookie Draft to the San Miguel Beermen.Kia management justified that transaction by claiming that they intend to play &quot;unconventional&quot; basketball, a move that backfired as fans instead used the word almost like an insult whenever they referred to the team.The Picanto refused to let fans&#x27; derision affect their offseason preparations, however. Head coach Chris Gavina guided the team to a good showing in the preseason, which included a confidence-boosting win over the Beermen. While they passed on selecting Christian Standhardinger in the draft, they invested on young players like Reden Celda and Philip Paniamogan, and relied on the veterans they traded for, such as JayR Reyes and Ronald Tubid.In their first game of the PBA Philippine Cup, they showed that they fully intend to be a competitive team. Against an NLEX team that is expected to contend this conference, the Picanto led by as much as 13 points before fading down the stretch and bowing 119-115 to the Road Warriors.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/basketball/news/2017/12/20/kiefer-ravena-lives-hype-pba-debut-35030">READ: Kiefer Ravena lives up to hype in his PBA debut</a></li></ul>&quot;Almost,&quot; said Gavina after the game, which they controlled for most of the way despite an explosive debut from NLEX rookie Kiefer Ravena. &quot;Final kick, final kick.&quot;&quot;We had tremendous energy coming into this game, and we&#x27;ve been really praising our guys with regards to their confidence level,&quot; he explained. &quot;I tip my hat off to NLEX. They made some big shots at the end of the game.&quot;Indeed, Kia tied the game at 113, thanks to a Reyes lay-up with 1:26 to play, but gave up a crucial four-point play to Larry Fonacier with 1:06 to go. They were still able to cut the deficit to two in their next possession, after Reyes scored again, but blew a chance to take the lead after a missed triple by Paniamogan.Gavina noted after the game that while they were able to stay toe-to-toe with NLEX, he was uncomfortable with the pace of the contest and the high-scoring nature of the ball game. The coach stressed in the offseason that defense would be key for Kia in the Philippine Cup if they wanted to pull off some shockers.&quot;We want to keep teams in the 80s,&quot; he explained. &quot;For me, that&#x27;s the only way we&#x27;re going to win. We&#x27;ve got to be patient on offense.&quot;All that being said, Gavina was still satisfied with how the Picanto performed – even if they failed to take home a victory.&quot;As a coach, you kind of hate to say &#x27;moral victory&#x27;,&quot; he said. &quot;But considering what happened to us last conference… We showed our grit tonight.&quot;&quot;We showed a great deal of character in being able to keep up with what I feel is one of the contenders coming into this conference,&quot; added Gavina, whose team lost all 11 of its games in the 2017 PBA Governors&#x27; Cup. &quot;If we can do this against NLEX, we can do this against anybody,&quot; he stressed.Gavina said there were no questions about his players&#x27; efforts and hard work and that the Road Warriors simply performed better down the stretch.&quot;It&#x27;s the level of maturity and focus at the end,&quot; he explained. &quot;Effort-wise, we were there. It just came down to them executing better than us.&quot;The coach is now hoping that the Picanto can build on their good showing against NLEX when they return to action on December 27 against Phoenix.&quot;Our effort level and our focus have to increase,&quot; Gavina said. &quot;We can&#x27;t have any letdowns just because of this close game.&quot;&quot;The bottom line is we didn&#x27;t win,&quot; he emphatically added. &quot;We&#x27;ve got to be able to be a lot hungrier next game against Phoenix.&quot;For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.

In their first game of the PBA Philippine Cup, Kia Picanto showed that they fully intend to be a competitive team.

In their first game of the PBA Philippine Cup, Kia Picanto showed that they fully intend to be a competitive team.

PBA: Coach Gavina hails Kia's effort despite loss to NLEX

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PBA: Coach Gavina hails Kia's effort despite loss to NLEX

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 21, 2017 01:49 PM PHT

Read More:

PBA

Philippine Cup

KIA Picanto

Chris Gavina

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