Dillinger, Meralco 'getting sick' of paltry PBA PH Cup performances | ABS-CBN

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Dillinger, Meralco 'getting sick' of paltry PBA PH Cup performances

Dillinger, Meralco 'getting sick' of paltry PBA PH Cup performances

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

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Meralco's Jared Dillinger attacks the defense of TNT's Troy Rosario. Richard Esguerra, ABS-CBN Sports

MANILA, Philippines – There is no doubt that the Meralco Bolts have made great strides as a franchise in the past couple of seasons. Look no further than their back-to-back finals appearances in the PBA Governors' Cup.

Yet for all their successes, the one problem that the Bolts cannot seem to solve is their performance in the All-Filipino Conference. As veteran swingman Jared Dillinger put it, the PBA Philippine Cup is Meralco's "Achilles heel."

In the 2015-16 Philippine Cup, Meralco slumped to a brutal 1-10 win-loss record. They improved the following year, with a 3-8 slate, but still missed out on the playoffs.

In the 2017-18 edition of the All-Filipino, the Bolts are once again in danger of an early exit in the conference. They sit at 11th place in the league standings with a 1-3 record, having lost three straight games since opening their campaign with a win over Blackwater.

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"The Philippine Cup has been our Achilles heel," said Dillinger after the Bolts were routed by TNT KaTropa, 99-81, on Sunday at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo. "Every damn Philippine Cup, we get our a** kicked."

"I'm getting sick of it," he declared. "I'm getting sick of it, our coach is getting sick of it. He just rung our a** in the locker room about 10 minutes ago. We just got to step up as a team."

Indeed, Meralco coach Norman Black was the picture of frustration during the game, as the Bolts repeatedly missed defensive rotations that left TNT players wide open beyond the arc. The KaTropa responded by draining 18 triples, the most by any team in the conference.

So disappointed was Black that he politely declined to be interviewed at the end of the game. But Dillinger made it clear that "there is nothing to be happy about" after such a performance.

"We're 1-3," he pointed out.

"It's just the small details," Dillinger, who scored 14 points, further explained. "Sometimes, you don't make the extra pass, or make the extra effort on defense. A lot of small things that you won't see, really. After a lot of that adds up – you see what happened to us tonight."

"TNT didn’t do anything much, given they played well but they didn’t have any secret schemes against us. They just passed the ball around, they got open shots, our effort wasn’t there. We got to put up the intensity, 'cause it sucks right now," he added.

Dillinger also made it clear that the absence of two of their key players, Ranidel de Ocampo and Cliff Hodge, is no excuse. Instead, the players who are taking their place should be stepping up.

"It doesn't have to mean scoring, getting the assists or rebound. It's just about making the right play, being a smart player," he said.

While the Bolts are in dire straits, Dillinger said they should not be so quick to give up.

"It's a long season," he said. "We have to go back, look at the film, get yelled out by our coach, look at all the mistakes that we made."

"But more importantly, we can't press the panic button," Dillinger stressed. "We can't point fingers. We have to first blame ourself within – what did I do wrong? It's a long season. Don't panic, but it's not fun right."

Meralco has a chance to snap its skid on Wednesday, when they take on the Kia Picanto at the Araneta Coliseum.

"Do or die," Dillinger said of the contest. "That's gonna be a playoff game."

For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.

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