Phoenix secures last semis spot | Sports Desk

  • 9 months ago
The semifinal picture is now complete. The Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters booted out the gutsy Meralco Bolts – 88 to 84 in the the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals.

No triple-overtime needed this time around Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. Johnathan Williams III finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds while Jason Perkins added 19 markers and pulled down 13 boards.

Up next for Phoenix Super LPG in the semis - the fiery Magnolia Hotshots in a best of five series. The defending champions Barangay Ginebra will take on the star-studded San Miguel Beermen. Both semifinals series will begin on Wednesday, January 24th at the Big Dome, Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Joining us to go all out on their win last night against the Meralco Bolts are Phoenix Fuel Masters head coach Jamike Jarin and import Jonathan Williams III.

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Transcript
00:00 The semi-final picture is now complete. The Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters booted out a gutsy Miralka Bolts 88-84.
00:09 In a PBA Commissioners Cup quarterfinals, no triple overtime needed.
00:13 This time around, Sunday at a Mall of Asia Arena in Passai City, Jonathan Williams III finishing with 21 points and 16 rebounds.
00:23 While Jason Perkins adding 19 markers and pulling down 13 boards. Up next for Phoenix Super LPG in the semis, the fiery and the number one seed Magnolia Hotshot in a best of five semi-series.
00:38 The defending champions, Magangay Ginebra will take on the star-studded San Miguel Beerman.
00:43 And both semi-final series will begin this Wednesday, January 24th at the Big Dome, the Smart Arena at the Coliseum.
00:50 Joining us tonight to go all out on their big win last night in a do or die against the Miralka Bolts are the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters head coach, Jamaic Arrean, and their import, Jonathan Williams III.
01:05 J3 and Coach Jamaic, good evening, welcome to the show live and congratulations.
01:11 Well, good evening to you, Andre, and good evening to all the televiewers out there.
01:17 Thank you for granting us this interview, Coach Jamaic. I've been wanting to talk to you for a while, but you've been very, very busy.
01:22 Thank you for your time. Congratulations. That was a big win for the franchise, for Phoenix. Job well done.
01:29 J3, a pleasure meeting you, man. Congratulations. You've been balling all conference, man.
01:37 Thank you. It's a pleasure being here.
01:39 I'll start with Coach Jamaic. Two straight games, you guys were in a dogfight to say the least. That series was fun to watch after the triple overtime game.
01:49 And then last night, you had to finish off the very gutsy Miralka Bolts. Coach, you've been in this business a long, long time.
01:59 I've known you since high school. You've been coaching, coaching, and coaching a lot of games. So maybe you can share to us and to all the viewers live on SportsSets,
02:10 how great does it feel to win a series like that against Miralka?
02:18 Well, of course, Andre, we were fortunate enough to beat Miralka in the do or die and get to the semifinals.
02:27 But a lot of credit has to go to J3 because he's the one who leads us in scoring, rebounding, and in assists.
02:38 It only shows how great a player he is and how great he is as a teammate. So we're just fortunate to have him.
02:47 And then we're just getting ready for Wednesday series against Magnolia.
02:53 J3, after that triple overtime game, did doubts start to creep in on the team with you?
03:03 Those thoughts that you might not be able to pull off the win in the quarter scores because you know Miralka wasn't going away and they were just really firing back.
03:16 I don't have self-doubt and I don't think my teammates have self-doubt either. And we have a great coach, Coach Jermike.
03:23 Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
03:24 They create an awesome game plan. All the assistant coaches contribute to a very, very high level.
03:29 And I believe in my teammates and I believe in myself and also believe in God.
03:33 So I think it's just everything to secure itself in the next game.
03:37 So, but Marco, they're a great team, great coaching style, had great players, great import, but he was able to squeeze out the victory in the end.
03:46 You said it, J3. You have a very great coaching staff and you have a very great head coach in Jermike Herrin.
03:52 Coach, heading into Sunday's game after suffering that tough loss wherein you had chances in that triple overtime loss against Miralka.
04:01 What did you say? What did you do? How confident were you that you wouldn't lose that do or die Sunday?
04:08 Because that's, I think, the toughest part is how to try to bounce back because obviously Miralka had the momentum, had the confidence.
04:16 Wow, we can beat these guys that took three overtimes. But yeah, we beat Phoenix. They had a great conference.
04:22 But what adjustments, what did you tell the boys? OK, it's not over. We can still do this in a do or die game.
04:29 Well, Felix, after that heartbreaking loss against Miralka, I just told everybody, yes, as soon as we, as fast as we can to forget about this game, the better for us.
04:45 So we did not talk about what went wrong. We just focused on the things that we needed to do.
04:53 And I was really confident going into the knockout game that we're going to pull it off because I overheard J3 before the knockout game against Miralka.
05:07 He was asking one of the trainers, what's the schedule for the Sims? So I overheard him ask that and I was really confident that we will make it to the Sims.
05:19 I like that. I like that. I like that J3 asking already for the schedule of the semifinals.
05:25 That was how confident you were heading into the do or die. And you took over in that deciding game. 21 points, 16 big rebounds for J3.
05:34 Was that your mindset for that game? OK, I'm not going home yet, man. I'm taking this team to the semis.
05:41 We're moving on to not only take over for the team, but also you did it in defensive fashion.
05:48 You shut down Miralka Sean Miller to only 12 points with five fouls.
05:53 So you did it on both ends off the floor. You just really had that. I'll take over. Let's do this.
06:00 We're moving on. Is that what was in your head before that game, J3?
06:06 Well, to be honest, I did not shut down Sean Miller. I have to give props to my teammates.
06:14 Mohan, Mox shut down Sean. He did an awesome job the entire series.
06:19 So I can't take credit for that. But it was a team effort to shut him down.
06:23 But I think Mox did most of the work, dirty work to shut him down, getting in his head, even busted his lip last night.
06:30 He took the fight to him the entire game. So you got to give a shout out to Mox. He did all that.
06:35 Oh, yeah. I've covered Mox since his college days. I know how tough that that that kid is.
06:42 And I like that humility as well from you, J3. It says a lot about your character and your attitude.
06:47 Coach, I don't know if you saw it, but Rainer Schein, head coach, Yang Yao was actually cheering for you guys when he was on the show.
06:56 Coach Yang was also even rooting and saying, I hope Phoenix wins it and makes it through the finals,
07:03 because he also said it's only you, Phoenix and Rainer Schein are the only independent teams in the playoffs.
07:11 Your thoughts on Coach Yang's comments, Coach Jamay.
07:16 Well, coming from a legendary coach, Coach Yang, it's a big plus for me personally, a big plus for our team.
07:26 But I was able to talk to Coach Yang before the game, the final elimination game,
07:35 and we were hoping that we would face each other in the finals.
07:41 So he was hoping that we would lose that game to Talking Pigs.
07:47 He got it right, though. He got it right that we blew the game against Talking Pigs.
07:52 But the dream of us meeting in the finals, just that it didn't happen this conference.
07:59 Hopefully, hopefully, that will happen sooner than later.
08:05 Well, Rainer Schein, a great franchise, but Phoenix, man, a great franchise,
08:11 the only independent team now left in the semis, as all three teams, Magnolia, Hine, Brinson, Miguel, are all with SMC.
08:18 J3, you've been killing it for Phoenix this whole conference. I cannot stress that enough.
08:23 I'm one of your fans. I don't know if I can say that out loud, but I just did.
08:28 Because I just like the way you approach the game, man. Do you feel like you are the best import of this conference, J3?
08:38 I just take it day by day. I try to do my job best way I possibly can.
08:43 Be a great teammate. And that's pretty much all I can do. I only care about being the best.
08:47 I just care about winning games and where I can beat my team, win.
08:52 I mean, if I'm the best import, then cool. But if not, I'm OK.
08:55 All I care about is winning a championship and putting a smile on all the fans and coaches and also my teammates' faces.
09:02 That's all we care about. You have a great import, Coach Jermichael.
09:05 Stay where you are, Coach and J3. Super. Super. I love talking to this guy.
09:10 The humility, but she's just a beast on the floor. Stay where you are. We'll continue this conversation.
09:16 You guys will take on a very tough team. The Magnolia Hotshots, number one in the conference.
09:22 How confident are you guys that Phoenix will overcome and top Magnolia?
09:28 Stay with us after the break. Jonathan Williams III and Coach Jermichael Jarin will still be with us after this quick timeout.
09:35 Stay tuned to Sports Desk only here on CNN Philippines where we go all out.
09:38 Today's top sports stories. We'll be right back.
09:49 And still with us tonight, Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters Head Coach Jermichael Jarin and their import, the superb J3, Jonathan Williams III.
09:59 Coach, you're the only one who's been left in the independent team, as I said in the playoffs.
10:03 Does that add to, you know, motivates you or is there pressure that, wait a minute, there's San Miguel, there's Hinebra, there's Magnolia, and then there's us.
10:15 To become the first independent team to win a title since Rain or Shine.
10:19 Well, coaching in the PBA, you will always have pressure. So, we're just like what J3 just said a while ago, we just take it day by day.
10:33 So, for me also, whatever level it is, it's still basketball and you should have fun doing it. So, let's just do the right things and have fun doing it.
10:45 Coach, I want to talk to you about Magnolia. That's a tall task. Number one team, actually not just this conference, but since the PBA on tour, they've been solid, they've been intact.
10:54 They also, you have a great import in J3, but their import, Tyler Bea, also a force to be reckoned with there.
11:00 Magnolia beat Phoenix in the elimination round, 107 to 92. Your thoughts on Magnolia, Coach?
11:07 Well, if you look at the stat sheets, they lead in all departments. So, that's the reason why they're number one.
11:15 They're well coached, class A franchise. So, we got our hands full also. And they've been together for the longest time.
11:26 But the thing is, we have the horses, we have the thoroughbreds to compete with them.
11:34 So, we just have to really focus on the things that we need to do and play selfless basketball on both ends.
11:42 And hopefully after 48 minutes or more than 48 minutes, we get the victory.
11:48 J3, matchup everybody is excited to see, including myself. It's Jonathan Williams III against Tyler Bea in a best of five semi-series.
12:00 How pumped up are you for that? Who do you think will have the edge when you face off?
12:07 Because the last time you met in the elimination round, Tyler Bea had 32, 16, and 3 steals.
12:13 You, on the other hand, had 26, 13 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
12:19 Who do you think will have the upper hand in this great series against two really great imports?
12:25 Well, like I said, it's a team sport. It's not just me and Tyler Bea out there on the court.
12:31 It takes five people to play the game of basketball. So, I mean, I believe in my teammates.
12:36 I have their backs and they have my backs. So, at the end of the day, it's not just me and Tyler Bea competing.
12:42 There's 10 people out there competing on the court. So, I believe in my coaching staff.
12:46 They come up with a great game plan. And I believe in my teammates and I believe in myself.
12:50 And I feel like after five games, we should have the victory.
12:54 Because I have total faith in myself, I have total faith in God, I have total faith in my coaching staff, and also my teammates.
12:59 This is just a great guy, Coach Jermike. I'm talking to him for the first time.
13:07 This is all about the team, the humility. And, by God, I love you even more, J3.
13:14 I love watching you on the floor and now just speaking with you, man.
13:18 But what makes, okay, I'm going to try to rephrase that question.
13:22 What do you think makes it really tough to go up against another great import in Tyler Bea?
13:30 Because it is an import-laden conference. So, the focus, of course, it's a team game.
13:36 The locals will have to step up, obviously. But, it's all said and done, at the end of the game, crunch time, when you need the bucket, they'll go to Tyler Bea.
13:45 Phoenix will go to you. Your thoughts on that matchup and what makes it tough against Tyler Bea here in the semis, J3?
13:55 Well, I mean, Tyler Bea plays for a great coaching staff. He has also great teammates as well.
14:00 He's athletic. He's long. He can play the four position, he can play the five position.
14:06 He runs the court very well. He can get a lot of offensive rebounds. So, overall, he's going to be a tough matchup.
14:13 But, like I said earlier, I feel like my coaching staff have a great game plan going in and I feel confident within myself and I feel confident with my teammates.
14:22 So, I feel like we'll be okay.
14:24 And I feel confident just listening to you, man.
14:26 Coach, twice lang na talo Magnolia in the Commissioner's Cup. No one thought that, let's face it, people counted you out.
14:34 People weren't thinking of you guys making it to the semis. But, here you are.
14:39 Phoenix is in the Final Four in the semis against Magnolia.
14:43 What do you think will your edge be against the Magnolia hotshots, Coach Jamaic?
14:49 The edge for us is we have J3. He leads in all departments. So, that's the biggest advantage, playing selfless basketball.
15:01 And also, the advantage for us is it's a series. It's a best of five. We're a young team, so we got some young legs.
15:11 So, we'll be ready to grind it out every game.
15:15 J3, how confident are you that Phoenix will come out of this series on top?
15:21 I know you'll take it one game at a time. It's a long series, best of five.
15:25 But, how confident are you taking this really tough Magnolia team in a best of five series that you can also come out and make it to the finals?
15:34 Well, I never go out to the game thinking I'm going to lose a game. So, that's the first thing. So, I'm always pretty confident.
15:41 My mind set is always to go in and win, no matter what. And I feel like I said, we have a great coaching staff, we have a great game plan.
15:48 And I believe in myself and I believe in my teammates. And I feel like we'll take care of business in a game of five.
15:52 I like that attitude. Well, Coach Jamaic, give us your bold prediction. How many games do you think it will take you in this series?
16:00 And for you to take the W, do you think it'll go until game five?
16:06 Oh, it's really tough. But I think it's going to go five games.
16:11 I really think so. Because it's going to be a great series for sure. Phoenix and Magnolia.
16:16 Coach Jamaic, before we end this conversation, you said last night you were about to dance inside the locker room.
16:25 Usually you dance. I know you were kidding around. But the fairy tale continues.
16:29 Will we see the Cinderella run of the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters continue until the finals, Coach?
16:37 Hopefully the fairy tale doesn't end in the semifinals. So, like all fairy tales are ending, they live happily ever after.
16:48 Well, thank you for joining us tonight. Pleasure talking to you again, Coach Jamaic. You know that. I appreciate you.
16:54 Congratulations. Job well done. But job's not yet finished. Good luck in the best of five semi-series against Magnolia.
17:01 J3, big fan of yours, sir. Thank you for appearing on the show. And I'll be speaking to you again soon.
17:07 Good luck in the semis, J3. Big fan.
17:10 That was Coach Jamaic Harin, head coach of the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters and their superb import, Jonathan Williams III of the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters.
17:21 Good luck.

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