Bolick, NLEX dream bigger than PBA semis: 'Bakit tayo mangangarap ng semis lang?'

The semifinals may be uncharted territory once again for this NLEX squad, but veteran Robert Bolick is making it clear that the Road Warriors are not just happy to be there.

The sharp-shooting guard said that NLEX may be ecstatic over its return to the semifinals stage after nearly five years, but stressed that the Road Warriors have bigger ambitions of breaking through to their first-ever PBA Finals and, ultimately, chasing the franchise's maiden championship.

"Ilang beses na kami nabigo. Ngayon, at least aabot na ulit kami ng semis. Pero sabi nga ni coach, bakit tayo mangangarap ng semis lang," Bolick said after NLEX completed a quarterfinals sweep of Phoenix.

"Kaya naman naming mag-finals, edi pangarapin na namin 'yung pinakamataas. Wala namang bayad 'yon. Focus kami sa semis, kung sino man makalaban namin."

(We’ve fallen short a number of times. Now, at least we’re able to reach the semis again. But as coach said, why dream of just the semis? We can make it to the finals, so we’ll dream higher. It doesn’t cost anything to dream. We’ll focus on the semis, whomever we face.)

That same mentality was what rookie head coach Jimmy Alapag sought to instill in the squad when he took over the coaching reins last June, fully aware of the heartbreak the Road Warriors endured in the previous conference.

Despite finishing as the top seed in the previous Commissioner's Cup, NLEX suffered back-to-back quarterfinal losses to TNT, a result Alapag hopes to use as motivation as the team looks to take the next step and avoid another early exit.

"I think our team is growing throughout the conference and so I know that people would say that this team hasn't been in the semis but I think 'yung growth nila as we progress through this conference has been steady," Alapag added.

"And I'm excited kasi in the semis, these guys get the opportunity to reap the reward that they put in and kahit sinong kalaban namin in the semis, Rain or Shine or Converge, another worthy opponent.

"We'll continue to work."

(I think our team is growing throughout the conference and so I know that people would say that this team hasn't been in the semis but I think their growth as we progress through this conference has been steady... And I'm excited because in the semis, these guys get the opportunity to reap the reward that they put in and whoever our opponents in the semis will be, Rain or Shine or Converge, another worthy opponent... We'll continue to work.)

NLEX hasn't been in the semifinals since the 2021-2022 Governors' Cup, where the Road Warriors, then coached by current Rain or Shine tactician Yeng Guiao, ended up as second seed, outlasted Alaska in the quarterfinals, and reached the semis.

But things went south for NLEX then, falling to Barangay Ginebra in their best-of-five semifinals affair to bow out of contention.

But the Road Warriors are not looking to repeat history and instead hope to rewrite their playoff story.

"I'm grateful to have the opportunity to coach them and I'm extremely proud that not only we're in the semifinals, but now, they get a chance to do something great," Alapag said.

—JMB, GMA News