PBA: 'Feeling namin kaya namin lahat dahil naka Grand Slam kami' says Marc Pingris on Purefoods' semis exit

Purefoods opened their Commissioners' Cup campaign with an auspicious 4-0 start, and the dark clouds seemed to part for the Grand Slam champions after their sorry quarterfinals exit last conference.

Coach Tim Cone was seen with a look of content as his team finished the elimination round at third seed with an 8-3 card.

"Sarap," the winningest coach in the PBA said after securing a best-of-three series against the sixth seed in the playoffs.

The Hotshots then manhandled the formidable Alaska squad, the runners-up in the Philippine Cup.

Purefoods was back in the semifinals, and no one seemed to have doubted their chances in defending their title this time around. Their import, Denzel Bowles, was churning out monster numbers and their bench delivered solid performances during the eliminations.

But then came Talk 'n Text, a powerhouse team they beat in triple overtime in an out of town game.

Purefoods won in Game One thanks to Bowles' 49-point outing, but the Tropang Texters adjusted well and swept the next three games to close out the series and deny the Hotshots a finals ticket.

Asked what could have possibly gone wrong, Hotshots forward Marc Pingris said it all boiled down to the team's mentality after achieving the rare Grand Slam.

"Hindi ko alam kung lumaki ba 'yung ulo namin," he said. "Feeling namin kaya namin lahat dahil naka-Grand Slam kami. Nawawala 'yung gigil namin sa mga laro pagdating sa mga crucial game ngayon. Nawawala 'yung energy namin."

He said that they have to work on their composure in pressure situations, which was seemingly absent in the last three games.

"Ngayon pag hinahabol kami parang natataranta na kami e. Dati hindi e, talagang steady lang kami," Pingris said.

The veteran big man said the Hotshots will have to work hard to get into top shape in the season-ending Governors' Cup, where they will be reinforced by Marqus Blakely in another bid to defend their championship. - RAF, GMA News