A Gentle Reminder: The Knights Must Be Cautious against Iloilo

Holding a 23-3 record, the San Juan Knights are keeping their chance of catching up to the league-leading Manila Stars atop the team standings. And with four games left on their 30-game schedule, they can actually do that provided that the Stars will lose some of their remaining games too.

The Knights' next 4 opponents?

They will begin by facing the Iloilo Royals tonight, then Zamboanga, the Caloocan Supremos before finishing the stretch against the Tamaraws of Mindoro.

Now, if you're John Wilson and company, you would want to finish the robin round with a 7-game winning streak and essentially, at the top stop of the team standings. Schedule-wise, it's possible. Of the four teams that are mentioned above, Zamboanga is the one team that can actually possess a serious threat against the shining Knights of San Juan City just because the former stands at 9th place in the standings. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

As mentioned, the Knights will face the Iloilo Royals tonight and while the Royals are nowhere near the top ten of the standings, the Royals are still a team to be reckoned with. As a matter of fact, they are one of the 5 teams that beat the Manila Stars. And even though that game was decided by 3 points, you cannot take away anything from Aaron Jeruta, Al Francis Tamsi and the rest of the Royals.

For the Knights themselves, it's simply about getting the job done against the Royals.

For one, offensive consistency is a key factor tonight. Against the Davao Occidental Tigers, the Knights had three players scoring in double figures- led by Orlan Wamar Jr.'s 15 points on 4 of 8 field goal shooting. John Wilson, the third-leading scorer in the league with a 20-point per game average, only had 14 points against the Tigers. What was bad about it is the fact that Wilson shot 4 for 14 from the three-point line and 4 for 16 overall. While John Wilson only finished in single digits on three occasions this season, his shooting efficiency must go up if the Knights wish to come out victorious against Iloilo.

But what else could make Iloilo a serious threat to the Knights' aspirations?

It's simple: they can stick with you like glue.

Their largest winning margin was 27 points against the Caloocan Supremos. Their largest losing margin was 13 points against Davao. In short, if the Royals can keep the score as close as they possibly can, it will be a long game for the Knights. The fact that they actually beat Manila by three points is enough proof that yes, they have a good to beat any team at any given time.

If the Knights can go out firing at all cylinders in the early goings, the better for them. Keep the score close and chances San Juan fans are in for a heart-stopping game.

Photo is from Rappler.com