NLEX semifinal qualification came via a 137-89 rout of Phoenix that completed a quarterfinal sweep in the Governors' Cup, giving the franchise only its third semifinal appearance since it joined the PBA in 2014-15.
The Road Warriors had been eliminated in the quarterfinals of both the Philippine Cup and the Commissioner's Cup this season. Under debuting coach Jimmy Alapag, they have now reached the Final Four.
NLEX will meet the winner of the Rain or Shine-Converge series in a best-of-five semifinal. The survivor of that series advances to the championship round.
Robert Bolick set for a first semifinal appearance
Bolick, 34, will play in a PBA semifinal for the first time. In the 2019 Governors' Cup he was with NorthPort when the Batang Pier reached the semis, but an ACL injury kept him out of the playoffs.
He is in his third season with NLEX. Against Phoenix last Saturday he scored a game-high 23 points, including 3-of-5 from three-point range and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line, then sat out the fourth quarter as the reserves finished the game.
Bolick averaged 17.2 points in the eliminations and raised that mark to 24.7 across the quarterfinals. He was the third overall pick in the 2018 PBA draft, behind CJ Perez and Bobby Ray Parks, and has won championships in both the NCAA and the UAAP, with La Salle and San Beda.
The original report argued that Bolick has earned the semifinal stage after three seasons with the franchise, describing him as a player the team could not have asked more from.
NLEX semifinal berth built on a balanced rotation
Alapag has installed a system that rewards players for filling defined roles. Enoch Valdez, who drew trade talk between conferences, was given a defensive assignment instead and has started every game.
Bolick, Valdez and DeSchon Winston are the only local players to have started each game for NLEX. Valdez and Anthony Semerad alternate as the import defenders, a job the report says both have accepted without hesitation.
Winston, nicknamed Mr. Smooth, was NLEX's leading local scorer in the eliminations. Alapag often runs a three-guard lineup that rotates Bolick, Winston, Kevin Alas and LJay Gonzalez.
Import Deonte Burton, who brings NBA experience, has been used at multiple positions. The team ranks second in offense, third in field-goal percentage, first in three-point percentage and first in perimeter points.
Analysis: what NLEX's statistical profile shows
Analysis: Those rankings describe NLEX's efficiency across the conference rather than a forecast for the semifinal series. A best-of-five against either Rain or Shine or Converge will test whether a system built around role players holds up once opponents have multiple games to plan for Bolick and Winston.
The source report credits NLEX's balance as the reason it can be treated as a title threat. That is an assessment of form to this point, not a result the semifinals have confirmed.
The original report appeared on philstar.com.
