MANILA, Philippines – The “K and K tandem” of Kiefer Ravena and Kevin Alas NLEX head coach Yeng Guiao raved about during the offseason worked just in the nick of time as the Road Warriors advanced to the semifinals for the first time in franchise history.

Ravena and Alas’ partnership needed almost the entire elimination round of the Philippine Cup to develop but when it mattered most, the duo proved they were a potent combination by steering NLEX to a sweep of the Alaska Aces in their best-of-3 quarterfinals. 

In their 105-99 Game 1 win, Ravena did most of the heavy lifting for the Road Warriors as he posted 25 points and 8 assists while Alas finished with 17 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds. 

Two days after, Alas took the driver’s seat as he powered NLEX’s 87-83 Game 2 triumph with 18 points and 9 rebounds while Ravena had 11 points and 7 assists. 

While he and Ravena work together like a well-oiled machine, Alas admitted that it wasn’t easy at first. 

“‘Yung partnership namin ni Kiefer at the start of the conference, parang ‘di pa kami magkaamuyan eh. At the latter [part] of eliminations, parang gumanda na ‘yung laro namin pareho, nagsasabay na kami,” said Alas. 

(My partnership with Kiefer at the start of the conference, we were still trying to get used to playing together. But at the latter part of the elimination, we played better together, we were playing at each other’s pace.) 

What Guiao had gushed about came to fruition at the tail end of eliminations after the pair combined for 48 points in NLEX’s 93-90 victory over the Blackwater Elite last February 18. 

Like what they did to the Aces in the quarterfinals, the backcourt dyad took turns against the Elite with Alas picking up where Ravena, who already scored 19 points in the first 3 periods, left off by exploding for 16 big points in the 4th quarter alone. 

“That was the game na parang turning point namin for the both of us knowing that this is the result when we play good together. And then ever since, hindi naman kami nagsapawan niyan (Alas) eh. Alam naman namin kung ano ‘yung responsibilidad namin dito sa team,” said Ravena. 

(That was the game that was the turning points for the both of us knowing that this is the result when we play good together. And then ever since, we never try to outperform each other. We know our responsibility with the team.)

With the Road Warriors being in uncharted territory as they face the Magnolia Hotshots in a best-of-7 semifinals series starting on Saturday, March 10, Ravena and Alas look forward to the continuous success of their combination. 

“Hopefully, I play more years together with him. It’s something na very exciting, very promising and hopefully we just stay healthy,” said Ravena. – Rappler.com