THE WAR IS ON

Game today:

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)

7:30 p.m. — Meralco vs San Miguel Beer

A long layoff is a double-edged sword.

Coming off a grueling series with little time to recover and prepare might eventually take its toll.

And a single game is not going to define a series.

Well-rested defending champion San Miguel Beer begins its grand slam bid against title-hungry Meralco when Game 1 of the best-of-seven Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup finals kicks off today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Tipoff is set at 7:30 p.m. with the Beermen, who are shooting for a 10th all-Filipino crown and 30th overall title, have the advantage of a long break following a sweep of Rain or Shine in the semifinals.

But San Miguel head coach Jorge Gallent worries about his players getting rusty after not playing competitive basketball for almost two weeks.

“We were kind of okay in this 11-day break. I’m just scared we might just be a little rusty. But we’ll see it on Wednesday,” Gallent said.

Behind the leading Best Player of the Conference June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, Don Trollano, veteran guards Marcio Lassiter and Chis Ross, Jericho Cruz and Terrence Romeo, the Beermen eased past the Elasto Painters but are sure to face quite a challenge from the Bolts.

Meralco survived a grueling come-from-behind seven-game semis series win over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel that only concluded last Friday in San Jose, Batangas.

The Bolts bested the Beermen in their first encounter in the elimination round, but past results won’t matter in what promises to be a hotly-contested showdown between the best-scoring team and the stingiest defenders in the tournament.

Meralco made a daring escape, 95-92, last 4 May to spoil San Miguel’s attempt of completing an 11-game elimination round sweep in Batangas City.

“That’s the past. We’ve already been to a lot of games in the PBA and we all know that one game won’t define our series,” Trillo said.

“One thing that I noticed with them is that they’re going to be ready, they’ve got experience, they’re well-coached, and their management is all out in supporting them. Like us, we’re also in the same situation.”

Just like his counterpart, Gallent believes their last meeting won’t have any effect on the series as they are both starting from scratch.

“The only thing that happened there, it was a game where our minds were on the sweep but as what (coach) Luigi said their backs were against the wall. And if they lost that game, they would not make it to the playoffs,” Gallent said.

‘They have good players. We have good players too.’

“So, they played their hearts out, we also played our hearts out to get the sweep, but that didn’t happen. But it’s done. We’ve learned from our mistakes in that game and we just have to get better.”

Despite being the underdog in the series against a team that is averaging a league-best 107.4 points per game, Trillo believes he has the pieces to match up against San Miguel.

Defense will be Meralco’s main weapon with seasoned big man Raymond Almazan, Cliff Hodge and rookie center Brandon Bates, who had an impressive outing in the finals with a conference-high six blocks.

The Bolts also have good scorers in Chris Newsome, Chris Banchero, Bong Quinto and streaky shooter Allein Maliksi.

“I personally believe that we have enough (firepower to match them up). But it’s not going to be easy,” Trillo said.

“They have good players. We have good players too.”