Newsome: Finals series far from over

Scoring two kills over star-studded San Miguel Beer in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup is already a feat.

But the thought of Meralco already cracking the Beermen code would be too much.

“Absolutely not,” Bolts guard Chris Newsome said following Meralco’s 93-86 win in Game 1 of their best-of-seven finals series Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Bolts shocked the grand slam-seeking defending champion in their first-ever all-Filipino conference title showdown, marking their second win over San Miguel in the season-ending tournament.

Newsome downplayed Meralco’s win as pulling off a series victory over the well-experienced Beermen is easier said than done.

“This team is a championship team. They’re a dynasty team. They are capable of doing amazing things. You are all there for the ‘Beeracle.’ You can’t count this team out,” Newsome said pointing out San Miguel’s comeback from a 0-3 series deficit in the 2016 Philippine Cup finals against Alaska.

The Bolts, whose defensive effort in the second half spelled the difference in the series opener that saw them trail by seven at the break, brace for a tough Game 2 fightback from San Miguel today.

“All I know is that they’re going back to the drawing board and they’re gonna find ways to try to execute much better and to counter everything that we did tonight,” Newsome, who scored 18 points in Game 1, said.

“That’s how good of an organization they are. They’re very smart all the way through and they’re proven winners. You can never count out the heart of a champion.”

San Miguel has yet to beat Meralco in the tournament.