Beermen, Bolts seek crucial win
Now it’s off to a mad dash to two wins of the remaining three matches of this action-packed series.
Daily TribuneNow it’s off to a mad dash to two wins of the remaining three matches of this action-packed series.
JUNE Mar Fajardo needs to break free from the stifling defense of Brandon Bates and Cliff Hodge to help San Miguel Beer win the PBA Philippine Cup title.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PBA
Game today:
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
7:30 p.m. — San Miguel Beer vs Meralco
Two more wins to decide the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup champion.
Defending champion San Miguel Beer and Meralco are tipped to go all out as they collide in crucial Game 5 of their best-of-seven finals series to move a heartbeat away from winning the title of the season-ending conference.
Game time is set at 7:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with the Beermen expected to bank on the momentum they gained from their 111-101 win in Game 4 over the Bolts last Wednesday that knotted the series to two games apiece.
Now it’s off to a mad dash to two wins of the remaining three matches of this action-packed series.
“It’s a great win for us but we just tied the series and made it a best-of-three,” San Miguel head coach Jorge Gallent said.
The Beermen saw the return of guard Terrence Romeo from a calf injury in Game 4 after being sidelined in the first three finals outings while big man Vic Manuel came off the bench to deliver quality minutes that caught the Bolts off guard.
But Fajardo’s personal season-best 28 points and 13 rebounds got San Miguel going for a 12-0 win-loss record when scoring above 100 in the all-Filipino conference.
Gallent points out that the Beermen need to be the ones setting the pace and not allow themselves to play at the tempo that the Bolts will dictate.
Gallent, who is on a mission to steer San Miguel in completing a grand slam and delivering the franchise’s 30th title overall, underscores the importance of his men taking their shots.
“The first three games they (Bolts) were dictating the game. They were averaging 16 more shots than us. Now, I was looking at that and I think they just had one extra shot and I think that’s a big, big factor,” Gallent said of the series equalizer where San Miguel had 37-of-75 field goals just one attempt short of Meralco’s total shots.
“If a team averages 16 more shots than you, then that’s really hard to beat and really hard to win.”
The Beermen, however, have yet to take a lead in the series.
Bolts coach Luigi Trillo said they need to revert to their tried and tested formula to regain the series lead.
Defense has been key for the Bolts as they get higher chances of winning games when they limit their opponents to below 90 points.
“We’ve got to be better at cleaning up our rotations. Our (defensive) rotation was terrible when we gave Marcio (Lassiter) a lot of open looks. We’ll figure it out,” Trillo said as he rued giving the league’s third all-time leader in three-points made pocket four treys.
The mentor also wants to address Meralco’s inside defense after allowing San Miguel to score 52 points in the paint on a 57-percent shooting.
“We need to focus on all of the things that we need to be doing. We can’t have June Mar going strong (to the basket). We can’t allow Terrence and Vic to get their way in,” Trillo said.
Chris Newsome, who tallied a career-high 40 points in Game 4, Chris Banchero and Cliff Hodge will need extra lift from the rest of the Bolts to bounce back.
