Danger zone: Austria insists series is far from over

Game today:

(Mall of Asia Arena)

7:30 p.m. — TNT vs San Miguel

San Miguel Beer head coach Leo Austria has been in too many finals appearances to fall into the illusion that the title is already secured by going up after five games in a best-of-seven series.

Finishing off a team with its back against the wall is never easy, and the Beermen mentor expects a fiercer TNT come Game 6 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Philippine Cup finals Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Back-to-back championship-seeking San Miguel is on red alert against the desperate attempt of the Tropang 5G to extend the series and avoid a repeat of last season’s all-Filipino conference result that spoiled their grand slam bid.

“I’m expecting a different ballgame from them. And it’s up to us how to realize (and react to) the situation,” Austria said, bracing for an all-out assault by TNT in their 7:30 p.m. match.

The Beermen bounced back from a terrible whipping in Game 4 with a dramatic comeback from 16 points down for a 96-82 victory in Game 5 Friday at the Ynares Center-Antipolo to regain the series advantage, 3-2.

San Miguel found an unlikely hero in Rodney Brondial, who posted a double-double of 17 points and 15 rebounds to help ace center June Mar Fajardo demolish the Tropang 5G from underneath.

Seven Beermen scored in double figures in a collective effort to push the franchise to within a win of its 31st title overall.

San Miguel outrebounded TNT, 51-36, feasted inside the painted area, 46-22, while keeping the Tropang 5G from scoring any fastbreak points.

Now, Austria rallies his men for one final push.

“We should be motivated by that opportunity (to close the series. But it’s not that easy, because their backs are against the wall, just like what happened in the last game (Game 4),” Austria said, warning his team against complacency.

“Everybody wants to finish this but there’s no assurance. We have to keep on working hard,” he added.

“And try to know and realize what’s really happening in the game. Because we know that this is a game of adjustment.”

However, there are doubts about Fajardo’s health condition after hurting his knee midway through the third quarter. The 6-foot-10 big man sat out the rest of the third period but returned in the final canto and played for three minutes despite some swelling on his left knee.

He was scheduled to undergo medical checks on Saturday to assess the extent of his injury.

TNT is crossing its fingers that a day of rest, recovery and preparation is enough to make the necessary adjustments to drag the series into a do-or die.

“We’ve got to take care of the ball better. I think we’ve got to make better decisions with the ball as well and I thought they kind of picked us apart defensively,” Tropang 5G guard Jordan Heading said.

TNT will have to play more aggressively on both ends of the court and even more physical to survive.

“We’ve got to crank up that pressure a little bit more,” Heading added.

Heading, Calvin Oftana, who had 20 points, and Rey Nambatac will have to get more support from the rest of head coach Chot Reyes’ crew to get the job done.

Big men Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Poy Erram must show up ready to bang bodies with the Beermen’s bigs, particularly Fajardo, and keep out of foul trouble to contribute to the cause.