Dogfight looms as Kings, Beermen dispute semis spot
SAN Miguel import George King and Ginebra reinforcement Jordan Murphy are expected to go all out when the Beermen and the Kings collide in Game 5 of their PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup best-of-five quarterfinal series on Tuesday.
Photograph by Joey sanchez Medoza for DAILY TRIBUNE
Game today:
(Ynares Center-Antipolo)
7:30 p.m. — Ginebra
vs San Miguel Beer
Will Barangay Ginebra’s never-say-die spirit prevail, or is it time for another “Beeracle” moment for San Miguel Beer?
It all boils down to one more win for the sister teams as they go all-out in the do-or-die Game 5 of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Governors’ Cup quarterfinals today at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.
After splitting their first four meetings in the best-of-five series, the lone 7:30 p.m. match will decide which team earns the right to face defending champion TNT in the semifinals, slated to begin on 4 December after the 2027 FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers break.
Momentum is on the Beermen’s side after pulling off a comeback from a 0-2 series deficit.
San Miguel forced the rubber match with a close-shave, 108-102, equalizer in Game 4 last Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“We haven’t done anything yet. We just evened the series. They won two straight. We won two straight. Now, it’s a decider. It’s usually how it goes when we play Ginebra. We’re excited to play that next game,” Beermen veteran guard Chris Ross said.
The Beermen are now on the cusp of replicating their historic series come-from-behind win, when they flipped a 0-3 deficit into a dramatic title conquest over Alaska in the 2016 Philippine Cup.
However, San Miguel head coach Leo Austria would rather focus on what his team has been doing right in the last two games and complete the series reversal.
The Beermen’s defense proved effective after they limited Kings playmaker RJ Abarrientos to just seven points on 2-of-13 shooting from the field and without a single assist.
Ginebra import Jordan Murphy also struggled offensively in the last two games, averaging 16.5 points after putting up norms of 31.5 in Games 1 and 2.
“We just want to focus on what we are doing especially on our defense,” Austria said.
The Kings, on the other hand, are suddenly in a win-or-go-home situation after building a commanding series lead.
“They’re a great team. We knew they were going to come back, and they came back a little harder than we thought they would,” Ginebra head coach Tim Cone said.
Now, the Kings get one last shot to finish the job and avert total collapse.
Meanwhile, NLEX and Converge face off in the other best-of-five semifinals series.