Defending champion San Miguel Beer is coming into the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinals series riding the crest of its red-hot winning streak.
Following a 0-2 start in the season-opening all-Filipino Conference, the Beermen went on a rampage and won their next 10 games for a second straight Final Four appearance.
Top-seeded San Miguel made quick work of NLEX, 101-94, in the quarterfinal on Christmas Day and has been resting and preparing for the next round since then.
But the Beermen are in for a challenge in a second in a row semis showdown against sister-team Barangay Ginebra starting Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
For nine-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, winning runs won’t weigh much in playoffs, especially against a team as tough as the Kings.
“This is a confidence booster for us that we won 10 straight. But what transpired in the eliminations and the quarterfinals are all in the past now. We’re now in a best-of-seven series,” Fajardo said.
“It’s back to zero now.”
The big man is wary of how dangerous Ginebra is in the playoffs.
In fact, the Beermen went through the wringer before hurdling Ginebra in seven games in the previous Philippine Cup edition.
“We can’t be too complacent because we want to make it to the finals,” Fajardo said.
“But we know that it’s not gonna be easy. We have to work on it. We’re willing to work for it.”
San Miguel defeated Ginebra, 83-81, in their Dubai meeting during the eliminations on 26 October.
Just like the Beermen, the Kings are on a roll, winning seven straight games, including two over twice-to-beat Converge in the quarters.
Fajardo knows it will take a lot of work to get past Ginebra and its never-say-die spirit, but San Miguel can get the job done.
“We’re capable of winning as long as we follow our game plan,” he said.