FOLLOWING one miraculous and morale-boosting victory, San Miguel Beer is craving for more.
With momentum and confidence on their side, the Beermen shoot for a commanding 2-0 lead over rival Rain or Shine in their 2015-16 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal series.
Leading the series 1-0 after a scintillating comeback win in Game 1, defending champion San Miguel is eyeing an even larger lead as it goes for a second win against the Elasto Painters, who are expected to do their best to avoid a 0-2 hole, in Game 2 at 7 p.m. today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
In Game 1 last Tuesday night, the Beermen showed the heart of a champion as they rallied back from a gigantic 20-point deficit entering the final period to eventually pull off an astounding 109-105 Game 1 victory after outscoring the Elasto Painters 38-14 in that intense last 12 minutes.
San Miguel coach Leo Austria was lost for words after his team’s amazing effort.
‘’I don’t know what to say. It was just unbelievable,’’ said Austria, whose wards showed tons of resiliency.
Now, Austria is hoping for a repeat performance from his squad.
‘’We know how to win, so I’m hoping for another one in Game 2. That will give us a good lead,’’ he said.
Two-time reigning Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo once again rose to the occasion in Game 1 as he put up huge numbers with game-highs of 36 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks to spearhead San Miguel, even as teammates like Arwind Santos, Chris Ross and Ronald Tubid all came up huge as well.
But don’t expect Rain or Shine to just bend and break.
Painters coach Yeng Guiao remains very optimistic of his team despite the monumental Game 1 meltdown.
‘’We just need to put that one (Game 1) behind us. It was a very disappointing loss but it’s a long series,’’ said Guiao. ‘’We learned our lesson. We’re looking at that game positively.’’
Guiao then added that his team certainly needs to outdo itself to be able to square the series up. ‘’We just need to be better than what we were in Game 1.’’
Meanwhile, Guiao and center Beau Belga were each fined P20,000 for separate offenses committed in the third quarter of the semifinal opener.
Guiao was whistled for a technical foul for bumping San Miguel guard Chris Ross during a throw-in situation with 9:45 left in the third quarter. Belga was also assessed a T for forcefully shoving Ross during that incident. The fine levied was for violation of league rules prohibiting a player seated on the bench from leaving when a commotion is taking place.