It’s the same kind of walloping that San Miguel Beer has dealt TNT in the past three games, with the Beermen—weather permitting, of course—out to play possibly the last game of its redemption tour, when they try to close out the hobbling Tropang 5G in an emotion-filled PBA Philippine Cup title series at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“The killer instinct, that’s what’s most important,” San Miguel coach Leo Austria said of what’s needed as they take the floor at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday in search of the franchise’s record-extending 30th title while also denying the Tropang 5G a Grand Slam that looked so promising when all of this started.
After bowing out in underachieving ways in the last three conferences, San Miguel can reclaim its old throne after not giving TNT any quarters in the last three games, or after losing Game 1 in the controversial way which Austria and most of his players are saying has lit a fire in them.
“You can see it in their eyes after we were denied (of the Game 1 win),” Austria had said after a 105-91 Game 4 win that set the tables up for a celebration like no other.
With a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, San Miguel, with a win, can become the 24th team out of 41 sides to close it out in Game 5 after taking that lead.
There’s no more pressure as far as San Miguel is concerned, for the Beermen have peaked at the right time and the Tropang 5G have been hit by injuries at the most inappropriate moment in their chase to win just the sixth Triple Crown sweep in league history.
There is also the fact that only four teams in the rich history of the league have been able to erase a 1-3 deficit to win, and the last team to ever do that was San Miguel in 2016 when it came back from 0-3 down to beat Alaska in the Finals of this same conference.
“Injured or not, they still keep fighting hard,” Austria went on in paying tribute to TNT, which was forced to play Poy Erram in Game 4 despite an ankle sprain that has reportedly worsened into a hamstring tear.
TNT is already without Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac, Calvin Oftana also has a sore leg and Kelly Williams, tasked to defend newly crowned Best Player of the Conference and soon-to-be nine-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, is also playing on one good leg.
“It’s all part of the game,” Austria, who can become a 10-time champion coach with another win, said when told of the injuries that hit their foes.
There was so much distraction off the court after Game 4, when Jojo Lastimosa blasted Chris Ross and Jericho Cruz for celebration antics he said bordered on the arrogant.
Maybe he really saw something offensive in their actions or it could be frustration on his part.
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The fact remains that the Tropang 5G have a really deep hole to climb out of, and San Miguel—with its long championship history—will certainly be more than willing to take them out of their miseries. INQ
