During their first three games in the 2018 Commissioner’s Cup, the San Miguel Beermen struggled to fit in rookie Christian Standhardinger and, later on, Renaldo Balkman. Though the two players are as versatile as one can get, the tried and tested line-up of the Beermen had to make adjustments on the fly to make ends meet.
And Wednesday evening, San Miguel again figured in a slow start, falling behind by as much as 13 points, 41-54, early in the third frame. But just like a diesel engine, everything suddenly clicked for the Beermen in the final frame.
“Yung combination e. Kasi nahirapan pang hanapin ni coach Leo [Austria] yung combination. ‘Yun talaga ‘yun. Hindi pa niya makita kung sino yung gagamitin niya. Mabuti naman, kahit papano, napi-pick up na niya pakonti-konti,” shared 12-year pro Arwind Santos.
Santos provided the spark San Miguel needed in their decisive 17-1 run that gave San Miguel a 14-point edge in the closing minutes of the contest. The former league Most Valuable Player scored 11 of his 13 points in the final quarter alone that led to a 106-94 victory — San Miguel’s first win of the conference.
And it’s because Santos and his teammates played with a sense of urgency, as they could not afford another loss if they aspire to finish the elimination round in the top two.
“Thankful kami nakaisa kami.
“Lahat ng teammates ko kahapon, meron kaming team bonding, as in players lang. Napag-usapan namin na 0-3 na kami, kailangan wag na nating i-allow na maging 0-4 pa,” disclosed Santos. “Mabuti naman nagkaisa na kami kasi ang goal na lang namin ngayon, hindi na top one or top two e, dun sa three, four, five, six na lang kami. Yun ang goal namin ngayon.”
To continue the momentum that they gained in this game, the seven-time PBA champion believes that they need to make sacrifices for one another.
“Dapat nandudun pa rin dapat yung mentality ng player na dapat, sacrifice talaga. Kagaya namin, siyempre, magkakaposisyon kami, kelangan hindi ka mafu-frustrate kapag ‘di ka napapasok kahit alam mo nang dapat ka nang gamitin.”
