Unlike the first two games of the series, Arwind Santos expressed satisfaction over the fact that he and the San Miguel Beermen did not give up a huge lead in Game Three on Sunday night.
The Beermen had lost hold of 20-point cushions in Games One and Two to the pesky Magnolia Hotshots, but the narrative was finally broken as San Miguel took care of their lead and coasted to a 111-87 win to lead the series 2-1.
“Napangalagaan namin yung kalamangan namin sa dulo,” said the product of FEU after the match, where he filled up the stat sheet with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting along with six rebounds, five blocks, and three steals.
“Yun yung isa sa pinaghandaan namin noong mahabang break, na ma-sustain namin yung kalamangan, na mapangalagaan namin [at] hindi mahahabol ng kalaban.”
The 24-point victory is San Miguel’s biggest winning margin in the title series so far. But even if it seems like they have finally displayed their form, Santos continues to remind that they could not be too confident.
“Focus pa rin kami… ‘Di pa rin kami pwedeng maging over-kumpyansa sa Magnolia,” warned the 12-year league veteran.
“Alam namin na magpe-prepare pa rin sila kaya may mga aayusin pa rin kami kahit nanalo kami.”
The Beermen are now two wins away from securing their fourth-straight All-Filipino crown. For the former league Most Valuable Player, it would definitely be huge if all of them will be able to contribute, just as they have shown in Game Three.
Their bench — especially Gabby Espinas, Brian Heruela, and Matt Ganuelas-Rosser — had enormous impact in the dismantling of Magnolia by playing a big role in their 17-3 run to seal the win. The bench scored a total of 33 points.
“Kung lahat kami pumuputok tapos yung mga bench namin, like si Gabby, si Brian, malaking bagay yun.”
With the way things are going, Santos hopes that they can sustain this come Wednesday.
