After the San Miguel Beermen scored a dramatic 104-98 Game Three victory over Rain or Shine to stay alive in their best-of-five semi-finals series, Chris Ross, one of the team’s emotional leaders, said: “Did you all expect something different?”
The Beermen, with their backs against the wall after going down 0-2 in the series two nights ago and with import Tyler Wilkerson nowhere to be found prior to Game Three, responded in the most Beermen way possible, claiming a must-win affair by showing their patented character to keep their hopes of entering the next round alive.
“We played hard. We were willing to take any challenge. Not playing with an import was a big challenge for us, (but) we were up for the task. We wanted to go out and play as hard as we could. We made plays in the end,” Ross said.
That Game Three was played at the PhilSports Arena–the same venue where the Beermen won Game Four of last conference’s Philippine Cup finals which jump-started a four-game winning run to capture the title–only added to the unique setting and storyline.
“Oo nga no, deja vu,” Arwind Santos said.
But whether it was the PhilSports Arena or another venue, there was no doubt in the Beermen’s minds that they would respond the way they did in Game Three: by showing heart and grit that no other team has paralleled over the past two years.
“No choice eh. Hindi naman namin kontrolado lahat. Ang gusto lang namin maglaro. So kung ano desisyon ng coaches or management, doon kami. Kaya pa naman namin manalo at nagawa naman namin. Sana magtuloy-tuloy,” Santos said.
It was again one of those situations where the Beermen knew exactly what to do with the adversity presented to them.
“We really just didn’t want to get swept. Now we are taking it one game at a time. Luckily it’s a five-game series. We win it on Sunday, it’s a tied ball game,” Ross said.
Marcio Lassiter topscored for the Beermen in the absence of Wilkerson, firing 30 points including 5-for-8 from three-point area. His performance alone, which toppled a measly Game Two output of points including 2-for-7 from long range, was very characteristic of how the Beermen respond when pushed to the hilt.
“For me, I knew the shots I took in Games One and Two they should have fell. Every shot I take, I have confidence. Sometimes, it is just not your night. The past two games was not my night,” he said.
“But I did not changed anything, I just continued shooting the ball with confidence and I knew it was going to drop.”
Lassiter added the team was already familiar with being in a must-win situation, and they responded well.
“We all knew the situation. We have our backs against the wall. It has happened before, we had this type of experience before, we have the guys in our group, the players we battle with, we know we can prevail and that is a testament to our heart and how much we want it more,” Lassiter said.
The Beermen were down 0-2 when they entered Game Three, but they knew it was just one of those games again where they have an opportunity to show who they are.
And they did not only prove they’re down but not out; they showed they’re the San Miguel Beermen–the best team in the PBA today.
