San Miguel is anticipating a vengeful TNT to show up as the flagship franchises of the PBA’s rivaling conglomerates arranged yet another PBA Finals date.
Beermen head coach Leo Austria expects as much, believing that the Tropang 5G are entering the Season 50 Philippine Cup championship series motivated to flip the script after what happened in their last battle for gold.
“I think they are thinking how to get back at us,” he said after their 101-88 ouster of Ginebra in the semis Game 6 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum Friday.
The four-time Coach of the Year was referring to the Season 49 Philippine Cup Finals, in which SMB took down TNT in six games to successfully reclaim the Perpetual trophy it lost to the Meralco Bolts in the previous season.
But what many remember from that titular bout was San Miguel denying the MVP Group’s crown jewel from winning a Grand Slam for the second time.
The Beermen, then carrying the Petron Blaze banner, did the same thing back in 2011 when they beat the Tropang Texters in the Governors’ Cup Finals, with Arwind Santos leading the way.
(C) PBA Images
Now, the two are heading for another rematch, which Austria & Co. set up by finishing off the crowd darlings in six — big thanks to a scintillating career-high performance by CJ Perez, who finished with 41 points.
While they have yet to map out a plan, San Miguel is wary of the upcoming best-of-seven meeting ahead that starts Wednesday, given TNT’s pedigree — especially what it was able to accomplish just last season.
“Alam naman natin how hard it is to defeat TNT, especially with their experience in the last three conferences. They were in the Finals,” Austria said.
But if there’s anything that Austria likes about his team, it is the depth that the present-day Beermen possess, which they flexed versus Ginebra.
With June Mar Fajardo hounded by shoulder issues, that became a chance for the others to step up: from Don Trollano, to Jeron Teng, and to Mo Tautua’a.
“That’s very important for any team. If you noticed every game namin, yung won games namin, iba’t iba ‘yung nagiging Best Player of the Game,” he said.
“That’s a sign na ang bench ay kailangang-kailangan. Talagang nagpe-perform sila eh, to the point na yung trust ko sa kanila, nae-enjoy nila,” Austria added.
“It’s a sign for them to be confident and inspired sa ginagawa namin.”
