There’s a bigger problem than matchups that San Miguel has to address if it wants to stay alive in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.
As far as June Mar Fajardo is concerned, going back to the drawing board to fix their defense shall be on top of their list after the Beermen got blown out by Ginebra for the second time in a row, thus falling to 0-2 in the race-to-3 bout.
“Mas organized kasi ‘yung Ginebra. Kailangan lang talaga namin maging organized lalo na sa depensa namin,” the league’s only nine-time MVP told reporters moments after their 126-99 Game 2 loss on Friday night.
Fajardo offered as much when asked if the import duel between George King and Jordan Murphy is becoming a problem for the traditional contender.
That came after the Kings’ new guy got the better of his high school teammate once more, falling just short of tallying his first PBA triple-double after finishing with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, along with two steals.
He clearly upped the ante this time around after finishing with 29 points and 11 rebounds, plus four blocks, in Game 1 last Tuesday, marking yet another proof of how comfortable he has become with Tim Cone’s vaunted triangle.
King, on the other hand, has been far from his explosive form in the group phase.
After scoring 20 points, albeit on 20 shots, in the series opener, the veteran wing was held to a conference-low 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and finished with a -20.
For sure, it shall be one of the many topics SMB will discuss ahead of Game 3 on November 3 in Dasmariñas, Cavite. However, Fajardo wants the crew to regroup and work on its defense as a whole in an effort to prevent a sweep.
Specifically, they need to limit the Barangay’s outside shooting. Tim Cone’s charges hit 16 three-pointers at 45.7-percent accuracy in Game 2, half of which they knocked down in the opening period alone to build a 34-24 lead.
“Kasi ‘yung scoring naman namin, nandoon naman,” said Fajardo, who finished with 16 points and nine rebounds.
“Pero doon talaga sa depensa, kasi sobrang dami nilang three-pointers. Kailangan namin ma-address ‘yun.”
Needless to say, San Miguel has an arduous task of trying to make it a series, but the 36-year-old Cebuano isn’t just about to throw in the towel yet.
Because if there’s a team in the league that knows how to overhaul such big playoff deficits, it’s them—the team that pulled off the ‘Beeracle’ 10 years ago.
“Walang imposible,” said Fajardo.
“Kailangan lang namin mag-regroup. Mahirap kalaban ‘yung Ginebra kasi sobrang lakas nila, tapos well-organized. Pero walang imposible. Kailangan maging positive lang and one game at a time.”
