Beermen in command; Hotshots need to rally
SENSING the scent of blood, San Miguel Beer shoots for a commanding 3-0 series lead as the PBA Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup best-of-seven Finals continues on Wednesday, February 7, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The Beermen are looking to make a solid follow-up to their 109-85 demolition of the Hotshots in Game 2 last Sunday when they tackle Magnolia for the third time in the series at 7:30 p.m.
Coach Jorge Gallent’s “Death 15” squad has been nothing but spectacular after winning the first two games of the title series by an average margin of 16 points.
But then again, Gallent has cautioned his boys from falling into complacency.
“It’s Magnolia’ energy (that we have to watch out). We just have to match their energy. We have to make sure they don’t outwork us,” said Gallent, who is gunning for his first PBA championship as head coach.
The Beermen have won a franchiserecord tying 11 straight wins after that Game 2 rout, and will be looking to set a new one with another victory in Game 3.
Still, the San Miguel coach stressed that taking a 2-0 lead doesn’t mean anything at this point since the Beermen’s ultimate goal is to win the championship.
“We just achieved the 2-0 thing but we haven’t achieved what we want to achieve. The (Finals) sweep is not in our minds,” he added.
“Our take is how to get four games before them. So as of now, we’re thinking of Game 3, nothing else.”
While Magnolia entered the Finals with the reputation of being the top defensive team in the tournament, the wards of coach Chito Victolero struggled to slow down San Miguel’s offense.
American import Bennie Boatwright, along with veteran shooters Marcio Lassiter, CJ Perez, Jericho Cruz and Marcio Lassiter have all provided the solid artillery for the Beermen.
Added to that, seven-time league Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo brings in his inside presence to complement the San Miguel gunners.
Magnolia’s veteran sniper Paul Lee has been a disappointment in the first two games of the championship series after averaging just 5.5 points while shooting a dismal 2-of-16 from the floor.
As a team, the Hotshots shot just 39 percent from the field in the first two games and needed to get their game going if they want to end their title drought.
Magnolia’s last taste of the PBA championship was the Governors’ Cup in 2018.