Bolts go for jugular
Games today: (FilOil EcoOil Centre) 3 p.m. — Meralco vs Ginebra 6 p.m. — Magnolia vs NLEX
Meralco tries to complete its revenge act when it finishes off Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup at the FilOil EcoOil Center in San Juan.
Armed with a 1-0 advantage, the Bolts will go for the sweep in a highly-anticipated 3 p.m. encounter that will determine their chances of making another semifinal appearance in this all-Filipino tourney.
Red-hot Magnolia also eyes to complete the Final Four picture when it collides with NLEX in the main event at 6 p.m.
Leader San Miguel Beer and defending champion TNT Tropang Giga already punched their semifinal tickets following their victorious performance last Wednesday.
The Beermen zapped Blackwater, 123-93, while the Tropang Giga dominated, 116-95, in the quarterfinals.
With that, the Beermen will face the winner between Meralco and Ginebra while the Tropang Giga will clash with the survivor in the Magnolia-NLEX clash in the best-of-seven semifinals.
But for now, the spotlight is on Meralco. Without head coach Norman Black, the Bolts maintained their power and grabbed a crucial head start by clobbering the Kings, 93-82, in Game 1 of their best-of-three quarterfinal duel over the weekend.
Aaron Black tied his career-high 25 points on a fiery 10-of-16 shooting while skipper Chris Newsome chipped in 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
We know we’re going up against a champion team. They’ve beaten us in every series but we need one more game.
Allein Maliksi also made his presence felt by firing 17 markers and five boards and Cliff Hodge added 10 points and five rebounds.
Acting head coach Luigi Trillo is determined to pull the rugs from under the Kings, but he is aware that it will be a risky move against his former mentor and Ginebra tactician Tim Cone.
After all, the Bolts have always been on the losing end of their numerous battles with the Kings, the most recent was during the Governors’ Cup finals.
“We know we’re going up against a champion team. They’ve beaten us in every series but we need one more game,” Trillo, who once served under Cone’s wings during their long stint with Alaska.
“As much as the guys played well, we know what Ginebra is about. They’re gonna come back harder in the second game so we need to see what are the other things that we can do.”
Although their backs are against the wall, the Kings are eager to live for another day and push Meralco to the limit.
Veteran playmaker LA Tenorio believes his squad can square things up and they just have to match the Bolts’ energy on the court.
Meanwhile, the PBA board of governors has approved a two-conference format for the 48th season to give way for Gilas Pilipinas’ preparation in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
The board also agreed that Gilas can select additional players for the August window from all available teams that won’t compete in the Philippine Cup finals.