San Mig eyes title and history
Austria seeks revenge against Ginebra Kings
Coach Leo Austria is in a familiar situation and his San Miguel Beermen are up 3-1 against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the PBA Philippine Cup finals, and on the verge of completing a three-peat in the league’s premier conference.
Austria was in a similar position against the same team nearly 26 years ago as a player of Shell Rimula X.
However, he and the rest of his team never got to lift the trophy, squandering that big advantage in the finals of the 1991 PBA First Conference.
“Naranasan ko ‘yan nung player pa ako, we were up 3-1 against Ginebra, player pa ako nun, Shell against Ginebra,” Austria once said in 2015.
Shell won three of the first four games against Ginebra of the iconic player-coach Robert Jaworski, before all went downhill.
Ginebra came back to take Games 5 and 6 and force a deciding seventh game at the ULTRA.
It was in that contest where Rudy Distrito delivered one of the biggest moments in PBA history.
Distrito’s off-balance shot over Jojo Martin and Benjie Paras with one second left, giving Ginebra a 104-102 victory – and that time the franchise’s third championship.
It is the only time that a team was able to rally from a 1-3 hole in a best-ofseven finals. That, of course, has been topped by Austria and the Beermen’s historic 0-3 rally against the Alaska Aces in last season’s Philippine Cup, known by many as “Beeracle.”
Austria may have redeemed himself with that amazing comeback, but he is certainly not keen on allowing Ginebra to erase another 1-3 deficit at his expense.
Game Today (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 6:30 p.m. - Ginebra vs San Miguel Series Summary: Game 1 – San Miguel 109, Ginebra 82 Game 2 – Ginebra 124, San Miguel 118, OT Game 3 – San Miguel 99, Ginebra 88 Game 4 – San Miguel 94, Ginebra 85 (San Miguel leads series 3-1)
The San Miguel Beermen are determined not to let a golden opportunity slip away as they shoot for their third straight PBA Philippine Cup title tonight in Game 5 of their best-of-seven finals with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Two straight victories following a 124-118 loss exactly a week ago in Lucena City have put the Beermen within an inch of securing the Jun Bernardino Perpetual Trophy, the large prize permanently given to a team that completes a three-peat in the seasonopening conference.
SMB can become the second team after the 2011-2013 Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters to win three in a row should it deliver the hammer on immensely-popular Ginebra side in the 6:30 p.m. showdown.
Talks of a reversal of the Beeracle – the term used in San Miguel’s incredible rally from 0-3 down to beat Alaska in last season’s Philippine Cup finals – have surfaced immediately after Friday’s 94-85 Game 4 win, the is why he and the rest of the team are keen on not giving Ginebra another lifeline.
“Di pa tapos ito,” Austria said. “0-3 nga kami before pero na-upset pa rin namin yung kalaban. Sabi ko nga we’re facing a great coach, a tough team supported by a large crowd, so anything could happen.
At the same time, Austria expressed confidence on his players to pull off the trifecta, adding: “I think with this commanding lead, makikita mo sa body language ng players na they don’t want to let go itong next game namin.”
Chris Ross, who ignites the Beermen’s torrid plays, is bracing for another difficult contest, and hopefully the last for the conference.
“It’s the finals. We got to come out every game,” said Ross. “It’s never going to be easy, and the further long you go in this series, the harder it gets.
“We’ve been through it before and we’re ready for whatever situation we come across,” added Ross, who had 17 points, four rebounds and nine assists in Game 4.
That sentiment was something Ginebra lacked. San Miguel raced to an 11-0 start and increased its lead to 26 in the third before holding off some minor threats late in the contest.
“Deep hole, gotta see if we can climb out of it,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone. “Just focus on Game 5, that’s all were worried about.
“There’s not much to say. They just beat us up. They showed how much power they have. They just overwhelmed us. We knew it would happen once or twice, but now it’s happened twice. Again, they’re just overwhelming at times.”