Arwind not surprised by bench rise
San Miguel Beer star forward Arwind Santos isn’t surprised that the bench has stepped up to provide a big lift since the start of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals against Magnolia and with Game 4 set at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight, the Spiderman said the mindset is just to focus on one win at a time.
San Miguel is up, 2-1, in the best-of-7 series and another win will put the Beermen on the brink of claiming a fourth straight Philippine Cup crown. Head coach Leo Austria is unbeaten in five Finals so far and one more feather in his cap will extend his unscathed record. For Santos, it’s his ninth Finals appearance and he’s gunning for a seventh title.
“Para sa akin, ‘di ako nagulat na nag-step up ang bench namin dahil alam ko kaya nila ‘yan basta may kompyansa lang sila,” said Santos,
36. “May tiwala kami sa bench namin kahit dati pa naman talagang maaasahan namin sila. Malaking tulong off the bench sina Gabby (Espinas) at Brian (Heruela) mapa opensa o depensa.” In Game 1 which Magnolia won, 105-103, the San Miguel bench scored only a single point. But in Game 2 which San Miguel took, 92-77, the shock troopers delivered 20 and in Game 3 which the Beermen also won, 111-87, the relievers erupted for 33. Heruela, 28, didn’t play in the series opener then hit 10 points in Game 2 and 11 in Game 3. It was the fourth back-to-back games where Heruela scored in twin digits since entering the league with Blackwater in 2014-15 but first with San Miguel. Espinas, 36, was scoreless in Game 1 then sat out Game 2 but in Game 3, came through with nine points. Espinas is in his eighth Finals with six titles under his belt.
Santos said Austria has made several adjustments, particularly in deepening the rotation, since the Game 1 loss to the Hotshots. “We’re very thankful na nagagawa namin ang gameplan,” he said. “Ayaw namin madaliin at siguraduhin na matatapos ang series sa Game 5. Basta focus lang kami one game at a time to win two more.” Another San Miguel starter Chris Ross said he was advised to rest for two to four weeks after suffering a hip flexor and quad tear during the semifinals against Barangay Ginebra but refused to step back. “My condition is getting better,” he said. “I can’t really put a percentage on it because it fluctuates by the day. I can’t sit out during this time of the conference.”
Ross said Heruela’s emergence has been crucial since Alex Cabagnot and he are not at full strength. “Brian is able to handle the pressure and also pressure their guards when he’s in the game,” he said. “He provides a different dimension.”
Ross said like Santos, he’s not setting his sights beyond Game 4 tonight. “We want to win every game but we’re not looking past Game 4,” he said.