Austria relieved that Finals ended
San Miguel Beer head coach Leo Austria admitted yesterday that he was relieved when the PBA Philippine Cup ended with the Beermen hacking out a 108-99 double overtime win over Magnolia in Game 5 to clinch the best-of-7 series because an extension would’ve given the Hotshots momentum to make it a down-to-the-wire finish.
“We didn’t want a Game 6,” said Austria. “We wanted to end it in Game 5 because if Magnolia won, they would become more confident and we’re not a healthy team. It would’ve given Magnolia momentum. That’s why we gave our key players heavy minutes. I didn’t want to take a chance by risking a Game 6 or a Game 7.”
In the closer at the MOA Arena last Friday, four Beermen logged over 50 minutes – JuneMar Fajardo with 54:09, Arwind Santos 53:32, Chris Ross 52:29 and Marcio Lassiter 51:48. Additionally, Alex Cabagnot checked in for 42 minutes. The distribution of minutes limited San Miguel’s bench production as Magnolia’s shock troopers hit 23 to the Beermen’s 7. But the San Miguel starters outscored Magnolia’s first stringers by a mile, 101-76.
Austria recalled that when the fourth quarter started with Magnolia up, 7460, Fajardo and Cabagnot were on the bench. But Fajardo reported back to work in less than a minute. “We needed JuneMar on the court,” said Austria. “We were down by 14 and we knew the only way we could come back is if JuneMar would take over the game. I wanted JuneMar to rest about two minutes in between quarters. That’s all we could afford to rest him.”
Cabagnot returned to play in the fourth period with 7:03 to go and the Crunchman announced his re-entry with a crucial triple. “Alex was a little off-rhythm and had only two points before the fourth quarter but I knew he would deliver in the clutch because Alex is Alex and you expect it from him,” said Austria. In the fourth period, Fajardo shot 14 points and put Magnolia’s center Ian Sangalang on the brink of disqualification with five fouls. The score was 86-all in regulation and San Miguel needed an extra 10 minutes to claim its fourth straight Philippine Cup crown. Fajardo wound up with 42 points and 20 rebounds to stamp his class as not only the best player of the conference and the league but also of the entire country.