Beermen aim to seal deal

MANILA, Philippines, January 16 ------ A blockbuster rematch against early finalist TNT offers defending champion San Miguel Beer a tantalizing prospect. But before they could entertain thoughts of Round 2 against the Tropang 5G, the Beermen must first take care of the closeout business against defiant Barangay Ginebra tonight in Game 6 of PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinal series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

And looking back at last season’s Final Four against the same rival, SMB anticipates the no-quit Gin Kings to put up a hell of a fight in the 7:30 p.m. match at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to force a sudden death like they successfully did the previous time SMB held a 3-2 upperhand. “We’re one (win) away from the finals but it’s not going to be easy for us knowing from our experience in the last All-Filipino conference. We went to Game 7 and nasa catch-up situation kami at that time (rubbermatch). Fortunately, we won that game,” said coach Leo Austria.

In last season’s Game 6, Ginebra wiped out SMB’s 11-point fourth-quarter lead and banked on LA Tenorio’s clutch three-pointer to grab a nail-biting 88-87 equalizer. Then in the winner-take-all, Austria’s charges overcame an 11-point second-half deficit before finishing the crowd darlings off, 100-93. “We know Ginebra’s fighting spirit. Hindi mo masasabing NSD (never-say-die) kung walang ganun,” said Austria Wednesday after the Beermen got on the hill in the race-to-four with a 115-109 Game 5 verdict.

Source: philstar.com