COACH Jorge Gallent of defending champion San Miguel Beer is not one to fix something that isn’t broken.
“One game at a time. So, now we think of Converge. That’s the ladder,” Gallent said, referring to the Beermen’s mindset that has yielded them success so far in the season-ending tourney. “So, we have 11 steps (in the eliminations). We’re going to our sixth step.
“That’s the only thing we’re thinking of,” he added.
SMB’s resolve will be tested anew when it takes on winless Converge today in the PBA Philippine Cup at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
The match is set at 4:30 p.m., with the Beermen staking their perfect 5-0 mark against the FiberXers who are bleeding to crash the winner’s circle.
Ginebra, reeling from the injury of star forward Jamie Malonzo, squares off with TNT in the nightcap at 7:30.
The Beermen rolled to their fifth straight win at the expense of the Terrafirma Dyip 113-110 nine days ago.
The likes of reigning seven-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, Mo Tautuaa, CJ Perez, Terrence Romeo, Marcio Lassiter, Jericho Cruz, and Don Trollano will be counted upon anew by SMB.
Converge absorbed a 107-113 loss to Phoenix–its seventh in a row–last Friday, dampening the FiberXers’ hopes of making it to the quarterfinals of the import-less meet.
The Aldin Ayo-mentored Converge five will pin its hopes on Justin Arana, Alec Stockton, Bryan Santos, and Schonny Winston.
Kings tactician Tim Cone is hoping his other players such as Ralph Cu, Sidney Onwubere, and Stanley Pringle will take the cudgels after Malonzo was deemed out for about a month due to a calf injury.
“Like any other thing, it’s the next man up. If we can continue to get the kind of game we got from Ralph, that’s what we talk about in terms of next-man-up,” Cone said.
“Maybe now Sidney is going to have to step up, or Stan stepping up some more. That’s the position we’ll have to fill out.”
Ginebra will go into the duel on a high, having won its last two outings, counting a 95-88 triumph over NorthPort last Sunday where Malonzo suffered the injury.
Former MVP Scottie Thompson, Christian Standhardinger, Maverick Ahanmisi, LA Tenorio, and Cu are expected to carry the fight for the Kings in their bid to hike their 5-3 card.
The Tropang Giga have also prevailed in their past two tiffs, including a 104-101 squeaker over the NLEX Road Warriors last Saturday in Candon, Ilocos Sur.
TNT will rely on Calvin Oftana, Roger Pogoy, Jayson Castro, Kelly Williams, Glenn Khobuntin, and Henry Galinato Jr.
