ASIDE from having a prolific import in Bennie Boatwright and a vaunted deep roster that could pose headaches to any opponent, there’s one aspect in San Miguel Beer’s arsenal that is fast turning out to be the big difference–its resolve.
“It’s just composure. They were very composed, especially in the end game. (In) Games 1, 2, and 3, it was anybody’s ball game,” Beermen coach Jorge Gallent said. “But we came up with the victory because of our composure.
“That’s our mentality, not to lose, and execute plays, especially in the end game,” he added.
Gallent spoke after his charges turned back the erstwhile defending champion Ginebra Kings 94-91 in Game 3 of their best-of-5 semifinals duel in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Before a mammoth crowd of 15,126–mostly red-and-white clad Ginebra faithful, SMB completed a stunning 3-0 series sweep of the Kings to reach the Big Dance of the season-opening tilt.
Gallent downplayed the Beermen’s ouster of their sister team and pointed to their composure as one of the keys.
“It was anybody’s ballgame. It was very nice to come out with the victory in the end, but we were just composed, which was good,” Gallent said. “Coming into this series, our mentality was just to move forward.”
Boatwright pumped in 26 points and 13 rebounds for SMB, while Jericho Cruz chipped in 17 markers.
Marcio Lassiter, CJ Perez, and reigning seven-time MVP June Mar Fajardo also had 14, 11, and 11 points, respectively, as the Beermen scored a fitting follow-up to a 106-96 victory in the second game last Friday.
SMB will take on either Magnolia or Phoenix in the race-to-4 finals. The Hotshots hold a 2-1 edge over the Fuel Masters in their semis showdown, with Game 4 set for tomorrow at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Gallent, who will be in his first title series as head tactician, also said their triumph over Ginebra is not a payback of sorts after the Kings swept them in the last Governor’s Cup.
“Our mentality was to move forward whether by three, by four, or by five, so the sweep thing which happened to us last year we never thought about that. We just wanted to win the series and concentrate on the series,” Gallent said.
“As I said, these three games were just all close. It was anybody’s ball game, but you know, it’s very nice to come out in the end.”
