ONE team boasting a rich winning tradition is out to complete a sweet season sweep against an unlikely opponent making its maiden stint in the Big Dance.
Seeking the pro league’s crown jewel, fans can expect a dogfight worthy of a real title match.
There’s just one nagging concern for coach Jorge Gallent of defending champion San Miguel Bee–rust.
“It was kinda hard because we didn’t know who to prepare for until Game 7,” Gallent said.
“After Game 7 (of the Meralco-Ginebra semifinals), we watched a lot of films of what Meralco does good. We were off… but we couldn’t prepare because we just didn’t know who to play against.
“We just prepared right after they (Meralco) won last Friday. We had three to four days to prepare against them,” he added.
Whether the Beermen will show up sharp will be known when they take on the Bolts tonight in Game 1 of the best-of-7 title battle for the PBA Philippine Cup title gets going at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The opening match of the Big Dance’s race-to-4 series is set at 7:30 p.m., with the protagonists raring to gain a crucial head start.
Meralco tactician Luigi Trillo, in his second finals after winning one with the defunct Alaska ballclub in 2013, and first with the Bolts, is convinced his wards can match up with mighty SMB mano a mano.
“We’ve been to so many wars with these (Meralco) guys. I think we have the talent as well because we maintain in the PBA and stay there, like in the last eight conferences, we’ve been to six semifinals,” Trillo said.
“Not a lot of people know how difficult it is to do that because there are so many talented players and great coaches.”
Trillo’s crew hurdled Ginebra 4-3 in the semis capped by a 78-69 triumph in the deciding duel five nights back in San Jose, Batangas for an opportunity to finally taste a crown after failing four times in the past–all in the Governors’ Cup against the Kings.
The likes of Chris Newsome, Chris Banchero, Cliff Hodge, Bong Quinto, Allein Maliksi, Raymond Almazan, and rookie big man Brandon Bates will be counted upon anew by Meralco to deliver.
The Beermen made short work of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters 4-0 in the Last Four that enabled them to reach the title round anew and gave them the chance to annex a 30th diadem overall.
That’s all that matters now, according to Gallent, who will pin his hopes on reigning seven-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, Terrence Romeo, Marcio Lassiter, Don Trollano, Mo Tautuaa, and Jericho Cruz.
“Our main motto with this team is we just do it step-by-step. This is our fourth step. For us, this is gonna be the most important thing. This fourth step,” he said. “We will be very happy if we get the 30th franchise title of San Miguel.”
The Bolts handed SMB a 92-95 loss in the eliminations in Batangas City last May 4.
But the finals are a different jungle where it will be a survival of the fittest beast.
