DEFENDING champion San Miguel Beer absorbed a numbing loss to NLEX the last time out.
Whether the Beermen can lick their wounds fast will be known when they take on the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters today in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at The Arena in San Juan.
Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. after foreign guest team Eastern clashes with winless Blackwater in the curtain-raiser at 5 o’clock.
SMB squandered a 19-point third quarter lead and fell to the Road Warriors 99-104 last Sunday night for its first defeat of the mid-season tourney.
The Beermen think thank led by coach Jorge Gallent held an hour-long meeting after the setback at the Ynares Center in Antipolo pondering what went wrong in a stunning meltdown against NLEX.
The likes of import Quincy Miller, reigning eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, Juami Tiongson, Mo Tautuaa, and Don Trollano will be counted upon a new by SMB in its bid to improve its 1-1 record.
But Rain or Shine will go into the tussle on a high, having scored a 99-81 drubbing of Eastern Wednesday last week to improve to 1-1.
Painters coach Yeng Guiao is convinced he has found a gem of a reinforcement in Deon Thompson.
“Mas maganda ang ikot ng bola namin (with Thompson),” Guiao said who will also lean on Leonard Santillan, Keith Datu, Caelan Tiongson, and Adrian Nocum.
Eastern tactician Mensur Bajramovic maintained the pro league is a different animal.
“Each game is tough, each game is a new challenge,” Bajramovic said. “PBA teams have different styles of playing and for each game we need to make adjustments.
“We didn’t play well against Rain or Shine, we didn’t rotate and switch well on defense and we didn’t move the ball.”
After their defeat to the Rain or Shine, the visiting squad dismantled TNT 105-84 last Friday for a 3-1 mark.
It should be another big test for Eastern taking on the George King-led Bossing who came off two straight setbacks to Magnolia (100-118) and NLEX (95-107).
