MANILA – Already up 2-0 in the series, San Miguel Beermen remain cautious of Phoenix Fuel Masters ahead of Game 3 of the 2019 Honda PBA Philippine Cup semifinals tonight at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Beermen head coach Leo Austria said they are bracing for a more spirited stance from the Fuel Masters with the latter’s hopes of reaching the championship round in peril.
“You can never know what will happen. Phoenix is the No. 1 seed before the playoffs. They’re capable of bouncing back hard,” said Austria. “You cannot count the Phoenix out.”
He added: “Hopefully, makapag-prepare kami ng maayos and ma-execute ulit namin ng tama game plan namin sa kanila. Sana maging consistent kami at mangyari uli iyong nangyari nung Game 1 at 2.”
Beermen veteran Arwind Santos seconded his mentor saying that the Fuel Masters is a dangerous foe as evident in their come-from-behind 92-82 victory in Game 2 last Monday.
“Kahit nanalo tayo, hindi natin pwedeng isipin na kayang-kaya na tapusin agad ang series,” stressed the one-time PBA MVP. “Ganu’n pa rin, na ‘yung respeto namin sa kanila mataas pa rin.”
Fuel Masters mentor Francisco Luis Alas, for his part, admitted that the Beermen are hard to beat but is hoping the lengthy break will allow them to regain their bearing and pull one back in the series.
“Iyung klase ng team ng San Miguel, hindi mo pwedeng bigyan ng 24, that’s huge para mahabol mo. Siguro magpapalamang ka d’yan… hahabol ka, pero ma-fi-figure out nila adjustments,” said Alas.
He added: “If we will do the same thing, na may mga span ng game na magiging soft kami on defense, in two or three minutes, double figures ulit agad ang lamang sa amin. Kailangan we have to play good defense for 48 minutes.”/PN
