The championship playoff is down to a best-of-three affair, a series that has become a war of attrition with no quarters given and no quarters taken.
And the battle is only expected to heat up as San Miguel Beer and TNT KaTropa slug it out for the pivotal 3-2 lead in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-seven finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday night.
The Texters foiled the Beermen’s bid at erecting a commanding 3-1 lead, unleashing a decisive endgame charge to take Game Four, 102-97, and thus forged a 2-2 deadlock in the series.
The two teams go at each other again at 7 p.m. Friday with the winner gaining the go-ahead win in the thrilling closing stage of this finale.
It has been a tight battle that TNT coach Nash Racela is anticipating a deciding Game Seven.
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“Of course, you want to finish it shorter in your favor,” said Racela.
“Nakakahinayang yung last game as we could’ve got a 3-1 lead and it should’ve been a big advantage. Instead, we’re in a virtual best-of-three, a virtual brand-new series,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria.
“We have to step up. We should keep our intensity high. Sila ibang energy na ang ipinakita in the last game,” Austria added.
The SMB bench chieftain said it’s now imperative for him to make adjustments as TNT changed its starting unit and substitution pattern and came out victorious in the highly emotional, highly charged Game Four.
“They went to Josh (Smith) a lot and they played three bigs to attack our wings. Pero okay pa rin naman because the game was close. What more if we’re more organized,” said Austria.
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Racela started with Smith, Ranidel de Ocampo, RR Garcia, Troy Rosario and RR Pogoy, and played Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams off the bench in Game Four.
The biggest key, however, was Castro, De Ocampo, Rosario and Pogoy all redeeming themselves from their poor showing the last time out.
The Beermen, meanwhile, came out a bit flat curiously after a brief awards rites where Chris Ross and Charles Rhodes took the spotlight as the Best Player of the Conference and the Best Import winners.
The Texters yielded the individual awards to the Beermen, but not the game that they yearned to win.
“After they got their awards, I huddled the team. I told the guys let them get the individual awards, but let’s get the team award,” said Racela.
The Beermen, the reigning Phl Cup three-peat champs, have yet to get beat two in a row in the tourney.
They will try to wage their own fightback while the Texters look to march forward in the critical fifth game in the series.
