A Meralco team fired up by stirring triumphs in its last three games goes for the jugular versus an embattled Star side, taking the first of its three cracks at a finals slot in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Thursday.
A victory by the Bolts in the 7 p.m. setto will end the Hotshots' season and give Meralco a second straight finals stint in the season-ending tourney.
After surviving a scare by eighth seed Blackwater in the quarterfinals, the Bolts have gone on a roll and now have a chance to put the Hotshots away via a sweep in their best-of-five Final Four faceoff.
The Bolts didn't allow themselves to be distracted by the tantrums of reserve center Kelly Nabong.
Minus Nabong whom the management suspended indefinitely, Allen Durham and his teammates played even better in a road game in Sta. Rosa, Laguna Tuesday, blasting the Hotshots, 98-74, for a pivotal 2-0 lead in the series.
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Meralco coach Norman Black said they would try to sustain the effort in a bid to complete a sweep.
"We will just give our best to finish it in Game Three. But Star is more than capable of bouncing back so we have to be ready mentally and physically," said Black.
The Hotshots, meanwhile, aren't losing hope although staring at a big 0-2 deficit and despite the sidelining of ace guard Paul Lee due to an injury.
But Star coach Chito Victolero admits they need to work extra hard to stay alive.
"We still have a chance but everybody needs to step up and we have to have the proper mindset," said Victolero.
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The Hotshots face a tough task of filling in the void left by Lee who's the team's leading local scorer with an average of 13.23 points. Lee also puts in 2.7 assists and 3.46 rebounds an outing.
Thrown off balanced on the ouster of Lee Tuesday, the Hotshots fell behind by a big margin early in the contest and failed to get into the game.
But Black is not about to count Star out yet, saying they can't take the Hotshots for granted with their lethal weapon of playing tough defense.
Black is particularly concerned with the Hotshots' full-court pressing defense.
"Our ability to break their full-court pressure will once again be a big key to the game," said Black.
