Feb 22, 2018

San Miguel determined to keep top spot as Beermen face KIA Picanto



SAN Miguel Beer aims to formalize its claim on a top two slot when it takes on reeling Kia Friday in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Should the Beermen prevail as expected, then they improve to an 8-2 record going to their last elimination round game against Rain or Shine on Wednesday.

If SMB loses to Rain or Shine the defending champions wind up with an 8-3 slate that could still be tied by either Magnolia Ang Pambansang Manok and/or the Elasto Painters.

In that scenario, the Beermen would still be assured of a No. 2 finish and a win-once advantage in the quarterfinals against the seventh-ranked team by virtue of a better quotient than the Hotshots.

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SMB coach Leo Austria doesn't want to look that far ahead and simply wants to maintain its focus against a Kia squad that has lost five straight, the last a 91-108 beatdown from Blackwater last Wednesday.

"Of course, ang target namin talaga is a top two (finish) kasi mas maganda if you need to win only once at pasok ka na sa semifinals," said Austria.

"Pero mas maganda kung No. 1 ka dahil iba ang confidence boost na maibibigay sa iyo noon, something na magagamit mong pangdagdag momentum sa playoffs."

Belief in itself is certainly something that Kia is not lacking in, notwithstanding its current free-falling state.

Against GlobalPort the Picanto even showed flashes of the fine form they displayed in notching their only win against the E-Painters, fighting back from an early 16-point deficit and engaging the Batang Pier in a tight contest until the early minutes of the fourth period.

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It's just that Kia faded at the same time GlobalPort heated up anew.

But what should give Kia the confidence it could score a fifth win in its 10th meeting with SMB is the absence of the latter's prized center, June Mar Fajardo, who is on Gilas duty.

Without the 6-foot-10 behemoth, averaging a league-best 23.2 points on top of 13.67 rebounds an outing, the Picanto's chances are definitely brighter. NC