Going for the jugular

Close-out games are usually the hardest ones to win, even for such a talented team like San Miguel Beer.

The good thing in San Miguel’s situation, though, is that the Beermen have a two-for-one chance in doing it.

“This is not yet over,” coach Leo Austria said as he tried cautioning his wards against complacency versus a TNT KaTropa side that has fought it hard game in and out in the best-of-seven series. “We still have to win one more game, and it will be a very different game.

“They will make all the adjustments which they have done [in the series],” Austria said. “The good thing is that they are the ones doing the adjustments.”

The Beermen grabbed a 3-2 lead with a 111-102 win on Friday night after getting five players in twin digits while playing reigning three-time MVP June Mar Fajardo less than 25 minutes.

The 6-foot-10 Beermen cornerstone had a relatively easy night, collecting just nine points and five rebounds.

And while Austria and his Beermen are looking to get this thing over and done with—and bag the second jewel of a cherished Triple Crown sweep—TNT’s Nash Racela again sounded off what his goal has been ever since this championship series started.

“Again, the goal is to get to a Game 7 and see what [happens in the decider],” Racela said. “Our emotions cannot be dictated by [this Game 5 loss]. We have to be focused on the next game.”

That next game happens at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao where the drama has spilled off the Big Dome floor with wives and girlfriends of players getting into the act after Game 5.

Racela talked in the subtlest possible way after that loss, saying: “We have to limit San Miguel’s free throws,” as he took a jab at officiating without really saying it.

“I don’t know how we will do it, but it has to be done,” he added.

The Beermen were awarded 38 free throws for Game 5, 17 more than what the Texters got as the highly-physical series has gone on to favor San Miguel.

“I’d like to say that San Miguel outplayed us tonight, but that just wasn’t the case today,” said Racela.

Import Joshua Smith was the one who talked openly about officiating on Friday and got tagged with a P30,000 fine by the Office of the Commissioner after he said that officiating “was terrible.”

Smith struggled to just 15 points and seven rebounds in Game 5.