INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines - Shawn Daniels tried to dismiss San Miguel’s rout of Burger King Wednesday night with a simple “they scored more points than we did” statement.

But when pressed for a serious explanation, the burly import said: “Our defense was just terrible tonight. But we’ll be OK.”

Daniels and the Whoppers try to bounce back tonight from that 102-85 whipping when they clash with the rock-solid Beermen in Game 2 of their Motolite PBA Fiesta Cup semifinal series at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The 7:30 p.m. contest is all the more critical for the Whoppers since falling into a 2-0 hole against a powerhouse squad like San Miguel will surely doom Burger King.

Rain or Shine, on the rise psychologically after drawing first blood in its separate best-of-seven series with defending champion Barangay Ginebra, also seeks a repeat win in the 5 p.m. contest.

Unlike the Beermen, the Elasto Painters remain the underdogs against the Gin Kings with the injured Solomon Mercado still out of commission and Ryan Arana expected to miss the game after fracturing his right wrist in the second quarter of Game 1.

The Beermen limited Burger King stars Gary David and Arwind Santos to a combined 12 points on 1-of-15 shooting from the field in the first game and Whoppers coach Yeng Guiao said that fueled the runaway victory.

“We have to keep the scores close, the games close and the series close,” Guiao, the national team mentor, said after giving his wards a long dressing down in the locker room.

“Everyone expects them (Beermen) to be here. If we can keep it (series) close, maybe we’ll see the pressure creep up on them.

“It was just one game. If you ask me if we’ve lost confidence or anything, we haven’t. We’re fine psychologically.”

Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia said “it was all about heart” following the Painters’ 101-95 win over Ginebra.

The Elasto Painters prevailed after coming back from 14 points down with a depleted lineup and an import still recovering from a bout with the flu.

“I think we just have to continue relying on each other,” he said.

Jai Lewis should be a lot better than he was on Wednesday, and he will have to work even harder together with Gabe Norwood and Rob Wainwright to lift the Elasto Painters, who are in their first ever semifinal stint.

So depleted was the Rain or Shine bench in Game 1 that even Gherome Ejercito was fielded in for the first time in months and still contributed to the victory.

Don Dulay and TY Tang also provided heads-up support while subbing for the injured Mercado.