Mixers open semis series vs West, Bolts

SAN MIG Coffee coach Tim Cone is bracing himself for a tough battle against Meralco in their best-of-five PBA Governors’ Cup Final Four duel starting today at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“They’re extremely underrated, but their lineup is pretty solid,” Cone said Friday night of Meralco moments after wrapping up their quarterfinal clash with Alaska.

“They have a pretty good shot to win (the series),” he said.  “Our first game (in the tournament which the Mixers won by one point) could have gone either way. So it will be pretty tough.”

The lone encounter is set at 6:30 p.m.

The Mixers are seeking to make a return trip to the Finals of this tournament and bury the ghosts of a Game 7 loss to Rain or Shine. And with a balanced, star-studded lineup, San Mig is slightly favored  to reach the finals again.

Meralco, on the other hand, is the over-achiever of the tournament, going this deep even without a legitimate superstar and without the aid of a super flashy import.

The hard-working Mario West has held the Bolts together with his outstanding leadership, and coach Ryan Gregorio is performing as well as any other coach in the tournament.

One of Gregorio’s biggest moves in the tournament is the acquisition of Mike Cortez from Air21 and giving up the team’s rights to Asi Taulava. The arrival of Cortez has given the Bolts another scoring option, something they did not have when Chris Ross was starting at the point guard spot.

“Now, we can play any team in a scoring game,” Gregorio had said a few weeks back. “Our defense is still our calling card. But with Mike around, we can also score.”

Reynel Hugnatan is another man doing wonders for Meralco.

With 18 points and 12 rebounds in a semifinal-clinching win over Barako Bull, the veteran power forward is looking to be a perfect fit and could be a match-up problem for Cone.

Allein Maliksi will most likely be out of the series-opener after a strained MCL suffered in the second quarter of an 83-73 win over Alaska on Friday.

“I would love to have him (Maliksi) for Game 1, but it’s doubtful,” Cone said.