DEFENSE will again be the main thrust of San Mig Coffee and Meralco when they clash in Game 3 tonight. AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Locked in a battle of attrition in one of the lowest-scoring series in modern PBA times, San Mig Coffee and Meralco break their 1-1 tie today with the winner putting a foot in the best-of-seven title series for the season-ending Governors’ Cup.
Game time is 7:15 p.m. at Smart Araneta Coliseum, with the Bolts looking to win a second straight game and the Mixers seeking to bounce back from one of their worst offensive performances of the season.
Held to just 69 points in a four-point loss on Tuesday, the Mixers, according to coach Tim Cone, should come out a much better team today owing to the one-day rest they got yesterday.
“No doubt, we came out flat as a board in Game 2,” Cone said. “Likely because that was our fourth playoff game in seven days.
“Now with the extra day, it will give us a chance to recharge our batteries both physically and mentally,” Cone said. “And with that, hopefully we can get back on track.”
But that could also hold true for the Bolts who are already enjoying their finest campaign since joining the league three seasons ago.
If Meralco can again impose its defensive will, then Game 3 will again be a low-scoring game and Cone would have to find other people who could score and crack the Meralco game plan on defense.
The Bolts held Marc Pingris and Joe Devance—big Game 1 performers—scoreless in Game 2. And though Meralco did give up a chunk to Marqus Blakely, its defense on the others spelled the key to the win.
Mario West, on the other hand, must find ways to hit his shots if Meralco wants to avoid going through the wringer again.
On Tuesday, the versatile NBA veteran took a total of 35 shots and made just eight, a testament to the willingness of the Mixers to also play hard-nosed defense as they challenged practically every shot that West took.
The winner of this series will slug it out with the survivor of the Petron Blaze-Rain or Shine matchup, which the Boosters lead, 2-0, after a high-wire 90-88 win Wednesday night at Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay.
Petron, the top-seeded squad that hasn’t lost for more than two months now, will gun for the jugular tomorrow also at the Big Dome in Cubao.