Petron’s Abanilla on Game 7: It’s a dream

Petron head coach Gee Abanilla thinks it’s a great opportunity to get a chance to compete in a pressure-packed, winner-take-all match on Friday in the 2013 PBA Governors’ Cup.  VIDEO BY RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Game seven—two words most sports fans all over the world get excited about.

Even Petron head coach Gee Abanilla thinks it’s a great opportunity to get a chance to compete in a pressure-packed, winner-take-all match on Friday in the 2013 PBA Governors’ Cup.

“It’s game 7 of the finals. It’s a dream for every player and coach to be in a situation like this. I think it’s for all the marbles,” Abanilla told the reporters after Petron’s 99-88 win over San Mig Coffee, which sent the series to full length.

Petron shoots for its 20th championship in the league against a San Mig Coffee side, who has repeatedly shown grit throughout the back-and-forth finals series.

Petron head coach Gee Abanilla. Photo by Ryan Leagogo/INQUIRER.net

And the Mixers showcased that again on Wednesday when they patiently wiped away the Boosters’ 16-point deficit in the second half and even took the lead midway the fourth, but ultimately fell short.

“Playing a team like San Mig Coffee—it’s a real challenge for us. It’s great honor to be playing against an elite team like them, especially coached by Tim Cone,” Abanilla said.

Petron led twice early in the series, and even won by such big margin, 90-86, in game three. But it fell back-to-back to be on the brink of defeat, 2-3, before it got to inching closer to the championship.

It’s back to zero for game seven, though.

“It’s anybody’s ball game right now,” Abanilla said. “We’re going to do the best effort, to represent the organization really well. We’ll come out really prepared on Friday.”