June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel (dark) vs Greg Slaughter of Ginebra (light). PBA IMAGE by Nuki Sabio
MANILA, Philippines — Slowing down San Miguel Beer center June Mar Fajardo is addressing just a part of Alaska’s concerns heading into their PBA Philippine Cup Finals series which begins on Wednesday night.
Alaska’s game plan on defense may have Fajardo’s name written all over it but head coach Alex Compton is also wary of the Beermen’s shooters circled around the league MVP.
“I imagine we probably have to throw the whole team at June Mar,” Compton said. “But then you have to worry about Arwind, Marcio, Alex and Ronald. Jeric Fortuna’s also a great shooter and Chris Lutz too.”
“And as coach Leo pointed out, it makes it tough when you have June Mar out there and then he’s surrounded by shooters,” said Compton. “So it really causes us problems.”
Fajardo averaged 21 points on 69% shooting from the field and 11.7 rebounds per game in the semifinals where San Miguel swept Talk ‘N Text in four games while also getting significant contributions from his teammates whether it’s Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot or wingmen Marcio Lassiter and Ronald Tubid to name a few.
Santos has been knocking down 3-pointers with such accuracy this conference and so is Cabagnot, whose return to SMB made it even more complicated for the opposition to defend the Beermen with his outside shooting.
“With Alex, it’s a luxury. We all know he’s one of the best point guards when it comes to three-point shooting and assists with five to six assists per game and number one in three-point percentage,” said SMB head coach Austria. “Before, we needed someone who can shoot from the perimeter at the point guard spot because every time June Mar has the ball at the shaded area he gets double and even triple teamed.”
“Having Alex in the team, they will think twice of doubling June Mar,” Austria added.
“Alex has been playing great, I don’t follow statistics too much but in my opinion, it’s the best basketball he’s played than I can remember. He’s shooting the ball well from the three. And let’s not forget, Arwind’s shooting the ball great too,” Compton said.
For what it’s worth, the Aces beat the Beermen, 66-63, when the two teams met in the elimination round in a game that Compton finds “irrelevant” now two months later considering how much both squads have changed from that game back on Nov. 5 to Game 1 on Wednesday.
But while Compton finds that game insignificant, Austria feels that loss still tells a lot more than just losing a game in the eliminations.
“They beat us in our first game and I don’t think they have a problem with us. It’s our problem how to beat them because this team is running like a well-oiled machine and their cohesiveness is there and they pressure you from start to finish,” Austria said. “They keep on winning because of their defense and they are the most conditioned team.”
That Alaska defense will definitely be put to the test against a San Miguel side which hasn’t lost in over a month.
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