Austria expects war as San Miguel faces Ginebra

Ginebra vs San Miguel. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

They maybe “sisters” but come game time, San Miguel and Ginebra will leave no stone unturned.

Come Sunday, the two will set to face off for the umpteenth time and Beermen head coach Leo Austria knows that there is too much pride on the line it’s enough to give an ordinary exhibition game the aura of a championship clincher.

“Alam mo naman pagka nakalaro tong mga players walang bigayan, talagang parang giyera ito sa both teams, and then nandiyan pa yung pride,” said Austria in the broadcast of Sports IQ on Thursday. “Anytime namang maglalaro ang Ginebra, kahit hindi kami ang kalaban, kahit sinong team, talagang pinaghahandaan sila dahil alam nilang nanonood ang buong bansa.”

“For a player, talagang kahit nung time na naglalaro pa ako basta ang kalaban mo Ginebra pumped up ka dahil alam mong maraming manonood.”

Both Ginebra and San Miguel boast of storied franchises that have 30 championships between each other, though the Beermen have the record 22 while Ginebra has eight.

Ginebra has been the perennial darling of the crowd when the legendary Robert Jaworski introduced the PBA to his indomitable spirit and never-say-die attitude.

That spirit, however, remained a specter as Ginebra has failed to win a championship since 2008 while San Miguel has won three of the last five PBA titles and became, arguably, the most dominant team right now in the league.