SMB sails to semis

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ANTIPOLO—San Miguel Beer did away with its first playoff foe in one try, knowing that it will be a long grind when the Final Four comes, a grind which coach Leo Austria said could be the best in the tournament.

“It’s going to be a best-of-seven,” coach Leo Austria said of the next series that his Beermen will be playing in as they pump up their drive for a third straight PBA Philippine Cup title after the defending champions clipped the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 98-91, on Sunday night at Ynares Center here.

“We know that they are (solid) contenders and we had a hard time against them,” Austria added after getting 25 points from RR Garcia and twin digits from five more players in bundling out the Elasto Painters. “It’s important that we stay fresh for the next series.”

That next match-up will either be against No. 4 TNT KaTropa or GlobalPort, which will play Game 2 of their best-of-three series Monday at Smart Araneta Coliseum where the Texters will try to sweep the Batang Pier and seal a very interesting clash with the Beermen.

In the nightcap, Barangay Ginebra subdued Alaska, 85-81, to force a rubber match Tuesday.

The winner of their series will take on either Star or Phoenix.

LA Tenorio paced the Gin Kings with 16 points while Scottie Thompson and Japeth Aguilar tossed 15 apiece.

Calvin Abueva led the Aces with 20 points.

“I think it will be Talk ‘N Text,” Austria told the Inquirer, referring to his next opponent. “They are a strong team and they are leading (1-0, in the series against the Batang Pier). They have a huge advantage.”

The Texters shoot for a place in the semifinals at 7 p.m. and once they advance, Austria believes that “this could be the best series of the conference. It will be very tough for both (teams). It could pass for a championship series.”

June Mar Fajardo didn’t have to do a ton of the scoring, finishing with just 14 after taking only nine shots, as Chris Ross waxed hot early and finished with 13 like former MVP Arwind Santos.

The Beermen trailed, 8-2, before stepping on the gas and leaving the Elasto Painters eating their dust en route to their 10th straight win.

“I was actually worried because I was thinking that the law of averages would catch up on us,” Austria said. “But we are playing very well and what we need to do, when we get to the next series, is to continue playing as hard as we can.”

Beau Belga came off the bench to shoot 18 points for Rain or Shine.