Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Don’t bother telling the San Miguel Beermen they are currently in the middle of a long winning streak. They aren’t aware of it. They’re no fools, they just have bigger things in mind.
“I didn’t even know we won 11 straight, honestly. I didn’t even know that,” said SMB swingman Marcio Lassiter. “I feel like once you come in(to) a new series, the streak pretty much doesn’t exist.”
Lassiter was on a roll as the Beermen thumped TNT KaTropa, 111-98, in Game 1 of their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal showdown. He finished with 22 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc to space out the Texters’ defenders and allow San Miguel’s big men to pillage the low blocks.
“We all got to think about is a clean slate because TNT and us we both came in at 0-0,” added Lassiter. “That is what’s more important, coming out tonight and get our first win, making sure we get good momentum going in the series and tonight we did that.”
The Beermen will dismiss talks of a winning run again as they take on the Texters in Game 2 of their Final Four showdown Friday at Mall of Asia Arena hoping to build a 2-0 cushion that will grease their path to the Finals.
San Miguel, the defending champion, is hoping to win the Philippine Cup three straight times. And going after a 2-0 series lead is a far better locker room narrative than working to tab their 12th straight victory in the tournament overall.
Veteran forward Arwind Santos said the Beermen’s success can be attributed to the players just learning to let loose and have fun playing.
“The good thing about this team is that we don’t think about any streak because we’re enjoying,” Santos said in Filipino. “What’s important for us is we know where we’re going. We don’t even need to talk to know that we have a common goal which is to defend the all Filipino.”
Santos added the players are comfortable with one another and everyone has trust in one another which makes not talking about the streak possible for the team.
If there is a streak the Beermen hope to pick up from last game, it is their hot shooting. San Miguel Beer hit 16 of their 26 three-point attempts, making TNT’s close-out defenders wary about camping around June Mar Fajardo too much.
Fajardo got going in the second half of Game 1 and finished with 21 points and eight rebounds while Espinas added 13 points off the bench.
“I’m happy with our first win because a first win is very important in any series,” said Beermen head coach Leo Austria, who initially worried that his team’s win run would be a burden in the series.
“I was worried at the start of the game because we had won 10 consecutive games and I know that sooner or later we’re going to lose,” said Austria. “But we’re not after our winning streak; we’re out there to win.
Time will come that we’re going to lose but I know the players won’t give anything up.
“[The Beermen] understand how to win and I told them they have the freedom to do whatever they want as long as they have control of the game,” added Austria. “They’re playing like an orchestra.”