Arwind Santos believes that with San Miguel preparing for its third straight Philippine Cup Finals, it should have the distinct edge over Ginebra when it comes to experience playing in this grand stage.
“Dapat mas gamay mo na kung paano manalo ng championship. Na-experience na namin ito eh (We should know better how it is to win a championship. We’ve experienced this before.),” he said.
However, the 2013 PBA Most Valuable Player isn’t counting the Gin Kings out on the eve of their best-of-7 championship series, with him mentioning that the biggest mistake the Beermen can do is to feel complacent.
“Kahit alam mo na kung paano manalo, syempre sila may preparation din na ginagawa na dapat paghandaan mo rin. Minsan, pwede ka ring madali kaya dapat handa ka lang at wag kang kukurap (Even if you already know how to win, of course, they’re doing preparations of their own that you have to prepare for. Sometimes, you might also be caught off-guard so you have to stay ready and don’t flinch.)” he said.
San Miguel is seeking to secure its third straight all-Filipino crown, which will also allow it to take home the gold-plated Perpetual trophy.
READ: San Miguel, Ginebra promise ‘tough battle’ in PBA Finals
The Talk ‘N Text squad under coach Chot Reyes has been the lone team to achieve such feat back in 2011 to 2013, which makes winning the championship this season all the more important for the Beermen.
Santos stresses that with the way their team has been playing, the challenge for San Miguel is to prove that it truly is the best all-Filipino squad in the league.
“Sabi ko dapat yung team ko pag all-Filipino conference, sa amin na dapat,” he said. “Yung lineup namin at yung samahan namin, ok na eh. Ngayon na nandito kami, nandoon ang expectation ko na dapat talaga makuha namin ito.”
(I said to myself that when it’s the all-Filipino conference, we must get that. Our lineup and our chemistry have been okay. And now that we’re here, I have this expectation that we must get this.)
Game 1 of the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup Finals is on Friday at Mall of Asia Arena. CDG