Beermen, Painters try to bolster Q’Final bid

Grand Slam-seeking San Miguel Beer and Rain or Shine will shoot for wins on Wednesday that would push them closer to a twice-to-beat bonus in the quarterfinals of the PBA Governors’ Cup.

And it’s not much of an advantage that the Beermen and the Elasto Painters will be facing teams that have scraped the bottom of the barrel. In fact, it could work against the two squads in the doubleheader at Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City.

The Beermen take on Phoenix Fuel at 7 p.m., right after the 4:15 p.m. duel between the Painters and the Alaska Aces.

San Miguel coach Leo Austria got first-hand experience how it is paying against a team with nothing to lose when the Beermen needed a big finish and a huge game from June Mar Fajardo to subdue KIA Picanto, 118-112, in what he aptly described as “an ugly win.”

“It is a wake-up call for us,” said Austria who is hoping to bring to the illustrious franchise its second Grand Slam.

Rain or Shine will also guard against complacency when it battles Alaska.

“Alaska is not a team you can relax against,” said RoS coach Caloy Garcia referring to the Aces. “We have to come out with the mentality of wanting to win rather than just playing the game.”