MANILA, Philippines—Jayson Castro is well aware of San Miguel’s talent that even a 20-point lead against that club is no safe ground.
TNT built an 18-point lead in the second quarter of PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals opener building on that wide margin to take the 109-96 win Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Castro’s worry, though, wasn’t unwarranted since it was just six days prior to Game 1 that San Miguel pulled off one of the greatest turnarounds in PBA history.
San Miguel had a 41-point turnaround in its 117-105 Game 2 win against Rain or Shine in the semifinals wherein the Beermen erased a 29-point deficit to win by 12 points.
“I just reminded my teammates that our composure should always be there when we play San Miguel because that team can explode anytime,” said Castro in Filipino. “Fortunately we were able to keep our composure and we protected the lead while we executed our plays.”
San Miguel’s comeback against the Elasto Painters was the biggest in more than a decade becoming second to Alaska’s 45-point turnaround against TNT in Game 1 of the 2007 Fiesta Cup finals.
The KaTropa quickly grabbed the Beermen’s jugular going on a 20-0 run across the first two quarters to take a 39-17 lead early in the second frame and they made sure the game wouldn’t slip from them.
Although the Beermen outscored TNT 54-49 in the second half, the foundation the KaTropa built in the first was enough for the win.
“I think every one of us in the team plays with confidence,” said Castro who had 20 points and four rebounds. “We play team defense and on offense, we find whoever’s open.”