Meralco Bolts huddle in Game 7 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.–PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—The odds may not be in Meralco’s favor in the upcoming PBA Philippine Cup Finals but that did not dampen the belief of Bolts coach Luigi Trillo.
After Meralco’s resounding Game 7 win over Barangay Ginebra in the semifinals at FPJ Arena in San Jose, Batangas, Trillo knows the Bolts are facing another tall order as they clash with the top-seeded San Miguel Beermen in a best-of-seven championship series beginning Wednesday.
But no matter how difficult it may be, Trillo is confident his squad will be ready for what lies ahead.
“We’re going to go back on the drawing board but we’ll come prepared. We believe in these guys,” said Trillo after their 78-69 win over the Gin Kings.
READ: PBA: With team effort, Meralco gets past longtime tormentor Ginebra
“San Miguel, we have a lot of respect for them but we can match up with them.”
The Bolts handed the Beermen’s lone loss last month, 95-92, with veteran forward Cliff Hodge leading
Trillo added the Bolts are far from satisfied despite coming back from a 3-2 series deficit to eliminate their longtime rivals Gin Kings.
“We’re not happy just to be in the finals. We’re not happy that we made it. It’s not going to mean anything unless we go all the way.”
READ: Meralco eliminates Ginebra to set up PBA Finals vs San Miguel
Trillo’s confidence also stems from the fact that Meralco was the only team to beat San Miguel so far this conference.
The Bolts, however, can’t afford to let that victory get into their heads.
“You can say that we’re the only team that beat them but we don’t want to get cocky, we don’t want to have any swagger. They’ll just dominate us if we do.”