‘Best’ team stands in way of Meralco’s quest for first PBA crown

Meralco Bolts’ Chris Newsome during the PBA Finals press conference.–PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines–There’s an adage commonly used in sports: “To be the best, you have to beat the best.”

Meralco swingman Chris Newsome believes the Bolts find themselves in that predicament going up against the mighty San Miguel Beermen in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

“We did a lot of things for us to get to this point now. We’ve always said that for us to get a championship, we’ll have to compete with the best,” said Newsome during the PBA Finals press conference on Monday at Crowne Plaza in Ortigas.

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“The team that we have across from us right now has proven that they have been the best for quite some time.”

Not only is San Miguel the best team in this Philippine Cup after securing the top seeding with a 10-1 record in the elimination round, but the winningest franchise in the league has also been the most dominant club for the last decade with 10 championships during that span.

The daunting task doesn’t seem to faze Newsome and the Bolts, who won’t just be playing for themselves in their best-of-seven series against the Beermen.

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“For us, it’s an honor to go out there to fight for our org (organization) for all that believed in Meralco since day one,” said Newsome, who is making his fifth finals appearance.

“We have some guys on our staff that were part of that team (Sta. Lucia) and for us to get to this point, it means a lot to them and everybody who’s a part of the Meralco organization. For us, it’s an honor to be here and we’re just excited to compete against the best.”

Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals is on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. All games will be held at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.