Beermen, Thais break 1-1 ABL tie

SAN Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria again warns his team of complacency when the Beermen vie for a 2-1 semifinal lead on the road against Sports Rev Thailand today in the Asean Basketball League (ABL).

Fresh from posting the season’s biggest blowout, the Beermen hope to come out as dominant against the Thais in Game 3 of their best-of-five series at 7 p.m. (8 p.m. in Manila) at Nimibutr Stadium in Bangkok.

“Our players know the situation,” said Austria. “Every time we play away from home it’s a different ballgame. We have to be prepared.”

The Beermen avenged their shock 60-62 Game 1 loss at home to the fourth-ranked Slammers with a vengeful 91-60 Game 2 rout last Saturday.

“It’s a statement,” Austria said of their Beermen’s Game 2 win. “We know we can beat anybody here, but it’s our complacency that’s a concern. The players came into Game 1 thinking that our winning streak can guarantee a win. It was a mistake.”

The 31-point blowout was the second biggest winning margin in the league’s four seasons since the 2010 Philippine Patriots (77-43) and the 2012 Beermen (90-56) posted 34-point victories both against Malaysia.

An extra motivation for the Beermen was the honor given yesterday to Austria, who was named Coach of the Year.

Defending champion Indonesia had an easier start in its own series, drubbing Westports Malaysia in Game 1 (72-63) and Game 2 (77-65) for a 2-0 lead. Jasmine W. Payo