Game 3: GSM vs SMB
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MANILA, Philippines - Matapos magtabla sa 1-1, kapwa hangad ng San Miguel Beermen at Barangay Ginebra Kings na makauna sa kanilang best-of-seven finals series sa muling paghaharap sa Game 3 ng 42nd PBA Philippine Cup finals ngayong alas-7 ng gabi sa Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Tinambakan ng Beermen ang Gin Kings, 109-82 sa opening ng serye noong Biyernes sa Mall of Asia Arena ngunit bumawi naman ang tropa ni coach Tim Cone sa Game 2 via overtime, 124-118 sa Lucena City noong Linggo upang ibalik ang laban sa square-one.
Lumamang ang Gin Kings ng mahigit 26 puntos sa second quarter ng Game 2 ngunit hinabol nina Marcio Lassiter, Arwind Santos, Alex Cabag-not at June Mar Fajardo kaya humantong sa overtime ang laro na nagbigay indikasyon na isang down-the-wire battle ang labanan para sa titulo.
“This is the best case scenario, that the series is tied 1-1. We’re getting to the third game, and both teams are going to have to reach deep into their benches,” sabi ni Ginebra coach Tim Cone.
Hindi nakumpleto ng Beermen ang kanilang comeback makaraang maiwanan, 39-65 may 1:10 minuto pa ang nalalabi sa second quarter. Pero ayon kay SMB skipper Arwind Santos, sapat na ‘yun para patunayan na hindi rin sila basta-basta uurong.
“We’re looking at the positive side, the fact that we’re able to come back from a 26-point deficit. We found solace on that,” ayon kay Santos.
Hindi naman nasorpresa si Cone sa come-back ng Beermen at napabilib pa sa kanilang determinasyon.
“It just goes to show how good San Miguel is in terms of their ability to come back from a 24-point halftime deficit. They just dominated us in the third quarter and most of the fourth. The only good thing we did is we were resilient,” dagdag ni Cone.
Para naman kay Marcio Lassiter na umiskor ng 5-of-10 sa triple area, naipakita nila na mas-gutom sila sa korona kaysa sa Gin Kings.
“There’s satisfaction there because it shows how hungry we are. We never give up. We’ve just got to recover and just grow from there,” sabi ni Lassiter na na-ejected sa Game 2 dahil sa dalawang technical fouls.
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