Beermen go for clincher vs Llamados

MANILA, Philippines - San Miguel seeks to earn a shot at back-to-back PBA Fiesta Conference championships and end B-MEG Derby Ace’s ambition for a season sweep as the fired-up Beermen meet the beleaguered Llamados in Game Five of their semifinal showdown at the Araneta Coliseum today.

The Beermen try to deliver the knockout punch on the Llamados at 5 p.m. The Talk n Text Tropang Texters and the Alaska Milk Aces take the floor at 7:30 p.m. disputing the pivotal 3-2 lead in their own best-of-seven semis duel.

Despite the commanding lead, SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen said they would not take anything for granted, believing Derby Ace is capable of overcoming adversity.

Derby Ace coach Ryan Gregorio, for his part, vowed his team wouldn’t stop fighting until the fight is over.

The league record book shows the SMC-Purefoods franchise thrives under pressure. The ball club has scored epic wins climbing out of two 0-2 and one 1-3 holes in best-of-seven series.

“A 3-1 lead is not safe at all against a team that doesn’t quit,” said Tanquingcen.

“We can’t relax one bit. You can never tell as anything can still happen. We can’t assume they’re tired or anything. We just have to keep exerting effort,” Tanquingcen added.

Gregorio is worried with their weary legs but is hopeful their big heart can bail them out.

“You can’t say enough about our fighting heart. In the (quarterfinals) series against Rain or Shine, we’re on the brink of elimination but we still got the best from our players,” said Gregorio.

“And if I’m not mistaken, there are only two teams in league history that have been able to fight back from a 1-3 deficit in a best- of-seven series. I’m proud to say that one of those two is my team,” Gregorio added.

Technically, Gregorio said their problem is how to get the rebounds.

“They’re getting all the bounces. We’re outplayed and outhustled and those are the things dictating the way the game is played,” he said.

It doesn’t help that San Miguel is getting Tony Washam’s numbers.

In Game Four, the Beermen held down Washam to 12 points and eight rebounds. The Derby Ace import averaged 26 points and 8.3 rebounds in the series’ first three games.

Meanwhile, the Talk n Text management and coaching staff have decided to stick it out with Shawn Daniels as import at least for Game Five.

Omar Shariff Sneed, the former University of Memphis standout who flew in just Wednesday morning, remains on standby.

The 6-foot-6, 239-pound forward has a rich experience playing abroad, having tours of duty in Belgium, the Netherlands and Venezuela.

He suited up with the BT Wevelgem team in the Dutch league under coach Rajko Toroman in 2001-02, averaging 21.9 points and 11.9 rebounds. The Smart Gilas coach was the one who recommended Sneed to Talk n Text.