Gut-wrenching series just getting started for Beermen, Gin Kings

Game Wednesday (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

7 p.m. – San Miguel vs Ginebra

Game One: San Miguel 109, Ginebra 82

Game Two: Ginebra 124, San Miguel 118 (OT)

 MANILA, Philippines – After the Game Two classic, the Barangay Ginebra Kings and the San Miguel Beermen are convinced things would not get easy in this PBA Finals.

It’s just getting started – a finale that’s really expected to be gut-wrenching between two sides adept at dealing with the physical and mental challenge of the playoffs.

With a two-day breather, Ginebra and San Miguel should have regained energy, broken down Games One and Two and be at tougher competitive form as they resume their Philippine Cup best-of-seven showdown Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

If anything, the first two games indicate how hard one can put away the other.

San Miguel did dominate Ginebra in a rousing 109-82 win in Game One. But the Kings turned things around at least in the first half of their 124-118 overtime win two nights later.

The second half and the extra period of Game Two showed the resilience and fortitude of both teams in a battle.

"This is the best case scenario, that the series is tied 1-1," said Ginebra coach Tim Cone. “We’re getting to the third game, and both teams are going to have to reach deep into their benches.”

The Beermen blew what could have been a record comeback feat in a final game Sunday, but they drove back home to Manila satisfied with what they’d shown to the PBA fans at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena.

“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,” said SMB skipper Arwind Santos.

“There’s satisfaction there because it shows how hungry we are. We never give up,” said Marcio Lassiter, who led the way in their third-quarter fightback before his ejection due to technical infractions.

“We’ve just got to recover and just grow from there,” Lassiter added.

Cone wasn’t surprised by the SMB comeback.

“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,” Cone said. “The only good thing we did is we were resilient. We fought with the ups and down, and we continued to battle. We found a way to put it into overtime.”

The Kings played an amazing first half before the Beermen battled back with a superb final half.

"We played absolutely perfect basketball in the first half. We were awesome in the first half,” said Cone on their great start that had them leading by 26 at 65-39.

But then they saw that they just couldn’t put the Beermen away easily.

Before his exit, Lassiter poured in 16 points in the third period with his last basket – a trey – getting the Beermen within two at 82-84.

"They were great. We came out just a little bit flat, made a couple of turnovers, and they hit some treys and got it going. That's what San Miguel is all about,” said Cone.

"We had some good fortune shine on us," said Cone, referring to the ouster of Lassiter then the fouling-out of June Mar Fajardo with over two minutes left in regulation play.

“But we still had to battle.”

The two teams are actually expected to fight to the end in this title series.