MANILA, Philippines - In a PBA Finals, one surprise move could tilt the balance or alter the flow of the series.
San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria feels the addition of Brian Heruela and David Semerad in his rotation factored in their triumphs in the last two games as the Beermen went from 0-1 down to 2-1 up in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
“The two brought in a different kind of energy, and they seemed to puzzle TNT,” said Austria of Heruela and Semerad who didn’t see action in their 102-104 loss in Game One.
“Nabulabog yung substitution pattern nila (They disrupted their substitution pattern),” Austria added.
Heruela and Semerad made impact in the brief minutes that they played in San Miguel’s 109-97 drubbing of TNT Sunday.
Heruela, a teammate of June Mar Fajardo from their University of Cebu days, went 2-of-2 from the field and also came up with two assists, one rebound and one steal in 14 minutes of action.
Semerad, SMB’s third-string gunner, contributed two points and two rebounds as he and his brother, TNT’s Anthony, made history as the first twins to play against each other in PBA finals.
It remains to be seen, though, whether they will keep their spots on Austria’s rotation at the resumption of the series tonight.