Game today (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
7 p.m. – San Miguel vs TNT KaTropa
Game One: TNT KaTropa 104, San Miguel 102
Game Two: San Miguel 102, TNT KaTropa 88
Game Three: San Miguel 109, TNT KaTropa 97
Game Four: TNT KaTropa 102, San Miguel 97
MANILA, Philippines - It’s down to a best-of-three – a battle to the last man – as the PBA Commissioner’s Cup title series between San Miguel Beer and Talk N Text KaTropa is fast turning out to be a grinding war of attrition with the best-of-seven series level at two games apiece.
The Beermen and the Texters face off at 7 p.m. with the winner gaining the pivotal 3-2 lead and will thus have two chances at winning the series and the coveted crown in the mid-season tourney.
“(Game Five) will be a war. We expect them not to back down just as what we did (in Game Four),” said TNT coach Nash Racela.
The Texters foiled the Beermen’s bid at going 3-1 up Wednesday, working on a bristling endgame to take Game Four, 102-97, and reduce the series to a best-of-three affair.
The highly charged, emotional battle is likely to rage on after the halftime commotion in Game Three followed by flagrant infractions thrown by Arwind Santos, Charles Rhodes and Josh Smith in Game Four.
There’s also the howl of protest by the TNT bench on an inadvertent whistle by referee Jimmy Mariano in the second quarter Wednesday, a boo-boo that allowed SMB to gain a crucial four-point swing that momentarily stopped the Texters’ momentum.
Mariano was then replaced and would face sanction by the Commissioner’s Office.
“It was a hard-fought ballgame. Both gave their best and it’s nice we ended up with the win. But all we did was to tie the series,” said Racela. “It might go to a Game Seven. But of course, we want to finish it in our favor.”
Despite the loss, the Beermen remain confident they would prevail in the series.
“We had problems as our big men got into foul trouble early. But we kept the game close. What more if June Mar Fajardo and Charles Rhodes didn’t get early fouls,” said SMB coach Leo Austria.
But the SMB mentor sees the need to make their own adjustments after the Texters came out victorious with the changes in their starting unit and in their substitutions.
In Game Four, Racela started with Smith, Troy Rosario, Ranidel de Ocampo, RR Pogoy and RR Garcia, and played Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams off the bench.
“They went to Josh (Smith) a lot and they played three bigs to attack our wings,” said Austria, also noting the high energy of the Texters compared to their previous games.
“We have to step up. We should keep our intensity high. They put in a different kind of energy in the last game,” said Austria.