Ginebra a worthy adversary with blowout Game 4 win, says Austria

MANILA, Philippines — Ever the cheerful person, San Miguel head coach Leo Austria opened the presser after their blowout Game Four loss to Barangay Ginebra in jest: “It’s my turn to tell coach Tim ‘Nice bawi.’”

But it didn’t take too long for the six-time PBA champion mentor to shift his tone to a serious one.

“Before this game he kept on telling me na we’re too good and too strong for (Barangay Ginebra,” Austria said. “It’s not true.”

“Our team has a chance to go on and dominate the league … A lot of team are talking about our team, a ‘superteam,’ a strong team. But now, you can see it now eh. Ginebra is also a strong team,” he offered.

Austria and the Beermen absorbed another royal beatdown at the hands of the Gin Kings in Game Four of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals last Friday. The latest meeting marks the fourth straight time that the result was decided through a drubbing.

Austria though feels like this Sunday’s iteration will feature a totally different vibe.

“I think next game it will be a different ballgame,” Austria said.

The series is now reduced to just a best-of-three, and he feels like the drama along with the intensity will reach a different high.

“It’s now a best-of-three. They will be having a sixth man — which is the crowd,” Austria said of the crowd darlings whose fan base traces to the rowdy crowd Ginebra squads of old that featured greats like Robert Jaworski and Francis Arnaiz.

“But I hope my team realizes that the stakes,” he offered. “What we worked hard for in the past three months.”

San Miguel remains in the hunt for a rare Grand Slam — or winning all three conference titles. But Ginebra remains as their biggest hurdle as the series is knotted at two wins each.

The Gin Kings go for a tiebreaker Sunday night at the Big Dome.