Beermen, Hotshots break 2-2 standoff

MANILA, Philippines — After playing catch-up against tough-as-nail challenger Magnolia in the duel that’s gone back-and-forth in the first four games, reigning champion San Miguel Beer sets out to break the pattern and finally nail back-to-back wins tonight to seize control of the PBA Philippine Cup finals and inch closer to a five-peat.

“It’s like a seesaw and they always get the head start on us. Now that it’s down to a best-of-three, we want to get the upper hand. Hopefully we achieve it in Game Five,” said SMB veteran Arwind Santos ahead of the all-important fifth game set 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

The Beermen, banking on June Mar Fajardo’s herculean 31-point, 14-rebound effort, dragged the Hotshots to a 2-2 standoff with an emphatic 114-98 triumph last Wednesday, effectively reducing the dispute for the league’s crown jewel into a race-to-two affair.

“It (Game Five) could be the turning point in this series. Historically, the team that wins Game Five goes on to win the series, and if I remember it right, this happens 60 percent of the time, so this is a very crucial game,” said SMB coach Leo Austria.

Despite getting blown out, the Hotshots are keeping the faith.

“They just tied the series. It’s now 0-0 and a best-of-three so we’ll see. If we beat them to the first win again, we’ll be at an advantageous position,” said Magnolia star Mark Barroca, who shared scoring honors with backcourt partner Jio Jalalon with 22 in their Game Four setback.

“We like our chances very much,” he reiterated, adding how the pressure is not on Magnolia’s side here.  “Actually, we didn’t really expect to hold a commanding lead; we just wanted to make it a protracted series and maybe in the end, we can steal it from them.”

Austria said it’s imperative for the Beermen to play with so much energy like they did two nights ago, when they fought out of a possible 1-3 deficit and knotted the series instead.

“I hope we sustain our energy from last game,” said the muti-titled mentor, who drew better shooting from his charges (51 percent overall and 44 percent from beyond the arc) and improved inside scoring (56 points) and rebounding (53) than the previous game. “We also have to stick to our game plan because there are times when we deviate from it if it isn’t initially working.”

For Magnolia counterpart Chito Victolero, it’s a matter of staying true to the Hotshots’ defense-oriented identity. 

“We have to go to our strength which is defense,” said Victolero, whose team lost in the two times it allowed SMB to breach the century mark. “If the score reaches 100 above, most likely, we’ll lose to San Miguel. We can’t engage them in a shootout. We know we have to go in with a defensive mindset again in order to get the lead in the series.”

“This is a series of adjustments,” said Barroca. “You shouldn’t get disheartened by a loss; you simply can’t afford to do that against this team. So we need to play with high intensity, be aggressive and keep our focus.”