Games today (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
4:30 p.m. – TNT KaTropa vs Blackwater
7 p.m. – San Miguel Beer vs Phoenix Pulse
MANILA, Philippines — The hunt for the final jewel to that coveted Triple Crown begins tonight for San Miguel Beer as the Beermen debuts in the PBA Governors’ Cup against Phoenix Pulse at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Beermen scored a historic five-peat in the Philippine Cup then climbed from No. 7 seed all the way to the Commissioner’s Cup diadem last month, and coach Leo Austria and his charges are poised to cash in on this opportunity to complete a season Grand Slam.
“That’s the goal. But we’re taking it one game at a time,” said Austria, whose squad sets out to get the job done this time after bungling a previous treble bid in the final lap two years ago.
SMB brought in the explosive Dez Wells for this cause. Wells gave a good sampling of what he can do when he powered the Beermen into the semis of the East Asia Super League’s Terrific 12 in Macau, where they eventually finished fourth overall.
“Two other veterans of the Terrific 12 – Commissioner’s Cup runner-up TNT KaTropa and Blackwater Elite – launch their respective campaigns when they clash at 4:30 p.m.
We’ve gained a lot of knowledge and experience in that tournament. It was a great opportunity to learn and develop the team’s winning attitude especially with the third conference upon us,” said Austria, who, however, has to deal with injuries to June Mar Fajardo, Christian Standhardinger, and Marcio Lassiter.
First to challenge SMB are the Fuel Masters, who are out for a bounceback after dropping a 116-123 setback to NLEX last Saturday.
“We have to give our A-game defensively and be very, very consistent. We somehow lost our defensive identity against NLEX and engaged them in a shootout, and we can’t afford to commit the same mistake against San Miguel, a very explosive team,” said Phoenix mentor Louie Alas, also hoping Eugene Phelps won’t get into foul trouble this time.