MIXERS GO FOR THE KILL
They have overcome a scrambling 1-3 tournament start, survived a sudden death in the quarterfinals and withstood a battle in the semifinals.
And the San Mig Coffee Mixers now want to go all the way to the top.
The Mixers take the first of two cracks at closing out the PBA Governors’ Cup best-of-seven Finals, trying to finish off the embattled Petron Blaze Boosters in Game Six Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“As the series gets longer it gets tougher. Our mindset is that it’s going to be tougher than the last game,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.
Cone, however, stressed they would not give themselves extra load.
“I’ve been here before, and I don’t want to overstate the fact that they’re a good team. I don’t want to be prophetic saying they’re capable of turning the series around. We’re just gonna rely on our games and just play,” Cone pointed out.
Successful in the last two games putting the Boosters out of their comfort zone, Cone said the idea is to do the same in Game Six.
“We’ll try to find a way to keep them uncomfortable,” said Cone, a win away from leading San Mig Coffee to a 10th crown and a win shy of tying coach Baby Dalupan’s long standing, all-time record of 15 championships.
He just can’t rule out a Petron comeback.
“Right now, we’re down but definitely not out,” said Petron coach Gee Abanilla.
There’s a situation right now at Petron, and it’s up for Abanilla to exploit it or blow it.
MVP winner Arwind Santos is in depth of despair following his poor showing in the last two games, and Abanilla has a good rallying point for his team right there.
Santos is begging for support while Abanilla is saying they’re not losing trust and confidence in their main man. The Boosters could be ready to rally around Santos.
Cone, meanwhile, insists they will just come out and play.
On the verge of completing a Finals upset, the Mixers would still rather just play and not put unwanted pressure on themselves.
For the record, the Purefoods/San Mig franchise has won two championships in four times they’ve taken the 3-2 lead from two-all. (SB)
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