MIXERS GO FOR CLINCHER VS. EMBATTLED BOLTS
San Mig Coffee is clear with its goal – finish off Meralco in Game Four.
“We don’t want to go to a Game Five, so we’re going all out to win Game Four,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.
“We have so much respect for Meralco’s game to want to face them in a knockout game. Just too many things can happen in that kind of scenario, so we’re hoping our guys can really get focused and close out this series,” Cone added.
For Cone and his troops, it doesn’t matter whether Mario West shows up ready to play or not.
San Mig Coffee and Meralco clash at 6:45 p.m. Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with the Mixers out to clinch a second straight PBA Governors Cup finals and 24th overall for a shot at a 10th crown.
Cone is eyeing a third finals with San Mig Coffee and 26th overall. If they succeed against Meralco, Cone will have a shot at tying Baby Dalupan’s all-time best coaching record of 15 championships.
At posting time, Meralco had yet to get the result of the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test undertaken by West Friday night. The Meralco import is doubtful for Game Four as he’s in pain.
But despite the status of West, the Bolts are not about to give up.
“We are ready whatever the situation is. Hopefully, he can play,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio.
“Admittedly, it is hard to win without Mario. Still, we could have pulled the rug from under San Mig Coffee (in Game Three). Foul trouble killed our chances,” Gregorio also said.
The youthful Meralco mentor is hoping they can make the necessary adjustments, especially on how the game officials call fouls.
“It’s hard for us to defend with the way officials are appreciating the calls,” said Gregorio.
“In the elimination round, we were the best defensive team and we allowed the least number of free throws with only 16 per game,” Gregorio noted. “For some reason, it is different against San Mig. We’ve been whistled with 29.6 fouls per game while only 15.6 by San Mig.”
“Obviously, we need to adjust even if it is late in the conference. We cannot get close to them because it is a foul,” he added. “We need to get the same respect for the hard work that we render even if we are the new kids on the block with no superstars in our roster.
The Mixers pounced on the sidelining of West due to an injury Friday, pounding out a 94-87 win to gain the pivotal 2-1 lead in the series. (SB)
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