MIXERS TAKE FIRST CRACK AT GOVS’ CUP, GRAND SLAM
San Mig Super Coffee could join Crispa, San Miguel Beer and Alaska in an elite of roster of grand slam champs just as the PBA is about to celebrate four decades of existence.
The Mixers could have their own grand feat to be remembered for a long time as they are a game away from closing out the PLDT Home Telpad PBA Governors’ Cup Finals versus the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
Two-games-to-one up in the best-of-five series, the Mixers take their first of two cracks at wrapping things up in Game Four at 8 p.m. Monday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
For James Yap and company, this is the game to die for. A win separates them from their foes and peers.
For in almost two decades, no other team has ever come close to where the Mixers stand now.
One more win, and San Mig Coffee would celebrate a real epic feat – the first back-to-back Governors’ Cup conquests by any team in the league in 14 years, the first PBA “Four-Peat” in 17 years and the first PBA grand slam in 18 years.
But the ever-cautious San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone doesn’t want his team to get ahead of the task at hand.
“At this point, we’re just trying to focus on what is directly in front of us, no more, and we do that by not worrying about the winning or losing of Game Four,” Cone said.
“We just want to stay focused and put together the best game we can, and hopefully, the result will take care of itself,” he added. “As I have said, we have great respect for Rain or Shine and their mental toughness. We know this series is not over by any stretch of imagination.”
Cone is focused in a bid to match an achievement he got with Alaska in 1996.
In doing service to the national team, Cone failed to complete a second grand slam with the Aces in 1998.
Already the league’s winningest coach, Cone jots down another record with a possible second grand slam with the Mixers.
Baby Dalupan, Tommy Manotoc and Norman Black are the league’s other grand slam champion coaches.
Cone maintains, though, that he’s not discounting anything that Rain or Shine can do.
“They’re the mentally strongest team that you can play. Nothing seems to faze them,” Cone insisted.
“We need to battle all the way through especially against this team more than any other team. They don’t break down,” Cone also said.
Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao said they would stop to battle only when the battle is over.
“We’re down 1-2 but I don’t think it’s the end. I don’t think it’s ending (Monday),” said Guiao.
“We’ll find a way to force another game and we’ll see. We’d been in the same situation in our semifinal series against Alaska. Down 1-2, we won the next two games to win the series. We hope to make the same thing here,” Guiao also said. (SB)
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