ONE FINAL BATTLE
One last game – the mother of all playoff battles – determines which between Alaska and San Miguel Beer ends a long hunt for the elusive PBA Philippine Cup championship.
Squared up after six games, the Alaska Aces and the San Miguel Beermen clash in a no-tomorrow match at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with the winner ending a pursuit of over a decade for the all-Filipino crown.
For all their title conquests as the PBA’s winningest ball club, the Beermen have been chasing the league’s premier crown in the last 12 seasons without success.
The Aces, the league’s second most triumphant team, have been longing to win the title a year longer.
The long, lonely wait for one of them will be over at the end of the Wednesday sudden death.
It’s the first Game Seven in all-Filipino finals in six years and only the third in the last 17 PBA seasons, and it could well draw the biggest crowd in PBA Season 40.
SMB came to within 36 minutes of closing out the series in Game Six but Alaska refused to go away and die, overcoming the Beermen’s strong start to force a Game Seven on an 87-76 victory.
The Beermen tried to pour it all in the first half but got winded in the process and were unable to respond as the Aces pressed their own bid in the second half.
With fresher legs, the Aces turned the game around in the second quarter and kept control to the finish, thus, spoiling the Beermen’s party plans.
“Luckily, we still have another chance,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria, hoping the two-day break enable them to recharge and regroup for the do-or-die match.
No doubt, the two teams will go hammer and tongs at each other in the deciding game of a well-fought, stretch-out series.
The Aces will not be expected to deviate from what they do best – drain out the Beermen with their relentless press.
They did just that in Game Six.
“The big thing for us was the minutes that their (main) guys had to play. When you play against a team that plays the way we do, you would really get tired,” said Alaska coach Alex Compton.
“Their key men played long minutes in the first half, and I guess it took its toll on them in the second half,” Compton also said.
Austria admitted fatigue came into play.
“(Our guys) were aiming to win the championship. Their adrenaline and emotions were high and maybe yes they spent it all so early,” said Austria. “We ran out of fuel in the second half, and you see that Alaska’s intensity didn’t change from start to finish.”
Perhaps in a great desire to finish it off in Game Six, Austria played his starting five of June Mar Fajardo, Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot, Chris Lutz and Marcio Lassiter with at least 30 minutes each.
Compton, on the other hand, spread the minutes almost evenly among their starters and the second group.
Pummeled and pounded in the first six minutes, the Aces turned to shock troopers Dondon Hontiveros, Vic Manuel, Chris Exciminiano and RJ Jazul as they wiped out an early 14-point deficit and dominated the Beermen in the last three quarters.
Star forward Calvin Abueva was limited to 15 minutes after picking up three quick fouls, but the Aces found no problem and they appeared to be always a step ahead of the weary SMB side in the final half.
“We were totally outhustled,” rued Austria aghast as he’s going over the stats sheets after the match.
“They led on all departments, even in the paint which should have been our advantage because of June Mar,” said Austria.
The Aces outrebounded the taller Beermen, 57-46, winning the offensive rebounding battle at 22-14 that they translated to a 17-7 advantage on second-chance points.
Alaska battered SMB, 58-22, on points at the paint and also gained a 20-4 edge on points off turnovers and 16-6 advantage on fastbreaks.
But again, the Beermen are thankful there’s one more game.
It’s a fitting end to this dream series. (SB)
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