BEERMEN, KINGS EYE BREAKOUT WIN
San Miguel Beer is smarting from a shocking loss to Kia Wednesday while Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is reeling from back-to-back losses to Meralco and Barako Bull.
But those losses could only inspire and motivate the Beermen and the Kings to all the more come out strong as they face off in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at 5:15 p.m. Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Kia Motors notched only a second PBA franchise victory, ending a 12-game losing streak in a long, lonely stretch of over four months with an improbable 88-78 conquest of Philippine Cup titlist San Miguel Beer in the latter’s Commissioner’s Cup debut at the Big Dome Wednesday.
Ginebra, meanwhile, was humbled by Meralco, 74-85, then frustrated by Barako Bull, 68-69, in a slow start in their return under the care of coach Ato Agustin.
Agustin, however, is confident it’s only a matter of time before the Kings start winning.
“Sabog pa talaga ang laro namin. Pero kapag nakuha namin yung first win, tingin ko magtutuloy-tuloy yon,” said Agustin.
SMB coach Leo Austria, meanwhile, said championship hangover and limited preparation caused their upset by Kia.
“I was really concerned about the preparation. We only had three days to prepare for KIA, then our import arrived last Saturday so yung time to prepare talagang napakaliit,” rued Austria.
Both are hopeful of their chance to get into the win-column in their weekend showdown tipped to draw a big crowd at the Big Dome.
It is keenly awaited, for one, because of the marquee matchup between June Mar Fajardo and Greg Slaughter.
Fajardo and Arwind Santos beat out Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar at endgame of their exciting showdowns in the last Philippine Cup.
Fajardo and Santos combined for 43 points, including seven inside the last 25 seconds, enabling the Beermen to survive a shaky finish.
The Beermen dominated the tourney, topping the elimination round and going all the way to win the championship.
In that same tourney, the Kings placed fifth in the elims and failed to make it past the quarterfinals, losing a knockout setto with the Talk n Text Tropang Texters, 67-83.
Scrambling performance by the Kings in the last two tournaments cost coach Jeff Cariaso his job and paved the way for the return of Agustin as head coach of the Kings.
But with their slow start in the Commissioner’s Cup, Agustin can only ask for more patience and understanding.
“Our problem is how we execute our plays. Yon ang pagtratrabahuhan namin,” said Agustin.
With more preparation, Austria is confident they would regain their winning form. (SB)
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