San Miguel needs to start strong vs Rain or Shine; ‘Kailangan makauna naman kami,’ says Santos
San Miguel’s Arwind Santos vs Rain or Shine’s Chris Tiu. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Rain or Shine just picked its poison, and so far, its gamble is paying off.
For the two games of the semifinals duel between the Beermen and the Elasto Painters, Yeng Guiao’s crew has allowed two-time MVP June Mar Fajardo wreak havoc inside. In return, the defense rather focused on his supporting crew, rendering the Cebuano giant gasping for help.
But Arwind santos is not losing hope.
“Di pa rin naman kami nawawala,” he said. “May times na mahirap pilitin yung isang sitwasyon na gusto ko tumulong sa opensa. Kung tutuusin, kaya namin silang talunin kahit si June Mar ang umiiskor sa loob kasi yun yung binibigay ng depensa nila. Pero sa amin lang mas nakatutok sila.”
Fajardo has netted 37.0 points, 17.5 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks in the series’ first pair of games, underscoring the heavy lifting the big man is doing just to keep San Miguel afloat.
Also, for the second straight game, the Beermen had to dig their way back from 20-plus point leads. Unfortunately, Game 2 saw that fightback fail in the end, leveling the series to 1-1.
Santos believes that with a little bit of tinkering, San Miguel can once again rekindle its deadly form come Game 3.
“Adjustment lang din sa defense. Kailangan makuha namin yung strong start kasi lagi kaming nauunahan eh. Kailangan makauna naman kami next time,” he said.
The Beermen are also not pushing the panic button as they still have the chance to regain the lead on Saturday.
“Ang maganda dito, naka-tie pa lang sila. So best-of-5, start ulit. Mas mapapaganda lang yung laban.”
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