SAN MIG COFFEE ENDS ELIMS ON A HIGH
San Mig Coffee nailed a fourth straight win to close out its elimination round campaign and salvage a spot in the Top Six following a 100-87 drubbing of three-time defending champion Talk n Text in the PLDT myDSL PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday night.
The two teams themselves meet in a best-of-three quarterfinal series regardless of the outcome of the last four games in the elims.
“Our goal when we started from 1-5 was to get to .500. I didn’t think we can get that but we did. Finishing at 7-7 is really a nice accomplishment for us,” said San Mig coach Tim Cone.
“It’s a real tough finish. The teams we played in our last four games were Ginebra, a hot Air21 team, Petron and Talk n Text. Before we got in that grind, it didn’t look good. But the guys picked up their game, raised their level of play and we made a big turnaround,” Cone also said.
“The guys were fun to watch,” Cone added.
San Mig Coffee was so fluid in its last two games, ripping Petron and Talk n Text by an average margin of 16 points.
Against the Texters, the Mixers established control towards the end of the first quarter and held sway the rest of the way.
“The game had a lot at stake for us than them. The next time we meet again (in the quarters), stakes will be the same. They will be a lot tougher,” said Cone.
“We’re playing a best-of-three series, and we have to figure out how to beat them two more times. That’s tough,” Cone added.
Talk n Text coach Norman Black has said Kelly Williams, Ryan Reyes and Noy Baclao will be ready to return by the start of the playoffs.
Minus the three, the Texters had a hard time matching up with the San Mig team that’s in the groove.
PJ Simon and Mark Barroca tossed in 19 and 16 points, respectively, to lead San Mig’s well-spread production.
Barroca went 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, 4-of-8 from the two-point zone and 2-of-2 from the stripe in a solid performance he also laced with seven assists, four steals and three rebounds.
The former Gilas Pilipinas playmaker recorded three interceptions that helped the team keep Talk n Text at bay entering the homestretch. (SB)
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