NOW COMES THE REAL BATTLE
They held their punches in a virtual non-bearing setto Sunday night. On Monday, the Alaska Aces and the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers are expected to go hammer and tongs at each other in the opener of their PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-three quarterfinals showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
In the final play date of the eliminations, the Aces clobbered a shorthanded San Mig Coffee side, 85-66, to gain playoffs third seeding while relegating the Mixers to sixth.
Regardless of the result of the match, the two would land in the best-of-three quarterfinals.
San Mig Coffee seemingly opted to rest its big guns while Alaska went on with its normal routine, thus, keeping its hot streak in the tourney and in their head-on duels with the Mixers.
Alaska coach Luigi Trillo, however, isn’t about to entertain illusions they would have an easy quarters matchup in San Mig Coffee.
“They will be twice as sharp and as good tomorrow (Monday),” said Trillo.
“It’s just theirs was for rest while we wanted to keep our rhythm. It’s all about that,” Trillo also said after they easily disposed of the San Mig Coffee side minus James Mays, James Yap, Marc Pingris and Justin Melton.
Coach Tim Cone admitted they were preparing themselves for the quarters.
“We’re in a unique and very unusual area where we’re starting the playoffs on the second day of back-to-back games,” said Cone.
“We won’t know exactly who will we play until the second game is over, so our preparation for Game One will be very limited. You do what you have to do in these kinds of situations. A schedule like this makes it very difficult for coaches,” Cone also said.
Now come the certain situation and the actual battle.
The Aces have won four of their last five meetings, but the Mixers are more successful, emerging champs in the last two conferences.
On the line is Alaska’s Commissioner’s Cup title and San Mig Coffee’s bid for a treble.
Trillo insists the Mixers will be very dangerous.
“They will be different with Mays, Yap and Pingris there,” said Trillo. (SB)
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