LOOKING FOR CONSISTENCY
SAN Miguel Beer’s form has been far from the kind team management wants.
More so for GlobalPort.
Which team unloads the kind of game more to its liking would be known Tuesday when the Beermen and Batang Pier clash in the PLDT Home Telpad PBA Governors Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Since the eliminations is only a nine-game affair, the match set at 5:45 p.m. is already a must-win one for the protagonists.
For SMB, the game takes on additional meaning since a victory would not only put it back on track but also put it among the top four who will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage each in the ensuing quarterfinals.
GlobalPort has a far more humble goal of just avoiding relegation into the bottom two who will be taking an early vacation.
But first, a game far more desirable than in their last respective outings must be played.
GlobalPort is coming off a heart-rending 82-92 loss to San Mig Super Coffee last Friday, when the Batang Pier blew as much as a 44-24 bubble and a 17-point halftime lead by getting trampled on to the tune of 58-31 in the second half.
“I’m looking for consistency (playing good defense and flow offense) and a strong finish in tomorrow’s game,” said GlobalPort coach Pido Jarencio.
San Miguel Beer is also still hurting from a 97-103 defeat to Talk N Text last Saturday, when the Beermen sorely missed the injured Marcio Lassiter and Chris Ross and could not keep pace with the Tropang Texters’ fiery windup.
“With both teams coming from a loss, especially in a conference as short as this, each game’s stakes are raised higher,” noted SMB tactician Biboy Ravanes.
“With that in mind, and since we came up short last game, we look to recover and gauge ourselves for a tougher stretch ahead,” added Ravanes, referring to the Beermen’s remaining matches against Meralco, Barangay Ginebra and Air21.
For SMB to prevail, it must overcome its manpower problems.
The status of Ross (strained calf muscle) and Lassiter (cut shin) remain doubtful while center June Mar Fajardo is favoring a sprained ankle which hampered his movements in the second half of the game against TNT.
Reggie Williams has been steady with averages of 33.20 points, 10.20 rebounds and 5.40 assists per game, but more local help should be coming, especially from Arwind Santos, Chris Lutz and Sol Mercado, from the outside to loosen up the inside defense on Fajardo.
In his first game since coming in to replace the one-dimensional Leroy Hickerson, Dior Lowhorn notched 33 points and 16 rebounds for GlobalPort. But the bulk of those numbers came in the first half against San Mig.
For the Batang Pier to play true to Jarencio’s expectations, the likes of Alex Cabagnot, Terrence Romeo and Jay Washington must chip in their ample share. (NC)
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