Can Meralco and Rain or Shine rebound from series-opening losses to Ginebra and San Miguel, respectively, in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup semifinals?
San Miguel and Ginebra know how dangerous their respective foes can get as the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup semifinals progress.
That’s why these powerhouse teams are making sure not to succumb to complacency entering Game 2 of their respective best-of-seven series at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, May 19.
Coming off a narrow 101-98 win over Rain or Shine, Beermen head coach Jorge Gallent needs more from June Mar Fajardo and Co. to gain a 2-0 upperhand in what is shaping up to be a rough and rugged race-to-four showdown.
[RELATED STORY: June Mar Fajardo admits defensive struggle against three-point sniping Beau Belga]
With offense a given for what has been dubbed as “Death 15,” Gallent pointed out the team’s 16 turnovers as something they must address in time for the 6:15 p.m. match.
“We just have to minimize our turnovers. We had 16. That is really a lot for a team,” said Gallent after Friday’s Game 1.
[RELATED STORY: San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent rues turnovers despite Beermen's Game 1 win over Rain or Shine]
Meanwhile, Ginebra still struggles to solve the Meralco riddle even after a 92-88 win in Game 1.
[RELATED STORY: 'Pick your poison' in Ginebra's 'deep' rotation, says Game 1 best player Stanley Pringle]
Gin Kings coach Tim Cone was quick to remind his wards that it’s still a long road ahead against their longtime playoff rivals.
“The bottomline is, it’s a Game 1. It’s a long series. There’s a lot of games ahead of us,” said the winningest coach in league history.
“It’s just nice to get the first one out of the way as it always is in a series. You want to get that one. You put the other team on a reactive basis.”
For Meralco coach Luigi Trillo, his wards simply need to do a better job on the defensive end against a deep Ginebra side.
“It’s a grind out kind of game when it’s Ginebra, right? You got (Ralph) Cu exploding, you got (Stanley) Pringle exploding,” Trillo said.
“Defensively we have to do better. There’s a point there where we couldn't really get some shots. We couldn't shoot, they had a lot of transition points going the other way. We have to keep guys in check.”
[RELATED STORY: Ginebra coach Tim Cone not surprised as 'always ready' Ralph Cu puts up splendid shooting night in semis opener vs Meralco]
Gametime is set at 3:00 p.m. at the same venue.
(With reports from LJ Abadinas, One Sports Digital)