San Miguel coach Leo Austria is eager to correct his team's Game 1 mistakes when they collide with TNT anew in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals.
San Miguel has been here before — and head coach Leo Austria is banking on that experience to fuel a response in Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals Friday, Jan. 23.
Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
[WATCH: PBA LIVESTREAM: TNT vs San Miguel | Philippine Cup Finals Game 2]
Despite monster performances across the board, the Beermen fell short in Game 1 after a sluggish opening half left them chasing TNT the rest of the way.
Now trailing 1-0 in the series, Austria made it clear where the problem lies.
“It’s very clear that the first half is the culprit. We did not play the way we played before. But credit it to the game plan of TNT. They were able to contain our shooters,” Austra said.
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June Mar Fajardo was his usual dominant self, posting 24 points and 17 rebounds, while Mo Tautuaa (22 points), Cjay Perez (16 points, seven rebounds and six assists) and Rodney Brondial (10 points) all delivered.
But even with those numbers, San Miguel never fully recovered from its early hole.
The Beermen did force TNT into 19 turnovers and scored 25 points off those — proof that the adjustments worked, just not soon enough.
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Fajardo remained optimistic heading into Game 2, confident that San Miguel’s championship DNA would show earlier this time around.
For Austria, the emphasis is simple: urgency from the opening tip.
With a series-tying win on the line, expect San Miguel to come out sharper and more aggressive and intent on setting the tone.
(With reports from Jan Ballesteros)
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[Editor’s note: This article was written by a member of One Sports Digital with the help of AI and reviewed by editorial staff for accuracy.]