SAN Miguel Beer intends to take full advantage of the incentive it labored so hard for and make short work of Meralco Friday in their PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals duel at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Not if the Bolts could help it.
"We're ready," said Meralco coach Luigi Trillo, whose eighth-ranked side needs to win twice against top seeded SMB and force a deciding game on Sunday.
"We've been here a lot of times so I think we'd really respond well in this first game. But you have to get to one before you get to two," added Trillo, who steered the Bolts over the Beermen in the finals of the same conference last season.
But, as Trillo himself admitted, beating a team like SMB, much less two in a row, is easier said than done under the current circumstances.
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"They've been playing well. It's gonna be a good matchup. I'm looking at the way their games are being played now... it's a different San Miguel. They're playing the most consistent basketball, that's why they're No. 1," noted Trillo.
After clinching the top spot last Sunday Beermen coach Leo Austria said his players are motivated by their burning desire to atone for their failure to get past the eliminations in the mid-season Commissioner's Cup and in the process regain the title they last held in 2022.
CJ Perez provided the more physical aspects of the matchup against Meralco. "They have a good system so kailangan tapatan din namin energy nila and... kailangan naming mag-focus sa defense and I think offense will come kapag dumepensa kami ng maayos," said the star guard.
"Protecting the ball, running sa transition defense, 'yun 'yung kailangan naming i-improve pa," added Perez. "So iyun 'yung tinitingnan namin kasi Meralco they love to run also."
The former Lyceum Crimson Pirate also brushed off notions SMB has the distinct advantage over Meralco. "Nasa top seed kami ngayon, pero it doesn't matter, eh," he said. "Lahat ng teams ngayon sobrang nag-improve talaga."
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Trillo agrees with that assessment. "Teams in the lower half (of the last eight) are very capable of beating those at the top half," he said.
"You look at those teams (5-8), they're all solid: TNT, Rain or Shine, us. Even Converge, which is an up-and-coming young team," Trillo pointed out, before stressing he and his Bolts are not just planning to stay alive.
"Are we capable of winning two? Yes, we are. Locked in lang muna kami dito sa first game," stated Trillo.(NC)
