MANILA, Philippines – If Game 1 is any indication, the Meralco Bolts are no longer heavy underdogs in the PBA Philippine Cup finals.
After pulling off a 93-86 upset over the San Miguel Beermen in the series opener, Meralco shoots for a 2-0 lead in Game 2 of their best-of-seven finals on Friday, June 7, at the Araneta Coliseum.
Going up against a well-rested, powerhouse San Miguel squad led by seven-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo, the Bolts got the job done on the defensive end in Game 1, becoming the first team to hold the Beermen to under 90 points this conference.
Although Fajardo still managed to finish with his usual scoring numbers of 23 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting, the Gilas Pilipinas big man was held to only 5 markers in the crucial fourth quarter.
With San Miguel already missing the services of its star guard Terrence Romeo due to a calf injury, Meralco also put the clamps on other key Beermen players such as Don Trollano and Jericho Cruz, who combined for just 14 points on a lowly 5-of-17 field goal clip.
On the offensive side, it was also a collective effort from the Bolts as four players scored in double figures, with Chris Newsome and Chris Banchero leading the way with 18 apiece, followed by 15 each from Bong Quinto and Allein Maliksi.
Still, the Bolts know they still have a long series ahead against the mighty Beermen, who are gunning for back-to-back Philippine Cup titles and a sweep of the two championships in Season 48.
“Winning Game 1 is always a big help, but by no means are we happy or satisfied. It’s just one game,” said Newsome.
“You can look back at our last series against Ginebra, they won Game 1 and we ended up winning the series. It doesn’t necessarily mean because we won Game 1, we won the series. There’s so much work that has to be done.”
Game time is 7:30 pm. – Rappler.com
