CHICAGO - At 7-0, San Miguel is razing through the PBA Philippine Cup field like wildfire, burning everything in its path.
Not only are the Beermen winning, they're doing so convincingly with a 9-point win differential.
They've only been in tough spots twice this conference, against TNT (91-89) last March 17 and against Ginebra (95-92) on April 4. The rest have been blowouts, including a 120-100 demolition of NorthPort two days ago.
READ Can SMB sweep elims? Jericho Cruz says goal is to win every game
How good is San Miguel?
With the help of Phoenix coach Jamike Jarin, who provided me with the latest PBA teams' stats, I found out exactly how.
San Miguel is ranked No. 2 in points per game at 108, just a shade under Rain Or Shine's league-leading 108.1. The Beermen are also No. 2 in 2-point-field goal percentage shooting at 48.6 percent and No. 1 from behind the arc at 37.3 percent.
They are No. 3 in rebounding (53), No. 3 in second-chance points (15.3), No. 4 in assists (23.7) and No. 6 in blocks (3.5).
DOUBLE THREAT.
On defense, SMB is just as good.
They are No. 2 in field goal percentage allowed at 41.4 percent (251-of-1606), just a whisker behind Magnolia's league-leading 41.2 percent (205-of-498).
Success breeds confidence, opening the mind to boundless possibilities.
"May nakagawa na ba ng sweep?" guard Jericho Cruz asked reporters in the afterglow of his team's recent triumph last Sunday at the PhilSports Arena.
Per Reuben Terrado of SPIN.ph, that mountain was scaled by Talk N' Text back in 2014 when it mowed down a 10-team field to finish the elimination round at 9-0.
Can the Beermen duplicate the feat, this time with a higher degree of difficulty under a 12-team setting?
Yes, they can.
Of the four teams left in San Miguel's schedule, only Magnolia (5-2) presents a real threat. The others - NLEX, Blackwater and Meralco - have a combined record of 13-13 and have lost 9 in a row among them.
MAKING IT LOOK EASY.
C.J. Perez is staking a claim as arguably the PBA best court general with 20.7 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists a contest.
Mo Tautuaa is playing like a mini-Shaq out there, asserting himself on the paint while tallying 10.2 points and 5.8 rebounds a game.
Marcio Lassiter, the Fil-Am from San Fran, is aging like fine wine. At age 36 he still has the pulse of a young sniper, averaging 11.4 points an outing while hitting 55 percent of his 3s.
But the real power behind San Miguel is the coaching of Jorge Gallent. He's the one pushing all the right buttons and choosing the right manpower combinations in the times June Mar Fajardo was out.
Previously, talks surrounding Gallent centered only on how he got the job replacing Leo Austria, on how Calvin Abueva maligned him, and on how fabulous his golf swing is.
The narrative is about to change.
Gallent is putting together one of the best runs in the PBA sidelines, going 7-0 in the current conference after just winning the previous one.
Next time you're on the links, Jorge, take time to smell the flowers.
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