Despite being tagged as the heavy favorite, San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent sees Magnolia as a tough opponent for the upcoming PBA Commissioner’s Cup finals.
Gallent said he doesn’t believe that the title won’t be a walk in the park for the Beermen who will face the Hotshots in the best-of-seven finals which begins on Friday, 7:30 p.m. at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Gallent’s reaction was in response to Magnolia coach Chito Victolero’s statements on Wednesday that San Miguel is the overwhelming favorite.
“Death Five nga nahirapan na kami, Death 15 pa kaya,” said Victolero.
Gallent cited the Hotshots’ performance in the conference where they have constantly been the number one team for months, dating back to the PBA on Tour exhibition series.
“Magnolia has been the number one team since four, five months ago. It’s going to be hard to beat them,” said Gallent during Thursday’s pre-finals press conference at the Eastwood Richmonde Hotel.
“But we are kinda positive about it and we are going to try our best to get the championship this coming conference,” said Gallent.
The last time both teams clashed in the finals, San Miguel edged Magnolia in seven games in the 2019 Philippine Cup.
The Beermen last won the crown in the 2023 Philippine Cup where they defeated TNT.
The Hotshots, on the other hand, have not won a title since the 2018 Governors’ Cup finals.
Gallent said they learned a lot from their three-game sweep of last year's champion Barangay Ginebra in the semifinals.
“How to finish games, how to execute in the fourth quarter, and how to be composed come game time,” said Gallent.
Gallent will be eyeing his first title as head coach of the Beermen, but would rather focus on winning for the team.
“It’s not a personal goal for me. It’s a personal goal for the team. I’m not thinking of myself how to win this championship. I’m just here to guide the players. The players do all the work. This is all them. In case we win a championship, it’s just not for me. It’s them. This is really a team. In case we win it, we win it as a unit,” said Gallent.
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