THE PBA 49th Philippine Cup semifinals comes to a conclusion on Wednesday with San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra, two of the league's storied franchises, colliding one last time for a finals spot and a chance to end TNT’s Grand Slam bid.
Here is a preview:
SAN MIGUEL VS. BARANGAY GINEBRA
When: Wednesday, July 9. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Smart-Araneta Coliseum
Winner faces TNT in finals
The all-Filipino semifinals ends in Game 7 at the Big Dome with the two teams in this position after LA Tenorio knocked down a three-pointer with 3.1 seconds left for an 88-87 Ginebra win. Whoever wins the series will only have four days to prepare for the finals which will begin on Sunday.
READ: LA Tenorio’s bday wish: ‘Sana mabigay sa akin yung Game 7’
Eagerly awaiting for the result of the game is TNT, which will face the winner in its continuing bid for a Grand Slam. The Tropang 5G have been bothered by injuries during the semifinals, but will now have the benefit of time to rest and prepare.
Second Game 7 between San Miguel and Ginebra
The two legendary teams surprisingly faced each other in a Game 7 only once when San Miguel defeated Ginebra, 90-79, in the finals of the 2009 Fiesta Conference. The Beermen are out to repeat history in this winner-take-all.
Fourth-quarter woes for San Miguel
San Miguel struggled to put the ball in the basket in the fourth quarter which led to its stinging setback. The Beermen only shot 6-of-24 from the field in the final frame, with their key players firing blanks.
Cjay Perez went 2-of-9 from the field, while Don Trollano was 1-of-6. June Mar Fajardo uncharacteristically attempted just one shot in the final period.
Free throws were also an issue for SMB, as it went 3-of-6 from the line, the misses coming in the last stretch including that by Fajardo, whose one miss put them ahead by two, 87-85, but opened the door for Ginebra to steal the win.
Scottie back in his old ways
Ginebra got a big boost from Scottie Thompson, who finally showed his old reliable self after he had zero rebounds in Game 4 and zero assists in Game 5. With the season on the line, Thompson had a near-triple-double with 17 points, 16 rebounds, and eight assists in the win.
Perhaps a concern for Ginebra, though, is Japeth Aguilar, who had cramps and missed the final stretch of Game 6. He still wound up with 16 points, but only grabbed four rebounds.
SMB out to spoil LA's 41st birthday
Coincidentally, Wednesday will be Tenorio's 41st birthday and he definitely wants nothing but a victory and a finals berth that will extend his 18th season in the league. But San Miguel definitely has other plans and is out to play the spoiler's role.
Cruz, Tiongson off-target in Game 6
Jericho Cruz was a hero in Game 5 when he had 27 points, but was far from it in Game 6 when he shot 2-of-9 from the field and finished with just six points, although he contributed six rebounds and three assists.
Juami Tiongson was also a non-factor in Game 6 when he scored four points and went 2-of-8 from the field. The two could be X-factors for San Miguel in Game 7.
Who will show 'NSD' in Game 7?
Tenorio’s heroics completed Ginebra’s comeback from a 16-point second-quarter deficit in Game 6. As always, the Gin Kings seemed to be comfortable in situations where the odds are stacked against them, so don’t count them out in Game 7 even if they are down big. This is also Ginebra’s second Game 7 of the season, the other one during the Commissioner’s Cup finals where the Gin Kings lost to TNT.
Of course, San Miguel has something to say about that. The Beermen may have been consistent finalists in the Philippine Cup, but they are coming off a Commissioner’s Cup where they missed the playoffs. They also have something to prove, as they try to recover from their all-Filipino loss last season to Meralco.
In the end, however, it all boils down to who wants it more.
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