MERALCO will have two shots at winning its first-ever PBA championship starting Sunday when it battles defending champion San Miguel in Game 6 of the Philippine Cup finals.
Cliff Hodge, the franchise' longest tenured player, is approaching the game at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with utmost urgency.
“Our mindset is go out there like it’s our Game 7. Give our all in every quarter,” he said after a 92-88 Bolts win in Game 5 Friday night.
It’s the first time Meralco leads 3-2 in the finals, giving it a twice-to-beat advantage in its grand plans to end a 14-year title search.
READ: What worked against Ginebra is working again for Meralco vs. San Miguel
Prior to this title series, the Bolts had been in the finals four times, but lost to Barangay Ginebra in all their meetings.
And so far, this is the closest Meralco has been in winning a breakthrough championship since losing to the Kings in a memorable Game 7 of the season-ending conference back in 2017; played before a then-record crowd of 51, 186 at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
Learning their lesson
Hodge, part of all four of those runner-up teams, said those losses have actually become a source of energy for the Bolts.
“All of those losses make you a better person, a better player, a better teammate,” said the 36-year-old forward, Meralco's No. 4 overall pick in the 2012 draft.
“Definitely, all of us have to look inside, see what happened, and figure out why we lost.”
There were lots of lessons learned in those losses, all of which the Bolts are carrying with them in their title war with the mighty Beermen.
“It is what it is with San Miguel. They’ve won so many championships. We’ll come out and give our all, I know that,” Hodge said.
READ: June Mar still confident San Miguel's chances far from dim
“I’m not focused right now on winning or losing. It’s more on staying focused, following our game plan, taking it play by play, minute by minute, quarter by quarter,” he added. “If we win, we win. If we don’t, then we’re back to the drawing board."
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