CHICAGO - At 6-foot-10 and 268 lbs, June Mar Fajardo is a tough cover, which explains why he has seven PBA MVP honors and is especially dominant in an import-less conference.
The Philippine Cup title that will be contested in a seven-game battle beginning Wednesday will be no different. Largely because of Fajardo, this championship is San Miguel's to lose.
A physically imposing big, it's hard to stop Fajardo, who is averaging 17.4 points per game while hitting 52.2 percent of his field goals.
READ Fajardo grabs No. 1 spot in Best Player of Conference race
But there are ways to at least slow him down.
One is to let either 6-foot-10 Raymond Alamazan or 6-foot-4 Cliff Hodge stay in front of June Mar, deny reversals and employ an exaggerated help side to prevent lobs to him.
Another way to potentially dull Fajardo's effectiveness is to force the Cebuano giant to the baseline, get him behind the backboard and then throw two bodies on him.
Any multiple coverage on Fajardo, however, is extremely risky because it leaves a shooter open and San Miguel is a dangerous team that scores 107.4 points per game at a rate of 46.8 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from 3.
THIS MAN IS ON FIRE.
Marcio Lassiter is shooting 50 percent from 3 in 17 games played this conference. He better be the last guy Meralco leaves open.
So it's basically a pick-your-poison deal when it comes to handling Fajardo: Let him score at will by guarding him straight up 1-on-1 or let the other Beermen beat you.
Option 2 could just be as lethal given San Miguel's arsenal.
CJ Perez is averaging 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists while Terrence Romeo, finally pain-free and healthy, is slowly rounding back to form with 12.3 points and 3.1 dimes a contest.
Then there's Mo Tautuaa, San Miguel's other giant who can make life hell for Meralco. Though logging just limited minutes behind the Kraken, Mo still comes up with an impressive 7.6 points and 4.8 rebounds each time he's on the floor.
THE DECIDED UNDERDOG.
While it's a longshot, the Bolts have a great chance of an upset.
But Chris Banchero needs to score more than the 11.3 points that he averages. And he needs to direct the offense with more than just 3.8 assists.
Chris Newsome is Meralco's heart and soul and has been productive with 15.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this conference.
Unfortunately, Newsome is in a shooting slump, hitting just 37.4 percent from the field and 25.3 percent from 3. A higher clip is required to beat San Miguel.
Allein Maliksi can be a wild card but Hodge is a constant. He always shows up.
With Nenad Vucinic and Luigi Trillo riding in coaching tandem, Meralco's brain power is at a high level. But San Miguel's Jorge Gallent is no dummy, either.
If San Miguel didn't have Fajardo, the Bolts will easily win the chip
June Mar is there, though, which means........
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