ONE team could be closer to a return to the PBA finals after Friday’s 50th Season Philippine Cup semifinals playdate at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, while another will be breaking a deadlock in their own series.
Here is a preview:
MERALCO VS. TNT
When: Friday, January 8. 5:15 p.m.
Where: Smart-Araneta Coliseum
Going for commanding lead
TNT is out to make it a 3-0 advantage in its semifinal clash with Meralco. The Tropang 5G led from start to finish to beat the Bolts, 109-92, in Game 2.
Meralco must address shooting woes in Game 2
The Bolts will look to improve after Game 2 saw them shooting a woeful 1-of-14 shooting from three-point range. Kurt Reyson was the lone player who made a three, and that came late in the game when the result was already settled.
Chris Newsome went 0-of-4 from threes in Game 2, giving him a total of seven attempts from the outside that he hasn’t converted in this series.
Battle for the boards
If there is something to improve on for TNT, it’s rebounding after it was outrebounded, 44-39. The Bolts also showed their inside might with their offensive rebounds, 17-9, but that didn’t result into easy baskets. Meralco would up with 42 paint points, still four less than the Tropang 5G.
Meralco may need more from Cansino
CJ Cansino finished with only nine points in Game 2 in another lackluster showing on offense. Cansino is now averaging 11 points in the semifinals, but less than his team-leading 19.2 average in the elimination round.
BARANGAY GINEBRA VS. SAN MIGUEL
When: Friday, January 8. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Smart-Araneta Coliseum
Searching for 2-1 lead
It’s all back to square one for San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra in Game 3 after the Beermen were able to equalize with a 93-84 win over the Gin Kings on Wednesday.
Jeron's impact
Jeron Teng was the ‘magic bunot’ of Game 2 when he hit 13 points in 15 minutes of action. Aside from his offense, Teng also shone on defense when he was one of the defenders assigned to make RJ Abarrientos and Scottie Thompson earn their shots.
While Abarrientos still made half of his 16 shots in the second half, Thompson was limited to 3-of-13 during that stretch.
Three-point shooting
As good as San Miguel was in Game 2, the Beermen shot only 5-of-25 from threes (20 percent). It should be noted that four of those threes came in that critical third quarter where SMB was able to control the ballgame.
Still, that shooting output is still far from the 32 percent it made in the elimination round. If San miguel starts to hit threes at a higher rate, the Beermen would be even more lethal.
June Mar still dominates the paint
June Mar Fajardo was once again a force inside when he had 21 points and 23 rebounds in the Game 2 win. The nine-time MVP has now registered his third straight 20-20 game.
Easier said than done, Ginebra must find a way to contain Fajardo. As Japeth Aguilar, Norbert Torres, and Troy Rosario have been taking turns in defending Fajardo, don’t count out an appearance by Raymond Aguilar and Ben Adamos to come in to also try and slow down the San Miguel big man.
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