SAN Miguel is just one win away from returning to the throne that it relinquished last year when it yielded the PBA Philippine Cup title to Meralco, as a huge fourth quarter in Game 4 lifted the Beermen to a 105-91 win over TNT last Sunday.
A 41-point fourth quarter pretty much took the fight out of the Tropang 5G as Jericho Cruz, Marcio Lassiter and CJ Perez helped the Beermen totally wallop the hobbling TNT to take the 3-1 lead.
READ: Kume worries for PBA fans, Gilas as heavy rains threaten Game 5
With their momentum on an all-time high after three straight wins, the Beermen now look to end TNT’s grand slam dreams with a big win on Wednesday.
Before we dive into that, we look at some of the takeaways in Game 4.
HAS TNT TAKEN ITS LAST STAND IN THIS SERIES?
For the first time in the series in that fourth quarter, TNT totally looked defeated.
Even in the blowout Game 3 which San Miguel won 108-88 – the Tropang 5G were still fighting, clawing and scratching, though to no avail, early in the fourth before the Beermen took control for good.
There weren’t any form of fight from the Tropang 5G in the fourth quarter of Game 4. It was a total beatdown as after a close three quarters, the Beermen had an extra push in them that TNT didn’t have resulting in the blowout Game 4.
After the game coach Chot Reyes pretty much said that he can’t ask for anything more from his team which has battled injuries for pretty much the entire conference.
A CHECKPOINT FOR TNT COME GAME 5? LIMIT SMB BELOW 100
Twice the Beermen broke into the century mark. Twice TNT got blown out.
While there are a lot of things to change or improve on if TNT wants to revive its fading grand slam hopes, simple math states that if the Tropang 5G wants to have a shot at extending this series, it starts by keeping the mighty Beermen below 100 points.
READ: Leo Austria expecting defiant TNT as San Miguel targets PBA crown
TNT is certainly capable of locking down squads, but over the past three games, it seems like San Miguel is just too deep and too talented for this banged up TNT squad.
POY ERRAM IS A WARRIOR
A lot has been said about Poy Erram, most of which is negative as his previous outbursts and tendencies to get carried away by his emotions have resulted in not-so-flattering moments for the TNT big.
But Game 4 showed just how much Erram cares about this team and how much he’s willing to sacrifice in order to reach their title hopes.
After that terrible ankle sprain in Game 2, which had his foot literally going left upon landing, Erram was back on the floor in Game 4 – even playing 18 minutes, finishing with six points and four boards.
What’s even more impressive is that Erram seemed to have injured his leg early in the second half which had him heading back to the locker room but still opted to play after, though it didn’t result in a win.
READ: Poy Erram suffers hamstring tear as he plays through ankle sprain
After the game, Erram said he tore his hamstring and he might have played his last game for the season. Regardless of what happens, Erram deserves respect for powering through his injury.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
