THERE will be a Game 5 of the PBA 49th Season Philippine Cup Finals on Wednesday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum following multiple days of inclement weather in Metro Manila and nearby areas.
That set the table for a possible coronation as San Miguel vies for the championship in Game 5 against TNT.
Here is a preview of Game 5.
TNT VS. SAN MIGUEL
When: Wednesday, July 23. 7:30 p.m.
Where: Smart-Araneta Coliseum
San Miguel goes for the jugular
San Miguel seeks its 30th PBA title overall and 11th Philippine Cup crown. The Beermen moved one victory away from the championship after their 105-91 win over the Tropang 5G. San Miguel can now replicate what it did in 2011 when, as the Petron Blaze Boosters, it also stopped TNT’s bid for the grand slam by winning the third conference – the Governors’ Cup.
TNT playing for dear life – again
TNT is looking to keep alive its bid for a Philippine Cup title and the final piece of a drand slam. The Tropang 5G have lost three straight games – a first in the PBA finals under Chot Reyes, according to PBA statistics chief Fidel Mangonon.
One thing going perhaps for TNT is that it is used to this kind of situations. TNT was also in a do-or-die situation in the Philippine Cup quarterfinals when it faced Magnolia but bounced back to win two games and overcome a twice-to-win disadvantage. In the last Commissioner’s Cup Finals, TNT trailed, 3-2, before winning the last two matches to beat Barangay Ginebra for the championship.
This is a different story for TNT as it is down two games against a powerhouse San Miguel squad.
SMB firing from all cylinders
Game 4 was the first time that San Miguel was impeccable from all angles. The Beermen once again outscored TNT on points in the paint, 42-30, while draining 13 threes, their best output from that distance in this finals. SMB even made two four points in Game 4.
A lot of players stepped up for San Miguel with Jericho Cruz leading the way with 23 points to support June Mar Fajardo and Cjay Perez in Game 4. Don Trollano, Marcio Lassiter, and Juami Tiongson also combined for 33 points. If this trend continues of multiple players scoring an avalanche of points for San Miguel, TNT is in trouble.
Another fourth-quarter storm for San Miguel
Speaking of shooting, San Miguel was spot-on in the fourth quarter of Game 4 which has been the deciding factor for the Beermen in this series. The Beermen went 13-of-16 including a perfect 5-of-5 from threes in the fourth quarter, which saw them outscore the Tropang 5G, 41-24. SMB is averaging 29 points in the fourth quarter of this finals.
Rebounding battle
If there is a silver lining for TNT in Game 4, it is that the Tropang 5G finally won the rebounding battle by a slim margin, 47-45, through the efforts of Glenn Khobuntin (10), Calvin Oftana (9), Kelly Williams (7), and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser (7). The Tropang 5G need to crash the boards again for this pivotal game.
Oftana made to earn his points in Game 4
Calvin Oftana finished Game 4 with only 11 points, his lowest output in this finals. He actually went scoreless in the first half going 0-for-3 and ended the match by making only 3 of his 10 shots. If TNT wants to win Game 5 and keep its title hopes alive, Oftana must produce more.
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