Defending champion San Miguel Beer eyes a 3-0 sweep and a return trip to the finals when it clashes with Alaska at 7 p.m. today in Game 3 of the 2018 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
On the verge of yet another appearance in the finals, the Beermen look forward to possibly ending the series right away, but is also wary of the Aces’ bounce-back capability.
“We’re almost in the finals, pero hindi pa ito tapos,” said SMB coach Leo Austria. “We’re ahead in the series, but Alaska will not give up so we have to finish it as soon as we can.”
San Miguel Beer took the 2-0 series lead after putting on another textbook comeback in in Game 2 Monday night.
The Beermen first withstood a 16-point deficit in the first half before eventually turning on the switch and dominating in the second for a 105-94 rout of the Aces.
Despite a good start, Alaska was unable to sustain its fire and failed to keep up with San Miguel when it mattered.
With their backs against the wall now, the Aces must find a way to solve the tough puzzle that is San Miguel Beer in order to keep their season alive.
Meanwhile, due to bad weather, the league decided to postpone today's (July 17) Game 2 clash between Barangay Ginebra and Rain or Shine in their own best-of-five semis clash.
The game will be rescheduled Thursday night at 7 pm.
“The safety and security of the fans, players and officials are always of utmost importance,” said PBA commissioner Willie Marcial.
The Gin Kings lead that series 1-0.
Meanwhile, with his eyes zeroed in on leading San Miguel Beer to another finals stint, June Mar Fajardo flashed his MVP form in the playoffs to capture his second Cignal-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week award in the Commissioner’s Cup.
The 6’10” Fajardo averaged 21.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 2.0 assists for the period of July 9-15 on the way to snaring the weekly citation, beating former college rival Greg Slaughter of Barangay Ginebra.
The pride of Pinamungahan, Cebu kicked off the playoffs by pouring in 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and grabbing 13 rebounds as the Beermen overhauled a 24-point, first-half deficit to stun the TNT KaTropa, 121-110 in Game 1 of their quarterfinal duel.
The 28-year-old Fajardo followed that up by knocking down 19 points, adding 12 rebounds, four steals and three assists in the Beermen’s 106-102 win to complete a two-game sweep of the KaTropa two days later.
Fajardo though wasn’t done.
The reigning four-time league MVP scored 17 points, grabbed nine rebounds and added two steals as the Beermen took Game One of their best-of-five semifinal series against long-time rival Alaska Aces, 92-79 last Saturday.
Fajardo, currently in strong contention for a precedent-smashing seventh Best Player of the Conference award, look to lead the Beermen to the Finals with another win over the Aces this coming Wednesday.
The Beermen took a 2-0 series lead after whipping the Aces, 105-94 Monday night.
