Kings brace for Beermen blowback

MANILA, Philippines — Barangay Ginebra relishes sitting on a 1-0 lead against mighty San Miguel Beer.

But at the same time, the Gin Kings brace for a potential blowback for giving the Beermen – especially June Mar Fajardo – the blushes in their 104-95 victory in Game 1 of the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinal series.

“Importante talaga na we get ahead in the series kasi it’s tough playing San Miguel from behind. So we would take any advantage we could get,” said Ginebra’s chief assistant Richard del Rosario.

“Ngayon, we’re up, but again we cannot rest on that. We know that they will come back strong and we have to be on our toes. We have to be ready,” he added.

Coming back strong is exactly what Fajardo and Co. have their minds on in the second game set at 5:15 p.m. today at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

“Mabigat talaga kalaban ang Ginebra, eh. Pero tine-take namin ‘yung challenge,” said Fajardo, who himself is expected to switch to “Kraken” mode after producing only three points on a 1-of-6 field goal in the series opener.

“Paghahandaan namin ng husto. Kailangan naming maka-bounce back, mahirap ma-down ng 2-0 sa series dahil best-of-five lang. Bawi kami," he added.

Like the Gin Kings, Rain or Shine seeks to make it two in a row against Converge and move a win away from a semifinal ticket in their 7:30 p.m. encounter.

The Elasto Painters previously counted on their “playoff toughness” and “buwis-buhay attitude” in wiping out a 21-point deficit on the way to a 124-120 steal in Tuesday’s opener.

The challenge now, noted ROS mentor Yeng Guiao, is how to outwit the FiberXers two more times.

“Hindi na kasi ito ‘yung dating format na you win once or twice (and) you get to the next round. Now you really have to win in a series," he said.

"At ‘pag series ‘yan, walang tyambahan diyan, walang one or two lucky game. You need three good games. You need to be consistent. Doon ka lang makakarating ng next round. So the question is kaya pa ba naming gawin ng dalawang beses?”

Notes: The PBA is taking a step forward in its dream of its own playing arena – with help from the Philippine Sports Commission and University of the Philippines. Commissioner Willie Marcial said initial talks among officials of the league, led by Meralco governor Bill Pamintuan, PSC chairman Pato Gregorio, DILG Sec. Jonvic Remulla and UP Diliman Chancellor Carlo Vista for the PBA arena have been fruitful. Envisioned as an 8,000 to 10,000-seater, the facility will be built on a 3- to 4-hectare land owned by UP and located along Commonwealth Ave. near the UP-Ayala Land TechnoHub. “Hinihintay na lang namin mag-pirmahan ng MoA bago ‘yung groundbreaking,” said Marcial of the planned arena, which will be a "co-sharing" venue for the PBA and UP.