Long layoff taking its toll on SMB, Purefoods

Purefoods and San Miguel Beer hope they have shed off rust in their game after Game One setbacks as they brace for Game Two of their semifinal series against Alaska and San Miguel Beer, respectively, today.

The Giants and theBeermen play only their second game in a month and they try to recall their old form in a bid to get even with Alaska and Red Bull in their Gran Matador Brandy PBA Philippine Cup Final Four duels at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Aces and the Bulls rode the momentum of their quarterfinals triumphs as they drew first blood in their respective best-of-seven showdowns with the Giants and the Beermen Sunday. The Aces nipped the Giants, 94-92, while the Bulls ripped the Beermen, 89-78.

"It seemed the long break didn’t work in their favor. They became quite rusty," said Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao of San Miguel and Purefoods.

Playing their first game after dominating the classification round for an outright entry into the semis, the Beermen groped for form, shooting only 30.5 percent from the field.

The Giants had a more decent 42.7 percent shooting clip but they seemed to struggle defensively. The league best defensive team gave away 14 points over their norm Sunday.

"It became a high-scoring match and it worked to our favor," said Alaska coach Tim Cone.

"Game Two will tell a little bit more if we’re generating forces from our quarterfinals stint and on Purefoods getting off for a long while," Cone also said.

The Alaska mentor didn’t believe Purefoods became rusty as the Giants battled the Aces in a shootout and narrowly lost the game.

"They shot the ball pretty well. Usually your rustiness comes in your shooting not from your defense. They’re timing was very good. We just jumped out to a good start and that carried us through," said Cone.

"We’re not able to close out and cut angles. Because we’re rusty, we’re always one or two steps behind defensively. That’s the reason why we gave away 39 foul shots," said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.

The Purefoods mentor, however, believed his troops will be prepared, at least mentally, in Game Two.

"It will be different Wednesday. I’m still confident because Sunday was our first game in 27 days and yet we nearly won," said Gregorio.

San Miguel’s other concern is a shaky frontline minus the injured Danny Ildefonso.

The two-time MVP awardee is still a doubtful starter today.

"Danny Ildefonso’s absence was really a big break for us. I’m not sure what his situation is, but it will help us a lot if he continues to ride the bench," said Guiao.