MANILA, Philippines - Purefoods hopes to present its Sunday best at the Astrodome, treating Game Six as a do-or-die game in an effort to deliver the knockout punch on San Miguel Beer in their KFC PBA Philippine Cup Final Four showdown.
Coach Ryan Gregorio said they would continue to play with a sense of urgency to complete an upset of series favorite San Miguel Beer.
Gregorio said they would brace for a San Miguel spirited comeback in the 6 p.m. contest, aware that the Beermen had not lost three straight games in the tourney.
Drawing a second wind after their grueling quarterfinals duel with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, the Giants seized command in their semis battle with the Beermen on convincing triumphs in Games Four and Five.
Gregorio said the key was their unwavering stand defensively although the biggest factor it seemed was the Purefoods mentor’s uncanny ability to bring out the best from his lineup as it held its own against the talent-laden San Miguel cast.
San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen says they have no excuses for their shortcomings.
“Being down in the series leaves us with no other choice but to raise our intensity,” said Tanquingcen.
“Parang nawala ang gigil (It seems we’ve lost our eagerness),” said prolific SMB forward Arwind Santos.
Dominating the Beermen the last two games with a solid job on both ends, the Giants look to sustain the effort with the hope of landing the all-Filipino finals for the second time in three years.
The Giants continued to defy the odds, stunning the Beermen, 94-82, for the second straight game to gain the pivotal 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series Friday.
Another win today or Wednesday will make Purefoods a surprise finalist versus the top-seeded Alaska squad.
“We like where we are right now but we have no reason to celebrate until we get that win No. 4,” said Gregorio.
“We know how capable San Miguel is. We’ll stick with the game plan of buckling down on defense and making it hard for them to score. I think that’s the best way to have a chance to beat a mighty opponent,” Gregorio added.
As in Game Four, the Purefoods starting unit did an impressive job and the reserves had key contributions as the Giants repeated in Game Five to move in the threshold of a 21st PBA finals.
The Giants hold the league record for most number of all-Filipino finals appearances with 12. No team has made the finals more than seven.
The Beermen need to beat the Giants two in a row to deny them another stint in the finals.
The problem, however, is how San Miguel can regain its bearing.
The Beermen were simply outwitted and outplayed in losing the last two games.
“Our starters are really getting the job done but they just couldn’t play 48 minutes. Our reserves had their key contributions,” said Gregorio.
Tanquingcen couldn’t say the same of his team.