SAN MIGUEL Beer tries to close it all out as the defending champions go for a sweep of the Alaska Aces in Game Three of their Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup today at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
On the verge of a return trip to the Finals, the match is set at 7 p.m. with the surging Beermen looking to reassert their mastery over the Aces in their best-of-five semifinals series after a 105-94 Game One victory last Monday.
Monsoon rains forced the league to cancel Wednesday’s game, giving both teams an extra day to sort things out.
And with a superior advantage of taking the short route to the best-of seven championship series, San Miguel Head Coach Leo Austria knows the break was a big relief to the worn out players.
“If we win in Game Three, we will be happy because it’s a big advantage. Everyone is really tired because in the past two weeks, we never had a day off. We keep on practicing,” Austria said.
History is on San Miguel Beer’s side after the Beermen also swept the Aces in the 2015 Governors’ Cup Finals.
Alaska will have to play without suspended forward Calvin Abueva and on-leave guard Chris Banchero.
The last time they met, import Renaldo Balkman and June Mar Fajardo worked efficiently under the basket as the tandem of Alex Cabagnot and Chris Ross ran the offense with impunity.
Balkman was a monster with his 31 points and 10 rebounds, while Fajardo had 21 points and 18 rebounds.
With the Balkman-Fajardo pair a force to reckon with inside the lane, Cabagnot and Ross were as excellent manning the backcourt.
Cabagnot tallied 14 points, nine assists and four steals, while Ross redeemed himself after a lacklusting Game One performance with his 16 points.
Not to be deterred, Alaska Coach Alex Compton vowed that the team will bounce back minus their key players.
“We are playing a great team. But I’m proud of the effort of our players. We may be lacking in height and experience, but the passion is there,” Compton said.
Alaska’s import Diamon Simpson and guard Simon Enciso each tallied 19 points, while Vic Manuel added 15 in Game One.