DUE mainly to a long-awaited breakout game from an oft-overlooked player, San Miguel Beer managed to stretch its unblemished record in the PBA Philippine Cup.
The Beermen are sure not to leave anything to chance when they face a Converge side with everything to gain and nothing to lose Friday at the PhilSports Arena.
The FiberXers are still winless after seven games, but now appear more dangerous, based on their most recent performance last week.
Converge engaged Phoenix Super LPG through four deadlocks and five lead changes before absorbing a 107-113 defeat. Still, the game marked a stark improvement for the FiberXers, who lost their first six games by an average of almost 15 points.
Besides, a breakthrough win may not do much to lift Converge out of the cellar and stoke its bid of playing off for a quarterfinals slot since its remaining elimination round assignments also include other traditional powerhouses in Meralco, Barangay Ginebra and TNT.
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For its part, SMB is looking for a sixth win in as many outings, a streak that was prolonged after Mo Tautuaa erupted for a personal season-high 24 points, including 17 in the fourth period, in a 113-110 decision over gritty Terrafirma last April 10.
"Mo is a great talent and Mo knows that," said Beermen coach Jorge Gallent of Tautuaa, who went into that game averaging just 7.3 points but went10-of-14from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
"He just needs to play his game and just focus on what he has to do and Mo will be Mo, just like he played now," added Gallent. "He just needs to put his mind in the game and he will be okay."
A win by SMB would officially clinch it a quarterfinals slot, a hold that would be solidified when it notches more victories in the course of a hectic schedule that sees it playing five more matches over 14 days, starting with the matchup against NorthPort on Sunday.
But as Gallent put it, his team's main focus is on what is immediately in front of it.
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"One game at a time. So now we think of Converge. That's the ladder," stressed Gallent. "So we have 11 steps (in the elimination round). We're going to our sixth step. That's the only thing we're thinking of."
Incidentally, the last time SMB started a conference at 5-0, during last season's Governors Cup, the streak was halted by Converge.(NC)
