SAN Miguel Beer eyes a third straight win while Barangay Ginebra tries to rebound from a losing debut versus Rain or Shine as the Beermen and the Gin Kings duke it out in the PBA Governors' Cup Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
For the Beermen, the 7:30 p.m. game is a quick turnaround from their Sunday outing where they blasted an all-Filipino Blackwater Bossing side, 128-108.
But that wasn't without a hiccup.
Even minus an import, the Bossing led for most of the first half, taking the turn at 63-56.
But as San Miguel shifted to high gear in the second half, the Beermen pounced on, pounded and pummeled the Bossing on the way to the 20-point rout.
Sponsored content: "I just had to remind them (the Beermen) we're not playing San Miguel basketball in the first half, we're unselfish, we're not rotating the ball and we're giving them easy shots in the paint," said San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent.
"I guess they (the Bossing) had 41 easy points. That's coming through our offense not doing good and they had the opportunities to run. But when it came to the second half, I told them to relax and play our game, and we're okay," added Gallent, whose charges chalked up a second straight win while dealing Blackwater a third consecutive defeat.
Against Justin Brownlee and the Gin Kings, Gallent said they have to sustain the effort they did in the second half versus the Bossing.
"We can't do how we played in the first half (against Blackwater); definitely Ginebra will blow us out. What we did in the second half is what we should bring to the Ginebra game. If we do that, we have a chance to keep the game close and have a chance to win it at endgame," the SMB coach said.
The Gin Kings will surely be a bunch with a great determination to win, coming from 73-64 loss to the ROS Elasto Painters in an out-of-town gig in Candon, Ilocos Sur Saturday.
Sponsored content: Brownlee, back after sitting out last season's Commissioner's Cup due to his FIBA suspension after the Asian Games, finished with 18. Japeth Aguilar took the scoring cudgels for the debuting Gin Kings with 20 while off-season trade acquisition Stephen Holt, the Season 48 Rookie of the Year, netted 13. (SB)
