IF you can't beat them, join them.
The cause of many of his heartbreaks in the past, Vic Manuel now finds himself trying to help San Miguel win and regain the PBA Philippine Cup championship.
And the veteran forward did much of the damage for the Beermen Wednesday night when he scored a playoff-career high 20 points in a 109-100 win over defending champion TNT to tie the finals series at 1-game apiece.
The 'Muscleman' had eight of his output in the pivotal fourth, while adding four rebounds and shooting 52 percent from the floor (10-of-19) in the victory that somehow atoned for the Beermen's 86-84 heartbreaker in the series opener behind the game-winning shot by Jayson Castro at the buzzer.
Manuel has been in this clutch situation before during his time with Alaska, but unfortunately, still remains ring-less until this point despite playing in the finals five times in the past.
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Of those championship stint, three of the losses came at the hands of San Miguel, none more tragic than the 2016 Philippine Cup finals when the Aces went down against the Beermen despite racing to a commanding 3-0 lead in the title series.
"Maraming beses na ako pina-iyak ng San Miguel," admitted the 35-year-old native of Licab, Nueva Ecija.
"Kaya siyempre motivation ko pa rin sa sarili ko yun ang makakuha ng championship. Siyempre hindi pa naman huli ang lahat, e."
Curiously, it's against the Beermen that he lost three championships while playing healthy in the finals.
"Yung dalawa kasing nag-finals kami, injured ako against Rain or Shine (2016 Commissioner's Cup) and Magnolia (2018 Governors Cup). Puro sa San Miguel talaga ako natalo," he stressed.
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Now he gets the perfect chance to score a breakthrough title with the help of the same team that denied him of winning one in the past.
To do so, Manuel doesn't want the crown handed to him on a silver platter.
"Kailangan tulungan ko lang yung teammates ko. Alam ko naman lagi silang nasa finals, lagi silang nagtsa-champion, kaya tulong lang ako," he said. "Hindi naman ako puwedeng mag-relax lang at mag-aabang ka na lang na mag-champion na wala ka namang naitutulong.
"So may chance pa. Hangga't nandito ako at naglalaro, alam ko makakakuha ako (ng championship)."
Manuel and the Beermen eye a fitting follow-up to their huge win come Game 3 when the series shifts to the Mall of Asia Arena. (RG)
