San Miguel Beer came close to nailing a Triple Crown feat but was foiled by Barangay Ginebra in chase of the last jewel in the 2016-17 PBA season.
And the Beermen are once again running to the Gin Kings in pursuit of another grand slam bid.
To stay in the hunt for the special accomplishment, San Miguel must hurdle Ginebra in the Governors' Cup quarterfinals still minus three key men in Arwind Santos, Kelly Nabong and Ronald Tubid.
"We're sticking with the management decision to hold to a higher standard of professionalism and sportsmanship at all times. So ganon pa rin, we still lack the personnel because of the indefinite suspension but the team is not demoralized. Laban pa rin," said San Miguel team manager Gie Abanilla.
"Naiintindihan ng mga players ang sitwasyon. Laban pa rin," Abanilla added.
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But even with SMB's depleted lineup and Ginebra's twice-to-beat advantage, the Gin Kings aren't about to go easy.
For Ginebra coach Tim Cone, there's still much more reason to be wary of June Mar Fajardo and his teammates.
"We certainly would have chosen a different opponent for the quarters if it was within our power, but San Miguel it is," said Cone.
"Control what you can control, and that is preparing ourselves the best we can. It's always such a great challenge going against them. Both teams are extremely motivated. It should be a great fight," Cone also said.
The Beermen will be without Santos, Nabong and Tubid who have also been suspended even in practices in the aftermath of the fight that erupted in team practice last Nov. 17.
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And SMB is sticking it out with John Holland as import at least at the start of their quarters matchup with the Kings at 6:45 p.m. Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Beermen saw a silver lining in their 109-114 loss to the TNT KaTropa Wednesday where they fought back from a deep hole before eventually allowing TNT to preserve the win.
Holland had a decent game versus TNT coming through with 25 points, 11 rebounds and three assists.
But he definitely has a job cut out for him versus Justin Brownlee.
The Beermen must win two in a row to make the semifinals.(SB)
