PBA: Ginebra, Meralco look to make short work of QF foes

By Jonas Terrado

Games Sunday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
4:30 p.m. – Alaska vs Meralco
6:45 p.m. – Ginebra vs San Miguel

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Meralco are out to make short work of their respective foes and claim the first two semifinal berths in the start of the PBA Governors’ Cup quarterfinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Ginebra tries to once again end the Grand Slam dreams of San Miguel Beer in the featured game set at 6:45 p.m. while Meralco looks to halt the upset bid of Alaska in the 4:30 p.m. curtain raiser.

Both teams are armed with the twice-to-beat advantage, though their coaches are wary of the capability of the Beermen and Aces to overcome the odds.

San Miguel is being put to a major test after Arwind Santos, Ronald Tubid and Kelly Nabong were suspended indefinitely for a brawl that also included former import Dez Wells during practice.

“We certainly would have chosen a different opponent for the semis if it was within our power, but San Miguel it is,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone. “Control what you can control, and that is preparing ourselves the best we can.”

Ginebra did beat San Miguel 129-124 in their lone elimination round meeting last Oct. 13 at the Big Dome, a result that ended the Beermen’s 4-0 start.

Having a stable import in Justin Brownlee is also one of Ginebra’s advantages going into its faceoff with SMB.

Brownlee produced stellar numbers for the Kings anew with averages of 27.9 points, 13.4 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.1 blocks in the eliminations.

Alaska, meanwhile, made the quarters despite a 0-5 start by winning five of its final six games. That should give Meralco enough reason not to take things lightly.

But Meralco did overwhelm Alaska in the elims last Oct.4 when it produced a 101-75 win at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The Bolts enter the playoffs reeling from a loss to the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, and coach Norman Black said how his players respond will play a role in the outcome.

“I think the key is can you bounce back from the loss?” Meralco coach Norman Black said. “Even if you get into the playoffs, if you get into the championship series, you may lose one or two games so you’re ability to come back and win the next game and stick together as a team and continue executing is really the key.”

Two-time Best Import Allen Durham is out to give Meralco its fourth straight semifinal appearance in the season-ending conference but will have the luxury of having plenty of help compared to his previous stints.

Durham averaged 29.6 points, 14.6 rebounds and 6.3 assists in the eliminations, though Baser Amer and Raymond Almazan emerged as Meralco’s top locals.

Amer was the top local scorer of the Bolts with 15.9 points on 46.8 percent shooting while Almazan posted 14.6 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.

Source: Manila Bulletin