As far as win-loss records go, San Miguel's next opponent will be its biggest challenge to date.
The defending champions try to inch closer to securing a twice-to-beat advantage when they take on No.2-ranked Rain Or Shine in the PBA Philippine Cup at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on Friday.
Tip-off is at 7 p.m., just after the NLEX-GlobalPort tussle, which starts at 4:15 p.m.
| PBA Philippine Cup standings | ||||
| Team | Won | Lost | Pct | Next game |
| San Miguel | 7 | 1 | 0.88 | Rain Or Shine (Jan. 13) |
| Rain Or Shine | 5 | 2 | 0.71 | San Miguel (Jan. 13) |
| Alaska | 4 | 3 | 0.57 | Blackwater (Jan. 14) |
| TNT | 4 | 3 | 0.57 | Star (Jan. 15) |
| GlobalPort | 4 | 3 | 0.57 | NLEX (Jan. 13) |
| Phoenix | 4 | 4 | 0.50 | NLEX (Jan. 18) |
| Blackwater | 4 | 4 | 0.50 | Alaska (Jan. 14) |
| Star | 3 | 4 | 0.43 | TNT (Jan. 15) |
| Ginebra | 3 | 4 | 0.43 | Meralco (Jan. 14) |
| NLEX | 2 | 5 | 0.29 | GlobalPort (Jan. 13) |
| Mahindra | 2 | 5 | 0.29 | TNT (Jan. 18) |
| Meralco | 2 | 6 | 0.25 | Ginebra (Jan. 14) |
| ~Standings updated after January 11 games | ||||
San Miguel upped its league-best record to 7-1 after the Beermen toughed out a 72-70 win over Barangay Ginebra on Sunday, a game that showed San Miguel can win ugly, too, if needed.
"We're really a defensive team," said San Miguel point guard Alex Cabagnot, recently named player of the week. "It just doesn't get noticed, because we make a lot of baskets."
Cabagnot and crew need to lock down anew when they face Rain Or Shine.
The Elasto Painters own the 2nd-best offense in the league, averaging 97.4 points just behind TNT's 100.7 points.
Rain Or Shine coach Caloy Garcia said his players can't afford to take their foot off the gas against the tournament's best team.
"Siguro may problema pa kami kasi when we have a lead, we tend to relax and we stop attacking," Garcia said.
"Basically, that's the problem that I see right now. Hopefully, against San Miguel in our next game, we can come out stronger and be consistent in every quarter."
In the first game, GlobalPort (4-3) intends to get out of a 3-way tie in the standings and bolster its chances for a twice-to-beat advantage.
GlobalPort exorcised some demons in its last game, thwarting a late-game rally by Meralco to avoid another late-game collapse.
If it hopes to come away with a victory Friday, GlobalPort shouldn't take NLEX (2-5) lightly even if its record is subpar.
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