PBA: Comfortably ahead, San Miguel goes into Game 5 with must-win mindset

Scottie Thompson and Barangay Ginebra couldn't unshackle themselves from San Miguel's vise grip of a defense in Game 4 on Friday. Courtesy of the PBA Media Bureau

Arwind Santos is well aware how karma works. He certainly has no intention to find out how it feels.

San Miguel tries to wrap up its best-of-7 series with Barangay Ginebra when Game 5 of the PBA Philippine Cup finals gets underway at Araneta Coliseum on Sunday. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m.

The defending champions want the coronation to happen this weekend, because the last thing they want to see is a Ginebra team that's comfortable playing with its back against the wall gaining confidence.

They came back from the dead in last year's Philippine Cup, facing a virtually insurmountable 3-0 deficit against Alaska, to win the championship.

Their roles with Ginebra are reversed this time around; San Miguel is ahead 3-1 and in perfect position to reach the summit.

But don't tell that to Santos and his teammates.

" 'Yun 'yung sinasabi nilang boomerang, di ba? Huwag sanang bumalik sa'yo yung ginawa mo," Santos told ABS-CBN Sports. "Kaya iniingatan namin na hindi mangyari 'yun."

If San Miguel shoots and defends like it did in Game 4, it has nothing to worry about. The Beermen had a bit of an offensive letdown in the 4th quarter on Friday, true, but they locked down on Ginebra when their shots weren't falling and it helped, too, that Ginebra shot itself in the foot with crucial turnovers. 

Another advantage San Miguel has is health. The Beermen's lineup, particularly their starters, have had no injury issues, while Ginebra's front-court options, for defending player of the conference June Mar Fajardo in particular, are depleting.

Man for man, San Miguel should be able to take care of business and consequently lift its 23rd overall PBA championship. 

To help them do that, the players need to look past the series score.

"We can't look at it as (if) we're up," San Miguel guard Chris Ross said. "We just got to look at it as zero-zero. We got to come out like we're the ones down because we know that they're going to fight and they're going to give it their all."

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Source : news[dot]abs-cbn[dot]com