By REYNALD MAGALLON
Games Wednesday
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
5:15 p.m. — San Miguel vs Ginebra
(Series tied at 2-2)
7:30 p.m. — TNT vs Meralco
(TNT leads series 3-1)
TNT may have been nothing short of impressive when it seized a commanding 3-1 lead over Meralco but head coach Chot Reyes is under no illusions that they already have the semifinals series in the bag.
In fact, that’s the least the veteran coach wants his wards to think, especially playing against a team that has its back against the wall.
An all-out war is in the offing in Game 5 as TNT tries to go for the jugular while Meralco hopes to stay alive in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup semifinals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Jan. 14.
The Tropang 5G are leaving no stones unturned as they expect a big fight back from the Bolts in the duel scheduled at 7:30 p.m.
“We know Meralco is going to come back really hard. And I’ve said this since Game 1, we have no illusions that this is going to be an easy series,” said Reyes as TNT came out on top in Game 4 with a 102-83 win.
Providing a fitting appetizer in the thrilling contest is the semis clash over at the other bracket with San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra jockeying for the advantage in the now virtual best-of-three affair in the 5:15 affair.
“I think we are used to that. I think we perform better when back to the wall. I thought Game 3 was a back to the wall game and we performed well,” said Meralco head coach Luigi Trillo
The burden of adjustment is certainly on the side of the Bolts especially after the Tropang 5G made a great one after losing in the third game.
With the Meralco defense focused on limiting outside gunners Calvin Oftana and Jordan Heading, JP Erram had his way inside the paint and put up a conference-high 27 points.
The scoring outburst opened up the scoring for Heading and Oftana in the second half, finishing with 15 and 13 respectively after combining for just six in Game 3
The Bolts, however, will continue to play without Chris Newsome due to a knee injury, putting much of the load on the shoulders of Chris Banchero, Cliff Hodge and CJ Cansino
Meanwhile in the first offering, riding the crest of the historic 30-point triple-double of Scottie Thompson, the Kings are looking to regain the series advantage after tying the game at 2-2 following a 105-91 win in Game 4.
He finished with a career-high 35 points to go with 11 rebounds and 11 assists as he helped the Kings overcome an early 16-point deficit.
For SMB, it needs June Mar Fajardo to finally break out of his scoring slump to give the Beermen the chance to retake the series lead. The 6-foot-10 center has been limited to single digit scoring through the last two games, largely due to a nagging shoulder injury.
