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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Another thriller brewing as SMB, ROS dispute Group B lead

Another thriller brewing as SMB, ROS dispute Group B lead

Published Sep 19, 2024 03:41 am

At A Glance

  • Rain or Shine gets another crack at solving the San Miguel puzzle, although this time stakes will be higher as they figure in a colossal clash for the No. 1 spot in Group B in the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 19.
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Rain or Shine gets another crack at solving the San Miguel puzzle, although this time stakes will be higher as they figure in a colossal clash for the No. 1 spot in Group B in the PBA Season 49 Governors’ Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 19.

 

PBA Images1 (77).jpg
 

If their first round matchup is by any means an indication, the 7:30 p.m. affair is brewing to be another thrilling duel after the Beermen barely survived the Elasto Painters, 113-112, almost two weeks ago thanks to a last-gasp jumper by June Mar Fajardo.

Serving as a fitting appetizer to the mouth-watering clash is the match between TNT and Terrafirma at 5 p.m. with the Tropang Giga also seeking the Group A top seed against the Dyip who are hoping to pick up a victory and have at least a graceful exit to the tournament.

Both the Beermen and the Elasto Painters are already assured a spot in the quarterfinals and are in a deadlock at the top spot with a 6-2 record. The winner of their second round duel could potentially be primed for seizing the overall Group B top seed.

Although Rain or Shine put up a world of fight against San Miguel in their first meeting, even taking a 112-111 lead with 3.1 seconds left behind four clutch free throws from rookie Felix Lemetti, head coach Yeng Guiao is wary of the Beermen's splendid play especially after coming off a 49-point demolition of the Barangay Ginebra Kings.

“One point lang ‘yun (SMB’s first round win) pero mahirap magsalita. Tinambakan nila ‘yung Ginebra ng halos singkwenta eh,” Guiao said of San Miguel, which, aside from the huge win, is currently on a roll with four straight wins under its belt.

In their own matchup, the Elasto Painters are also 0-5 against the Beermen dating back to the last conference where SMB swept ROS in the best-of-seven semifinals. 

While they came close at pulling off one the last time, it was Fajardo who proved to be the biggest puzzle they needed to solve to overcome the powerhouse crew.

“It’s a playoff game. Limang talo na kami sa San Miguel from last conference pa. Hindi pa namin naso-solve si June Mar. Hindi pa rin namin naso-solve ‘yung import nila. Siguro mga 16 na laro pa bago namin ma-solve ‘yun," said Guiao.

"Pero maso-solve din namin ‘yun. Darating din ‘yung araw. Tignan natin sa Thursday,” he added.

Aside from Fajardo and SMB’s high-scoring import Jordan Adams, the Elasto Painters also need to find a way to contain CJ Perez, Terrence Romeo, and Marcio Lassiter who has been shooting the lights out from deep in their last few game to formally take the all-time three-point crown.

SMB, meanwhile, will be facing ROS’ depth and unpredictability with almost every player capable of exploding on any given night. The only constant is import Aaron Fuller but contributions have been coming across the board with Lemetti, Anton Asistio, Jhonard Clarito and Caelan Tiongson also providing support.

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