The San Miguel Beermen—Leo Austria, in particular—aren’t too worried about who they’ll be facing in the quarterfinals. They’re just out there to win games on the road to a possible second championship in Season 50.
That, according to the 11-time champion coach, is the mentality he instilled in his Beermen, who finished the elimination round of the PBA Governors’ Cup with a swashbuckling rally to beat the NLEX Road Warriors, 135-133, on Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
“Going to the game, we don’t care kung No. 2 o No. 1 kami. Basta ang iniisip namin, let us play to win,” Austria told reporters postgame. “Actually, that’s my first word na sinabi ko sa kanila, we’re here to play to win, and that’s what happened. Nagkaroon sila ng sense of urgency when we were down by 20 points….”
San Miguel Flips the Switch
After keeping pace with NLEX in the first quarter, San Miguel began falling behind and eventually trailed by as much as 20 points twice—at 116-96 and 118-98—early in the fourth. At that point, it didn’t look like the Beermen were out there to win. It looked like they had already packed it in and were thinking ahead to the playoffs already.
Don Trollano and George King had other plans. Trollano, the veteran, and King, the prolific import, sparked a massive 37-15 run in regulation as San Miguel rallied for an improbable 135-133 win that tied them with NLEX for the best record in the tournament at 9-3. However, the Road Warriors kept the No. 1 spot in Group A via point differential, with San Miguel settling for No. 2.
Beermen Not Concerned With Matchups
Had San Miguel won by 15 or more, it would’ve secured the first seed—and a possible quarterfinals clash with any of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, Phoenix Fuel Masters, or Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. Not that Austria and the Beermen care.
“Kaya nga sinabi ko sa team, let’s play to win. Whatever happens, it’s not our problem anymore who we’ll be facing from the other group…,” Austria pointed out. “This is a tournament. What is important is to win a championship…. Let them have the problem kung sino ang kanilang makakatapat. Let us develop this killer instinct na sinasabi ko. Nagkaroon sila ng sense of urgency, and it’s a moral booster going to the playoffs.”
The Beermen certainly played with a sense of urgency in that fourth quarter, and now they’re headed into the playoffs with some momentum. That is definitely a problem for whomever San Miguel will be facing in the quarterfinals.
