|
THIS may
sound strange. But no kidding, San Miguel coach Chot
Reyes is bracing for a big Ginebra comeback.
In fact,
the way he figured it out, the Beermen were just
fortunate to be able to hang on and win Game Two.
At the
moment, the Beermen are 2-up over the Kings in their
best-of-seven titular series and jaded observers contend
that San Miguel has virtually wrapped up the Talk ’N
Text-Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup.
But
Reyes would not allow his troops to celebrate
prematurely. He maintains that in a four-game series
against a team like Ginebra, a 2-0 lead is nothing.
“I will
admit if we get that another win our chances will be
much better. But at this point in time 2-and-0 is
nothing. We still need four wins to clinch [the series]
and so far, we’ve just gone halfway,” Reyes stressed.
Certainly, nobody can blame the San Miguel coach for
being extremely cautious. He is, after all, speaking
from experience.
Back in
2003 as coach of the Coca-Cola Tigers, Reyes was also
sitting on a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Finals of the
same tournament only to see it dissipate as the Talk ’N
Text Phone Pals took the next four games to steal the
series and deny Reyes a third all-Filipino championship.
Game
Three is set at
7 p.m. at the Cuneta Astrodome.
With
Eric Menk back in the Kings’ lineup, Reyes said he can’t
help but worry since Danny Ildefonso is out with an
injury.
“Right
now our concern really is with Eric [Menk] in the
lineup. He’ll surely get stronger as the series
progresses and then us not having Danny [Ildefonso]. So
it’s now incumbent upon our big men to man the fort,”
Reyes said.
Ildefonso is hurting in his right ankle that forced him
to miss the first two games of the series. His status,
Reyes said, is on a day-to-day basis.
“We’ll
see what happens. I just hope we still have the energy
enough to battle for the next 50 percent. I hope
Valentine’s Day is lucky for us,” Reyes said. |
