San Miguel Beer is closing in on a top-four finish in the PBA Philippine Cup, but head coach Leo Austria insists now is not the time to relax.
“Hindi kami puwedeng mag-relax because every game remains important,” Austria told the PBA website, ahead of their game against the struggling Terrafirma Dyip today at the Ynares Center in Montalban.
The Dyip, losers of six straight games and now holding a 1-6 record, are virtually out of quarterfinal contention. Still, Austria refuses to take them lightly.
“Terrafirma, nakikita natin every game na in the first half talagang they are very competitive. But because of their (lack of) depth, medyo natatalo sila,” he noted.
SMB is currently 4-2, good for third place, and in strong contention for one of the top four spots that carry a twice-to-beat advantage in the next round.
“Still on track for a top four,” Austria said following a 111-92 win over Phoenix last week.
He added that every team is out to beat the Beermen, and consistency—especially from the bench—will be key moving forward.
“In the first four games namin, bench really helped a lot. And those three wins namin, masasabi kong best players of the game sila,” Austria said.
The Beermen’s second unit rebounded well from a poor six-point outing against TNT by combining for 46 points in their latest victory, backing up mainstays CJ Perez and June Mar Fajardo.
SMB hopes to sustain that form against Terrafirma and again on May 25 versus Blackwater (1-4), as they chase playoff momentum.
The post San Miguel Beer eyes top-four finish, wary of Terrafirma trap first appeared on Fastbreak.
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