Marcio Lassiter (right) and the Beermen are going through a harsh schedule of games that could determine their fate in the conference. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
San Miguel Beer wiggled itself out of a bind on Sunday night when it escaped sister team but fierce rival Magnolia in an all-important duel that could spell both teams’ fates going into the Commissioner’s Cup playoffs.
But Marcio Lassiter, one of the heroes in that 85-78 triumph at Ynares Center in Antipolo City, knows the traditional powerhouse is not out of the woods just yet.
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“The results, the standings show what we’re capable of. But this conference has really been a lot for us,” he told reporters on the heels of the contest that had San Miguel improving to an even 4-4 (win-loss) record, good for eighth place in the race.
The Beermen have been trying to adjust to the return of old coach Leo Austria, acclimatizing new players like Juami Tiongson and Andreas Cahilig, and balancing their PBA games with East Asia Super League matchups.
“It’s not going to get easy. We’ve got a lot of tough teams coming up. And I think it’s all the upper-half [teams] right now,” Lassiter went on.
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San Miguel will try to inch out of that risky eighth seed with a string of games that includes dangerous Meralco, league-leading NorthPort, budding rival Converge, and Governors’ Cup titlist TNT.
“I hope so,” Marcio responded when told about San Miguel’s championship pedigree pulling the club through a testy stretch. But having been in this league for quite some time, the PBA’s finest sniper is also aware that most basketball games nowadays tend to be decided towards the end.
“We know we can bank on [experience]. But like even tonight, it was really a close game. And that’s what it’s going to go down to a lot of times—in the clutch time,” he said.
A sweep of their last four games would significantly change the Beermen’s predicament, but it would be the best recourse in an elimination round which is entering a critical juncture.
Tuesday games
That hectic energy will be all around Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Tuesday when the Bolts play the Batang Pier and the FiberXers take on Rain or Shine in a duel of two teams trying to rebound from a loss.
“They’ve found a rhythm, their import seems a good fit bringing a lot to the table and their [recent] trades have helped them become more balanced,” Meralco coach Luigi Trillo said of the pacesetters.
“I’m pleased with the way we’ve played defense [against TNT], but we need to follow it up, which is going to be tough because they have several points of attack,” he added, referring to the likes of NorthPort cornerstone Arvin Tolentino and two-way ace Joshua Munzon, among others.
“Obviously, they’re winning games. So we’re gonna come in with a chip on our shoulders, ready to knock off the top team,” Bolts import Akil Mitchell chimed in.
“You wanna talk about a big win? That would be huge for us—really really big for us. The guys are motivated, and I know I’ll for sure be motivated against a [fellow import] who has a good name and a team that’s winning right now.”
At No. 7 with five wins against three losses, Meralco could definitely use another victory to help its cause as the race within the race starts to heat up.
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Conference No. 2 Rain or Shine and fourth-ranked Converge, meanwhile, figure in a clash that could give them a boost in the hunt for a twice-to-beat protection. INQ
