Down 2-3, San Miguel Beer Has To Dig Deep

Reynaldo Balkman should just focus on game 6 instead of the non-calls in the Commissioner's Cup 2018 Finals. In a series where he is fighting against Ginebra and their fans, you'ld expect the PBA would want the heavily favored team to win. This was the same type of mentality faced by Tim Cone when he was coaching for Alaska against Ginebra in the 90s. And what made that Tim Cone led Alaska a great team is that they defied the odds, trusting in each other despite what they were up against.

I don't know if SMB's core has enough in it's tank. Unlike the Beeracle 0-3 run, they don't have momentum this time. And for a team known for it's offensive prowess, the shooters seem to have lost their touch at such a critical time. Arwind Santos was given a lot of opportunities to score, but was firing blanks. He was even doing Stephen Curry type shots, shooting away from his comfort zone. Alex Cabagnot has been a non-factor after his Michael Jordan like performance in game 2. And Chris Ross, being assigned as the primary defender for Justin Brownlee, is probably too tired to score or call the plays when at the offensive end. And in a long series, if your starters are too tired, they can't perform.

SMB should also trust it's bench. Austria should trust Balkman, MGR and Stanhardinger with the defensive chores against Brownlee. Even Heruela can be entrusted to defend against LA Tenorio whom he was effective against before in their other Finals series.

And Fajardo is still the focal point of your offense. Rotate the ball from him from the post. Or he along with the other power forwards should be setting up ball screens to free up the shooters. Ginebra has done a good job forcing awkward shots from SMB shooters since they are not in their comfort zone. But the times when SMB shooters are left open, they shouldn't miss - easier said than done.

I don't know if SMB can still force a game 7. Being dominant for the last 3 years can take its toll on any team. Are they prepared to relinquish the torch to the potential upstarts? Is this the time to give others a chance at league dominance? As an SMB fan, I'd hate to think so.

What I do know is that I saw an SMB team that was fighting in Game 5. Sometimes, shots simply don't drop and calls are not made. But as long as their is still another game to be played in the series, their is still hope. SMB simply needs to refocus on what makes them a great team - trusting each other, giving the open man the chance to score, and defending well against their opponents.