SAN Miguel Beer guns for no less than a commanding 3-1 series lead as the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup Finals continues on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The Beermen took a 2-1 lead following their pulsating 95-89 win in Game 3 that saw CJ Perez score a four-point shot and later, a three-pointer to seal the victory and the series advantage.
Game time is slated at 7:30 p.m.
Veteran guard Chris Ross said winning two games in the series doesn’t mean anything.
“It’s a race to four. We haven’t done anything (yet),” said Ross, who is nursing an Achilles injury. “We’re happy after this win but it’s still the same emotions we had in Game 1. We need to bounce back, we take the same approach every game.”
The Beermen may have the talent depth, but the Tropang 5G have shown fighting heart in the title series that has been physical so far.
TNT guard Roger Pogoy played through a hamstring injury, which he sustained in the semifinals against Meralco, and which forced him to miss the first two games of the series.
The former Far Eastern University standout managed to contribute four points, on 2-of-7 shooting, along with two rebounds.
“There’s no pain anymore. I just need to play it. I decided to play through it (injury),” Pogoy said in Filipino.
While TNT will again have to map out a specific defense to prevent June Mar Fajardo from dominating the shaded lane, the Tropang 5G must also find ways to neutralize Perez, Jericho Cruz, Don Trollano and the SMB bench mob.
On offense, Pogoy’s return is a welcome sight, while TNT also has Jordan Heading, Rey Nambatac, Calvin Oftana, along with bigs Kelly Williams, Poy Erram and Henry Galinato.