THANKS TO MERALCO, PBA ONCE AGAIN HAS A MUST-WATCH TITLE SERIES

THE PBA has discovered gold in the form of a highly thrilling and impossibly entertaining championship series between Meralco and San Miguel Beer. All three games of the current Philippine Cup Finals have been fraught with excitement and tantalizing finishes which have been sorely missing in past championships.

Credit the Bolts for making the series a must-watch series. Sunday's game was the third straight that had the crowd on the edge of their seats as Meralco pulled off another stunner to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship.

Meralco's  Chris Newsome was the man of the hour for the Bolts as the team's long-time star delivered in a 93-89 win over defending champion San Miguel to regain the driver’s seat.

READ Meralco rides big Newsome finishing kick to outlast SMB in Game 3

Newsome buried a huge trey from the left corner with 34 seconds to go in Game 3 that put the Bolts ahead, 91-89, before sinking two free throws, following a CJ Perez missed layup from point blank range, to put the game away.

The close win after yet another tightly-fought contest was what Meralco needed after a heartbreaking 95-94 loss in Game 2 where it was leading by four points in the final 25 seconds but could not hold on as San Miguel escaped by the skin of its teeth.

Game 4 is set on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Some of the biggest takeaways in the third game.

  

PHOTO: Jerome Ascano

MERALCO DEFENSE OR IS SOMETHING BOTHERING FAJARDO?

There's no question that the stifling Meralco defense is responsible for San Miguel's woes. It has particularly stymied the movement of the once-unstoppable June Mar Fajardo who is looking like a mere mortal in the face of the Bolts' swarming coverage.

As a result, the 6-foot-10 San Miguel star was only 2-of-5 from the field for 12 points and managed just 15 rebounds, mediocre stats by his standards. The seven-time MVP also  committed seven of the team’s 15 turnovers. He had  foul trouble and because his team could not put the Bolts away, had to play the entirety of the second half. The Meralco defense gave him different looks, but the Bolts appeared to have settled on having Raymond Almazan and rookie Brandon Bates alternating against him on defense, with Anjo Caram and Cliff Hodge providing the occasional double team. It's becoming clear that to continue winning, the Bolts only have to limit Fajardo's effectiveness. 

PHOTO: Jerome Ascano

ALMAZAN REDEEMS SELF AFTER A SCORELESS GAME 2

Raymond Almazan bounced back Sunday in a very big way with 17 points, 13 rebounds, and three block shots as he held his own against Fajardo in the battle of the giants. The 6-foot-8 former Letran star said foul trouble kept him out from being active offensively in the Game 2 loss. This time he managed to stay away from foul trouble early, but guarding Fajardo throughout also proved challenging. He committed five fouls in the torrid fourth quarter before fouling out with 51 seconds left in the game. He may have fouled out but the 34-year-old proved Fajardo can no longer say that he's the king of the shaded area. How Fajardo and San Miguel adjust to this reality will be known in the coming games. 

PHOTO: Jerome Ascano

MISSED FREE THROWS HURTING SAN MIGUEL

The Beermen continue to struggle from the foul line. They shot 65 percent from the area in Game 3, with CJ Perez going 5-for-11, including two misses with 1:34 left and San Miguel down by a point. Overall, the reigning champion went 6-of-12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. In Game 1, San Miguel shot 67 percent (19 of 28) from the free throw area and 64 percent (18 of 28) the next game.

PHOTO: Jerome Ascano

WHERE IS VIC MANUEL?

That's what people are asking, San Miguel Beer fans in particular, after noticing that the veteran player hasn’t played a single minute in the finals. Known as the ‘The Muscleman,' Manuel played a key role the last time the Beermen won the Philippine Cup title against TNT Tropang Giga in a seven-game series that went the full route. The veteran forward underwent procedure to clean his knee of meniscal fragments, calcium deposits, and to repair a possible meniscal tear late in 2023. He has been given the green light to play during the Commissioner’s Cup finals. He suited up sparingly in this conference, but mysteriously has not seen action against Meralco.

2024-06-10T12:14:10Z dg43tfdfdgfd