MANILA, Philippines – What could have been a likely San Miguel coronation in the 2023 PBA Commisioner’s Cup finals has now turned to a possible reset point for Magnolia.
Following an all-important 88-80 Game 3 win on Wednesday, February 7, the rejigged Hotshots now head to Game 4 on Friday, February 9, with a golden opportunity to force a 2-2 series tie against the mighty Beermen, who now find themselves at an unfamiliar place after winning 11 straight games.
Defense wins championships, they always say, and now, Magnolia has realized that it doesn’t need to outpace loaded San Miguel in a fastbreak track meet, nor hit more bullseyes in a shooting showdown.
Heading to Game 4, the Hotshots now need to keep the pressure consistent on Best Import frontrunner Bennie Boatwright, who still notched game-highs of 27 points and 13 rebounds in Game 3, albeit laboring his way to a 10-of-28 clip with 8 turnovers.
San Miguel, meanwhile, now needs to remember just how stacked of a support group it has around its top stars. Even without the likes of injured Terrence Romeo and Jericho Cruz, the Beermen still boast starting-caliber role players in Don Trollano and Jeron Teng who can catch fire at a moment’s notice.
Make no mistake, this is still San Miguel’s series to lose with a local core June Mar Fajardo, Marcio Lassiter, and CJ Perez, but Magnolia’s star group of Mark Barroca, Jio Jalalon, and Paul Lee has shown that it can hang with the best as well.
Game 4 tips off 7:30 pm at the Araneta Coliseum, with the conference awarding ceremony happening right before. – Rappler.com
