Phill News Entertainment – Phill News
MANILA, Philippines – As the teams prepare for what promises to be an intense best-of-seven showdown, getting off to a strong start is crucial. Expect the four contenders in the Season 49 PBA Governors’ Cup semifinals to hit the ground running in Wednesday’s series openers at the PhilSports Arena.
The night kicks off at 5 p.m. with the Barangay Ginebra, last season’s runners-up, taking on the San Miguel Beermen, who just made it into the Final Four. Then, at 7:30 p.m., the defending champions, TNT Tropang Giga, will face off against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, who are eager to prove themselves.
For the Tropang Giga, there’s a chance for redemption on the line. Last conference, it was the young but determined Elasto Painters who ended TNT’s playoff run early, pulling off a stunning reverse sweep in the Philippine Cup’s quarterfinals. That defeat still stings for coach Chot Reyes and his team, who are now more focused on their defensive strategy.
“It’s a clash of styles,” Reyes remarked about the matchup. “We have the top defense (TNT) going against the top offense (ROS). If we can limit their scoring, we stand a chance.”
During the elimination rounds, the Elasto Painters were an offensive powerhouse, averaging 112.2 points per game. However, that number dipped to 100.4 in their recent quarterfinal series against Magnolia. On the flip side, TNT excelled in defense, allowing only 87 points in the eliminations and keeping NLEX to 95.5 points over four matches in the Last 8. The Tropang Giga have also stepped up their scoring, jumping from an average of 94.5 in group play to 107.8 in the playoffs.
Reyes credits the transformation of his squad to the contributions from key players like Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Calvin Oftana, RR Pogoy, Rey Nambatac, and veterans Jayson Castro and Kelly Williams, all of whom have embraced the team’s new defensive focus.
Meanwhile, coach Yeng Guiao and his spirited crew, featuring players like Aaron Fuller and Beau Belga, will face a refreshed TNT team that just finished a tough battle against the Hotshots just four days ago.
On the other side of the bracket, the Beermen, led by stars like June Mar Fajardo and EJ Anosike, are also coming off a demanding five-game series against Converge that concluded last Sunday. In contrast, the Ginebra squad, led by Tim Cone and featuring Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, and Japeth Aguilar, enjoyed a nine-day break after a clean 3-0 sweep of Meralco.
“I can’t think of a tougher opponent than San Miguel and June Mar Fajardo,” Cone said. “They have a lot of talent, and their coaching staff knows how to maximize that talent. You might beat them once or twice, but winning four times is incredibly tough.”
Cone hopes that his team’s fresh legs will provide an advantage, but he knows San Miguel is deep and hard to tire out. “It should be an exciting series.”
