Despite streak, Beermen not taking sights off target: the No. 1 seed

San Miguel Beer forward Marcio Lassiter currently has 1,205 triples—13 away from tying LA Tenorio for third all-time in the Philippine Basketball Association’s (PBA) list for three-pointers made.

The seasoned marksman has been hitting a league-best 3.2 shots from deep, a pace that could allow him to eclipse the Ginebra star’s mark in five games.

Calculations made by stats chief Fidel Mangonon III show Lassiter—should he continue to make triples at that pace—could claim the No. 3 spot when the conference semifinals roll around.

Better yet, his total leaves him now just 45 short of the all-time record.

But that’s a math that hardly crosses the 10-time champion’s mind.

“You just never know which night it will be. If I’m on, I’m on. I just have to continue my craft. I’m not thinking about that, as I’m more focused on winning as I always say,” Lassiter told reporters.

That kind of thinking, it turns out, isn’t only exclusive to the 36-year-old veteran. June Mar Fajardo, the league’s seven-time Most Valuable Player and cornerstone, said San Miguel has set its sights on simply winning as talks of sweeping the crown jewel tournament continue to swell after each victory.“We just want to keep on winning because we want to claim the No. 1 spot as it is the goal even before the conference started,” Fajardo said in Filipino. “We’ve got [the seeding], the challenge now is how to stay on top.”

Another test

Sustaining the excellence San Miguel has manufactured thus far will be tested when it battles Blackwater on Wednesday at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.

The 3-6 (win-loss) Bossing have two matches left in their preliminary schedule, and a win should improve their chances of securing the last playoff spot as Rain or Shine and Terrafirma both still have a game left to play, and so does Meralco—a team Blackwater stunned earlier in the conference.

For his part, coach Jorge Gallent is wary of the fight in his charges’ upcoming foes—something that was on full display in a tight victory over NorthPort last week.

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“In that game, they had to win to make the playoffs,” Gallent said of Blackwater’s 115-113 heartbreaking loss to the Batang Pier. “It was a big game for them and they played a hundred percent.”

“They just came up short. Unfortunately (for Blackwater), Arvin (Tolentino) hit a game-winning shot. But in that fourth, they were really playing as a team and we have to watch [out for that],” he added.

Meanwhile, TNT could take a page out of Gallent’s playbook when it battles also-ran Converge in the nightcap set at 7:30 p.m.

A win by the 5-4 Tropang Giga will come as a timely boost as a logjam in the middle of the standings becomes more and more pronounced as the race for a playoff spot nears its end.

Converge, despite its horrendous 1-9 mark, has proven that it is capable of taking down a higher-ranked opponent after its 104-99 escape act against Meralco two weeks ago. INQ