THE REAL MVP
There was a very good reason for June Mar Fajardo and coach Jorge Gallent to be in a very lighthearted mood after San Miguel Beer survived an underdog Converge squad that made good on its promise to fight until the end.
After taking the deciding Game 5 with a 109-105 win on Sunday night at Ynares Center here, Gallent wrapped up the postgame press conference with his trademark comedy line followed by Fajardo’s usual list of shoutouts to friends and relatives.
After all, they were all business just moments before. Especially the eight-time MVP.
“It’s a good thing that we got this win,” Fajardo said after his 40-point, 24-rebound statline propelled the Beermen into the best-of-seven semis against Barangay Ginebra that opens Wednesday at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
And as San Miguel advanced, Converge’s Alec Stockton bowed in disappointment after the final buzzer sounded, his team’s courageous bid to overcome a 0-2 deficit and bring the franchise’s first semis berth getting derailed.
Amid the sorrow of falling short is the hope that the run could be a sign of things to come for the FiberXers, who have nowhere to go but up, especially with No. 1 draft pick Justine Baltazar expected to finally suit sometime in the Commissioner’s Cup once his MPBL duties are done.
And even San Miguel agrees that Converge is a team to watch out for the foreseeable future.
“If they keep that team intact, it’s gonna be a great team in the coming conferences or the coming seasons,” Gallent said. “It’s just young and it’s just pesky, they just like to run and they like to score. It just reminds me of a Rain or Shine team.”
Almost an upset
Converge was about seven minutes away from pulling off the unthinkable with a 99-91 lead before Fajardo lorded over the paint to trigger a San Miguel fightback.
San Miguel eventually went ahead, but not before needing to weather another big stand from a Converge side led by Stockton and veteran Alex Cabagnot, who looked determined to beat his former team.
But it was the Beermen who progressed into the next phase of the tournament where they will face a well-rested Ginebra squad that swept Meralco in their own quarters series.
The manner of their two meetings in the group stage which saw Ginebra getting a six-point win on Justin Brownlee’s 51 points and San Miguel’s 49-point rout that became a source of jokes among fans on social media will not factor in their playoff showdown.
At least, according to Gallent.
“Those two games are meaningless and it’s now in the past. It’s back to zero-zero,” said Gallent.
After the opener at PhilSports, Game 2 will be on Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum before Game 3 heads to Dasmariñas, Cavite, on Oct. 13 and Game 4 on Oct. 16 at the Big Dome.
If necessary, Game 5 is on Oct. 18 in Antipolo, Game 6 set Oct. 20 with the Game 7 decider on Oct. 23, both at Araneta.
The other semis series pitting TNT and Rain or Shine are also set on the said dates.
