LIVE UPDATES: San Miguel vs Meralco – PBA Philippine Cup Finals Game 1
MANILA, Philippines – And then there were two.
Coming off contrasting semifinal victories, the San Miguel Beermen and the Meralco Bolts turn their attention to each other as they face off in Game 1 of their best-of-seven PBA Philippine Cup finals series on Wednesday, June 5, at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Beermen completed a four-game sweep of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to book a return trip to the Philippine Cup finals, while the Bolts survived Barangay Ginebra in seven games to advance to the All-Filipino finals for the first time in franchise history.
After another dominant showing in the semifinals, all eyes will be on seven-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo as he looks to lead the Beermen to their second straight Philippine Cup crown and a sweep of the two Season 48 titles.
In the semifinals, Fajardo imposed his will against the smaller Rain or Shine frontline, averaging a monster double-double of 18.2 points and 13.7 rebounds.
Aside from Fajardo, CJ Perez will be a marked man in this finals series after the high-flying guard averaged 20.2 points for San Miguel in the final four, including a 26-point explosion in the series-clincher.
On the other side, expect a total team effort from the Bolts on both defense and offense as they hope to pull off an upset against the powerhouse Beermen.
Look for big men Raymond Almazan, Cliff Hodge, and rookie Brandon Bates – who was a revelation against Ginebra – to step up to the plate defensively as they try to limit Fajardo’s production.
The 6-foot-8 Bates is coming off a 13-rebound and 6-block outing in their Game 7 duel against Ginebra last Friday, May 31, holding his own against the Gin Kings’ twin towers of Christian Standhardinger and Japeth Aguilar, who combined for a dismal 9-of-28 shooting.
Meanwhile, count on Chris Newsome, Chris Banchero, Bong Quinto, and Allein Maliksi to carry the scoring load for Meralco as they match up against San Miguel’s star-studded backcourt.
Game time is 7:30 pm. – Rappler.com