TNT casts doubts on SMB’s Grand Slam bid
Credit to Author: Eddie G. Alinea| Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2019 16:13:10 +0000
Has San Miguel Beer abandoned its bid to win the franchise’s second Grand Slam in 30 years?
It seems so.
Thanks to a players fight that erupted during the Beermen’s practice on Sunday involving team captain and starter Arwind Santos, former import Dez Wells and relievers Kelly Nabong and Ronald Tubid.
That led SMC management to mete out indefinite suspension on the four erring players, as the Beermen suffered a 109-114 loss to archrivals Talk “N Text at the end of the PBA Governors’ Cup elimination round on Wednesday
That cost, too, the Ramon S. Ang-owned franchise’s passage to the quarterfinal round with the twice-to-beat incentives.
It was the Katropa, instead, who advanced into the next round with that privilege after finishing in a tie with sister teams, league-leader North Luzon Expressway and Meralco, all capping their elimination round campaign with identical 8-3 win-loss slates
SMBeer dropped to fifth (6-5), still in the quarters, but has to win twice over its round-of-eight opponent, which turned out to be sibling Barangay Ginebra, which occupies the last of the the-to-beat teams in fourth (7-4).
The rival siblings are expected to steal the limelight of the Final Eight series at the Smart Araneta Coliseum starting on Sunday when they collide at 6:45 p.m. with the Gin Kings out to completely send the Beermen to oblivion with a victory.
How the Beermen will manage to emerge victors in this clash with the suspended Santos, Nabong and Tubid, only coach Leo Austria and his Beermen know.
Especially Santos, one of the SMBeer’s able defenders, rebounders and assist men, whose services the Beermen sorely missed on Wednesday.
In the two teams’ only meeting this Conference when both line ups were complete and healthy, coach Tim Cone’s Kings prevailed, in a high-scoring contest, 129-124.
Should the Beermen find solution to their problems and win, they face the Kings anew in mid-December at the resumption of hostilities, to determine who between them make it to the semifinal round.
Other game on Sunday pits the Alaska Aces, who rebounded from a lackluster start to win four of their last five games, against the Meralco Bolts, who, like the Katropa, only need to survive to move forward to the next round.
On Monday, it’s NLEX and the NorthPort Batang Pier, and the Katropa and the title-defending champion Magnolia Hotshots’ turn to start their quarterfinal round campaign, also at the Quezon City Big Dome.
And gauging their elimination round triumphs over their rivals, the Hotshots and the Batang Pier should, likewise show the way over the Katropa and the Road Warriors, respectively.
The title-defending Hotshots ended the Katropa, 100-93, the first time they squared off, while the Batang Pier took the measure of the Road Warriors, 102-94.
After Monday’s doubleheader, also at the Quezon City Big Dome, the PBA 44th Season-ending conference takes a much-needed two-week rest to give way to the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.