As great as they were, the Beermen have their work cut out to achieve their goal in the best-of-seven finale.
In a series where there is little room for error, complacency is a mortal sin.
San Miguel's CJ Perez vowed that the Beermen would not fall into that trap as he reflected on the squad's near collapse before completing a 103-95 win over Magnolia in Game 1 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals Friday night.
“Hindi namin kailangang i-underestimate ang bench players. Kasi, mga players din 'yun, marunong talaga silang maglaro. Binigay talaga nila ang effort nila, ipinakita nila kay coach Chito na kaya rin nila,” said Perez after the match at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“Kailangan naming maging composed at 'wag mag relax sa mga ganung (pagkakataon). Nakakatakot 'yun.”
This after the Hotshots' third group led by Joseph Eriobu staged an uprising in the final three minutes that saw them climb a 94-74 hole to come within five, 95-100.
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In the end, the Beermen manage to heave a sigh of relief as the Hotshots simply did not have enough time to flip the script.
San Miguel coach Jorge Gallent couldn’t agree more with his prized scorer with regards to the perils of being complacent.
“As what you saw in the last three minutes, they just poured out their energy,” Gallent said. “When you play a tough team like Magnolia, you will have to play 48 minutes of basketball. If you don’t play 48 minutes, this is what's going to happen.”
“It’s just good that we just didn’t panic. That's the main thing. The players were composed, and they know how to win. Lucky for me," Gallent added.
The Beermen will look to apply the lesson once they take on the Hotshots anew in Game 2 on Sunday at the same venue.
Tip-off is at 6:15 p.m. The match will also air on RPTV, A2Z, PBA Rush and the Pilipinas Live app.