Chris Newsome and the rest of the Meralco Bolts are looking to build on their Game 1 victory over San Miguel, but they know that things are just going to get tougher from here on out.
Has Meralco finally broken the San Miguel code?
The question naturally came up as the Bolts hacked out a 93-86 victory in Game 1 of the PBA Season 84 Philippine Cup finals to become the only team to beat the mighty Beermen twice this conference.
[ALSO READ: PBA: Allein Maliksi, Meralco deny San Miguel of elims sweep to clinch quarterfinal berth]
When asked about finally solving the puzzle that is San Miguel, Chris Newsome said that it was "almost impossible" to do.
“As far as cracking the code on them, that’s almost impossible to crack the San Miguel code,” Newsome, adjudged Player of the Game, said during the post-match presser at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Chris Newsome tries to execute Meralco's play against San Miguel in Game 1 of their PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup best-of-seven duel for the crown. | Photo (c) RM Chua
“You just got to go out, play your best basketball and give a great team effort. And that’s our job to continue to play as a team, continue to believe in what our coaching staff has done and the game plans they have.”
[RELATED STORY: 'It's just one game': Chris Newsome says more work to be done after Meralco's Game 1 stunner over San Miguel in PBA Finals]
On Wednesday’s contest, Meralco did play its best, clamping down on defense and employing a running game that had guys like seven-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo and Mo Tautuaa struggling to go up and down the court.
But the Beermen, as dominant as they have been for the better part of the last decade, are no strangers to adversity. And they did very well to rise above it.
Newsome referred to the “Beeracle,” where San Miguel clawed back from a 0-3 series deficit and went on to beat Alaska in the 2016 Philippine Cup finale.
[ALSO READ: PBA: CJ Perez laments early foul trouble, reversed call on Cliff Hodge in San Miguel's Game 1 loss vs. Meralco]
Newsome and the rest of Bolts are thus bracing for a furious fightback from their foes.
“This team is a championship team, a dynasty team. They are capable of doing amazing things. I mean, you’re all there for the 'Beeracle.' You know you can never count this team out,” said Newsome.
“All I know is they’re going to go back to the drawing board and find ways to try to execute much better and counter everything we did tonight. That’s how good of an organization they are. They’re very smart all the way through. They’re proven winners. You can't count out the heart of the champions.”
Meralco coach Luigi Trillo echoed the same sentiment.
“We need to prepare. The more we zone in and lock in on the things we need to do, the best chance we have, 50-50 chance of beating this team,” Trillo said.
“We know they’re going to come in with some adjustments. We need to see the mistakes we did here and really focus on getting better if we want to have a chance in Game 2.”
Similar to what the Bolts did in their opening game victory, Trillo would need all hands on deck to repeat over the battle-tested Beermen in the series.
“We need everybody on board. Coach Nenad (Vucinic) keeps on saying that,” said Trillo.
Meralco coach Luigi Trillo reacts on the sidelines during the Bolts' Game 1 finals joust against San Miguel. | Photo (c) RM Chua
“We’re not going to beat [San Miguel] with two, three guys. We need other guys to step up," he added.
[ALSO READ: PBA: June Mar Fajardo lauds Meralco's defense as San Miguel suffers Game 1 loss]
Meralco and San Miguel tangle anew in Game 2 on Friday, June 7, at the same venue. Match starts at 7:30 p.m.