Game 2 of what is shaping up to be a thrilling finale in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup between San Miguel and Meralco is set on Friday, June 7.
San Miguel guns for redemption against Game 1 tormentor Meralco as they lock horns anew in the continuation of their best-of seven PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup finals showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao on Friday, June 7.
The Beermen look to use their championship experience to the hilt to avoid a 0-2 hole and even their chances against first-time All-Filipino conference finalist Bolts in the Game 2 match at 7:30 p.m.
San Miguel found itself on the losing end against Meralco yet again, after suffering its sole loss in the eliminations which denied the Beermen of a sweep.
In the series opener Friday, the Bolts, eyeing its first-ever title in the league, whipped up some defensive magic to take down the mighty Beermen en route to a convincing 93-86 win.
Their stifling defense held San Miguel to a conference-low 35 points in the second half, including 14 in the final period, while also forcing seven-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo to commit a game-high six turnovers and end up with a negative 11 plus-minus.
[RELATED STORY: PBA: June Mar Fajardo lauds Meralco's defense as San Miguel suffers Game 1 loss]
The Beermen, who have won six of the last eight All-Filipino conferences, are just eager to bounce back.
"Bounce back na lang. Long series," said Fajardo who still managed to produce 23 points and 10 rebounds.
The Bolts, for their part, are aiming to employ team effort in dismantling San Miguel.
[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]
“We need everybody on board. Coach Nenad (Vucinic) keeps on saying that,” said Meralco coach Luigi Trillo.
“We’re not going to beat [San Miguel] with two, three guys. We need other guys to step up.”