Twice-to-beat Ginebra, SMB eye shorter route to semis
Published Mar 19, 2023 04:22 am
The quarterfinals begin with San Miguel and Ginebra looking to make quick work of their respective opponents in the 2023 PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, March 19.
*Cameron Clark is expected to lead to the way for the June Mar Fajardo-less San Miguel Beer (PBA Images)*
The No. 2 seed Beermen tangle against the embattled Converge FiberXers team in the first offering at 4:30 p.m. while the third seed Kings take the challenge from a formidable NLEX Road Warriors squad in the main event at 6:45 p.m. It will be a quick turnaround for both SMB and Ginebra after also playing in the final day of the eliminations just last Friday, March 17. That should bode well for both Converge and NLEX who are eyeing to pull off the early surprises in the playoffs and extend their series to a sudden-death Game 2. Ginebra import Justin Brownlee, however, assured that the Kings will come in prepared to the contest despite the short preparation time for their quarters matchup. “We know it’s gonna be tough. At this point, it doesn’t matter who we play. Whether it’s the No. 8, 6, 7, 5, whatever. At this point, any game we play, any team we play it’s not gonna be easy. We understand that and whoever it is we expect a tough matchup,” said Brownlee. Ginebra should indeed be wary of NLEX especially after the Road Warriors gave the Kings a run for their money during their elimination matchup. Brownlee and Christian Standhardinger joined hands but barely escaped NLEX, 114-111, with then debuting import Wayne Selden Jr. dropping 45 points. Meanwhile in the opening game, the FiberXers are looking to repeat their 107-103 victory over the Beermen in hopes of extending their tournament lives. The difference however is that Converge has let go of high-scoring import Jamaal Franklin after his tantrums in their last game in the eliminations which resulted in the team missing its chance for a twice-to-beat advantage. Coming in as a new reinforcement for the FiberXers, according to reports, is Kiwi big man Tom Vodanovich. It remains to be seen how the sudden import change would impact the performance of the FiberXers although they have one less problem to worry about with June Mar Fajardo remaining out for SMB. Import Cameron Clark and other local big men Vic Manuel and Mo Tautuaa have been fitting in nicely for the Beermen who have yet to drop a game in the PBA since they lost Fajardo to an MCL injury during their EASL Champions Week campaign.
*Cameron Clark is expected to lead to the way for the June Mar Fajardo-less San Miguel Beer (PBA Images)*
The No. 2 seed Beermen tangle against the embattled Converge FiberXers team in the first offering at 4:30 p.m. while the third seed Kings take the challenge from a formidable NLEX Road Warriors squad in the main event at 6:45 p.m. It will be a quick turnaround for both SMB and Ginebra after also playing in the final day of the eliminations just last Friday, March 17. That should bode well for both Converge and NLEX who are eyeing to pull off the early surprises in the playoffs and extend their series to a sudden-death Game 2. Ginebra import Justin Brownlee, however, assured that the Kings will come in prepared to the contest despite the short preparation time for their quarters matchup. “We know it’s gonna be tough. At this point, it doesn’t matter who we play. Whether it’s the No. 8, 6, 7, 5, whatever. At this point, any game we play, any team we play it’s not gonna be easy. We understand that and whoever it is we expect a tough matchup,” said Brownlee. Ginebra should indeed be wary of NLEX especially after the Road Warriors gave the Kings a run for their money during their elimination matchup. Brownlee and Christian Standhardinger joined hands but barely escaped NLEX, 114-111, with then debuting import Wayne Selden Jr. dropping 45 points. Meanwhile in the opening game, the FiberXers are looking to repeat their 107-103 victory over the Beermen in hopes of extending their tournament lives. The difference however is that Converge has let go of high-scoring import Jamaal Franklin after his tantrums in their last game in the eliminations which resulted in the team missing its chance for a twice-to-beat advantage. Coming in as a new reinforcement for the FiberXers, according to reports, is Kiwi big man Tom Vodanovich. It remains to be seen how the sudden import change would impact the performance of the FiberXers although they have one less problem to worry about with June Mar Fajardo remaining out for SMB. Import Cameron Clark and other local big men Vic Manuel and Mo Tautuaa have been fitting in nicely for the Beermen who have yet to drop a game in the PBA since they lost Fajardo to an MCL injury during their EASL Champions Week campaign.