NOW that the best-of-seven championship series is down to a best-of-three affair, San Miguel Beer and Meralco are expected to go all out and grab a pivotal 3-2 lead on Friday in Game 5 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.
Game time is 7:30 p.m.
The Beermen are coming off a huge 111-101 Game 4 victory over the Bolts on Wednesday to tie the series at 2-all.
Seven-time PBA Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo was a monster in the paint in that big Independence Day win, firing a season-high 28 points and hauling down 13 rebounds.
The 34-year-old Cebuano star center also won his 10th Best Player of the Conference award prior to Game 4 and said his 305th career double-double last Wednesday would not have been possible without the help he received from his SMB teammates.
Bench contribution
"Anyone in our team can be a Best Player because we have such a deep bench in our team," said Fajardo.
"But I also had to assert myself early (in Game 4) because another loss would put us to a 1-3 (series hole) and we want to tie the series so I credit our team."
Fajardo said for his team to take that 3-2 advantage in the series would require the contribution from the SMB bench again.
And for sure, the 6-foot-10 SMB star center can expect that from athletic wingman CJ Perez and Marcio Lassiter, who scored 22 and 18 points, respectively, in that big Game 4 win.
Don Trollano, Jericho Cruz and even fit-again guard Terrence Romeo and forward Vic Manuel can also deliver for the Beermen when their numbers are called.
Meralco, meanwhile, will need more than another big scoring effort from Chris Newsome to overcome San Miguel's armada of scorers.
Newsome fired a career-high 40 points on Wednesday.
On Friday, the Bolts need a better output from Chris Banchero, Bong Quinto, Allein Maliksi, Raymund Almazan and Cliff Hodge to avoid a 3-2 series deficit.
Meralco got beaten badly by San Miguel on bench points in Game 4, 28-15.
Romeo, Manuel return
Both Romeo and Manuel played for the first time in the series on Wednesday as both veterans were sidelined by either an injury or an ailment.
Gallent said prior to Game 4, Romeo approached and broached the idea of playing in Independence Day as the three-time PBA scoring champion was eager to help the Beermen avoid a 1-3 series deficit.
"He (Romeo) just decided to play because he really wanted to help the team," Gallent said. "I was very happy with his mentality and I told him, if in case we bring him inside, he will just have to give his 110 percent."
Romeo delivered as promised, scoring seven points and issuing three assists as well as a rebound in 18 minutes of action.
Even Manuel, nicknamed the "Muscle Man" showed he still has a lot left in his tank after providing eight points in just seven minutes of action for the Beermen.
"Also with Vic, I said if there's a chance I can bring him inside, 'Can you play at least 110 percent?' And they (Manuel and Romeo) did. I'm very happy because they followed the instruction," he said.
Gallent, who is gunning for his second straight PBA title as a coach, explained that Manuel has been ill since San Miguel scored a 4-0 sweep of Rain or Shine in their semifinal series.
"After the Rain or Shine series, he got kinda sick. He didn't practice didn't practice for 10 to 12 days because he was feeling ill. He just stayed in his house, so now, he's just getting his breath back," said the SMB coach, who won his first PBA championship last February after steering the Beermen past the Magnolia Hotshots in the Commissioner's Cup Finals.
Gallent believes the 37-year-old Manuel can contribute more as he gets his timing back in the remainder of the series.
"In practice, he's doing extra work," said Gallent. "He wants his timing back and I'm sure it's gonna come back."