IF SAN Miguel Beer is still painting the town red as though it is in October Beer fest mode, I say quit it. There’s still so much work to be done.
OK, OK, that Wednesday win over TNT KaTropa for a clinching 2-1 quarterfinal triumph in the PBA Philippine Cup was, anytime, something to crow about.
The Beermen controlled the game practically from start to finish.
Simply incredible as the Beermen, amazingly in that game, appeared as unbeatable as FPJ fighting a dozen thugs.
It was even surreal.
This was a winner-take-all war, a time when prisoners were not to be captured but to be neutralized, taken down.
But why was TNT so easily annihilated?
How could San Miguel Beer become unreachable with still three minutes and 23 seconds left in the game, when, just a day before, it got itself plastered by TNT?
This, after Arwind Santos banged a three from deep right that restored an indestructible 21-point, 91-70 lead with barely under four minutes left.
The way the Beermen were executing their plays on Wednesday, even the Golden State Warriors would have been no match.
So deadly were the Beermen that they allowed KaTropa only once to score three straight baskets in the entire final half.
Up by 88-64, SMB took pity and allowed TNT a merciful ration of six straight points for the KaTropa to get to within 70-88 going to the last 4:30 of the game.
And then, with victory already literally secured, SMB virtually gave TNT the luxury of nibbling away at its 21-point bubble before settling for a final 96-86 count.
But don’t be greedy, you know.
There’s more fighting to come, beginning Saturday as the Beermen battle Phoenix at the start of their best-of-five semifinal duel, with Magnolia facing Rain or Shine in a similar race-to-three series on Friday.
Now, this: Was June Mar Fajardo guilty of greed in SMB’s dismantling of TNT?
He had 32 points. Ordinary.
He had 14 rebounds. Ordinary.
But going 11-of-11 from the field?
C’mon, you’ve gotta be kidding.
But then, isn’t he a five-time MVP?
Hands up.