DEFENSE will be the key when the San Miguel Beermen tangle against Rain or Shine at 7 p.m. today in Game 1 of the best-of-five semifinal series of the 40th Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governor’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
The two teams have met several times in the playoffs; the most recent was in the 2014 Philippine Cup semifinals. It was a down-the-wire battle won by the Beermen, 3-2.
Coach Leo Austria’s team, which finished second in the elims with an 8-3 slate, needed two games before ending Meralco Bolts’ hope to reach the semis, while the third seed Rain or Shine, needed two overtimes to eliminate Barako Bull, 134-124, last May 27 and earned a trip to the semifinal round.