SCHEDULE: PBA Finals San Miguel vs Meralco
Chris Newsome and the Meralco Bolts repeat over the San Miguel Beermen to get a 1-0 lead in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Only one squad has defeated San Miguel Beer twice in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup.
After its elimination round victory, Meralco repeated over the Beermen this time to take Game 1 of the Finals at Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
But make no mistakes about it, the Bolts are nowhere near complacent despite drawing first blood in the best-of-seven series with the defending All-Filipino kings.
READ: PBA Finals: Meralco clamps down on San Miguel to take Game 1
In fact, when Chris Newsome was asked if he felt like the Bolts had cracked the Beermen’s invincible code, the shifty guard was quick to shut down the claim.
“Absolutely not,” said Newsome, who looked focused despite the game already coming to an end.
“This is a championship team. They’re capable of doing amazing things. All I know is they’ll go back to the drawing board and find ways to execute even better and counter everything we did tonight. That’s how good of an organization they are.”
Newsome found his spots even under duress with an all-around game of 18 points, six rebounds and five assists with two steals to match.
READ: ‘Best’ team stands in way of Meralco’s quest for first PBA crown
As the Bolts moved three wins away from their first-ever PBA title, Newsome and even coach Luigi Trillo know there ‘s still nothing to celebrate.
Trillo doubled down and said he knows the Beermen’s capability of adjusting under pressure. After all, San Miguel Beer has never lost two games back-to-back in this conference.
“We need to prepare. The more we zone in and lock in on those [plans], the better chance—50-50 chance—we have of beating this team. Then again, we know they’ll come in with adjustments. We need to see the same mistakes we did here,” said the top tactician.
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Meralco looks to reach another goalpost when Game 2 gets going on Friday at the same venue inside the Big Dome.