Inasmuch as I am a June Mar Fajardo fan, I want the Meralco Bolts to win.
It's about time the Bolts win a title, and it's better for the league that a non-SMC team will be reigning and defending something.
And they did just that in Game 3.
San Miguel is allergic to scoring below 90 points in a game, and Meralco held them down to a point shy, 93 to 89.
Chris Newsome finally had a hand on offense down the stretch, where he scored the game's final five points. Awesome Newsome finished with a game-high 26 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two blocked shots. Raymond Almazan and Bong Quinto likewise bounced back with so-so-scoring performances and combined for 33 points. Cliff Hodge had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, while Chris Banchero had just 3-of-15 from the field but still managed to provide 10 points for the Bolts.
Mo Tautuaa led the San Miguel Beermen in 19 points, six rebounds, and an 8-of-12 shooting mark, but the main SMB guys struggled. CJ Perez had 18 points, five rebounds, and four steals, but with just 6-of-19 shooting. June Mar Fajardo also had a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds but not only did he just attempt five shots, he also had seven turnovers. Marcio Lassiter had 12 points, Don Trollano finished with 11, while magic bunot Jeron Teng had ten points. Jericho Cruz only had seven points, with a 20 percent field goal clip (2-of-10.)
Admittedly, the breaks were with the Bolts in this game. Chris Newsome should have been called for a foul when he made contact with CJ Perez off a Cliff Hodge turnover within the three-minute mark. This no-call was crucial because it ended up as a Bong Quinto triple.
With that said, the problem with good bench scoring is the fact that they are merely compensating with bad starter scoring. I know San Miguel's bench can easily start in other teams, but ever since the finals hit, they have been outplayed and outcoached by the Bolts.
Game 4 is going to be interesting.