I need to write about this.
Ugh.
It was a sorry loss.
I thought Cliff Hodge was going to mirror Kristaps Porzingis' unreal first-half performance. Yes, The Cliffhanger played well, but Meralco had a demoralizing loss.
So after losing Game 1 of the 2023-24 PBA Philippine Cup Finals, the San Miguel Beermen upstaged the Bolts, 95 to 94. Marcio Lassiter and CJ Perez unleashed mega-clutch bombs when it mattered the most, while Chris Banchero overplayed his green light after hitting that superb triple from a Chris Newsome pass.
Unlike in the first game, June Mar Fajardo had help on the inside with Mo Tautuaa going on an offensive in the second half. Yes, JMF struggled with his free throws again, but he was not the focal point of the offense.
CJ Perez had 34 insane points and even made up for a crucial fumble with a stone-cold triple with 22 seconds left in the game to decrease the Meralco lead and set up the Super Marcio bomb.
Meralco also lost the game with their undoing. The Bolts' last two shots were practically bail-out shots. Bong Quinto went for a floater despite JMF's outstretched hands and likewise, with the Banchero shot, that was faced by Jericho Cruz's opposition. Meralco also had two timeouts left, but they couldn't use their remaining timeout because of the ruling that players are not allowed to call timeouts.
Luigi Trillo and team consultant Nenad Vucinic had a well-designed plan to at least contain the SMB onslaught. With that said, there is no denying that San Miguel is a collection of Mythical Teamers, scoring leaders, and former and current starters. Again, Vic Manuel is their 12th man and he is a career 11.4ppg scorer.
And Game 2 could be the potential BPC clincher for Perez. Newsome has been effective for the Bolts, but so are his teammates. June Mar Fajardo is good, but all eyes were on the Baby Beast in that game. I know they are teammates, but I also know that they are rivals for the MVP award. With Perez winning the Commissioner's Cup BPC, the only way JMF could secure his seventh MVP is by clinching the Philippine Cup BPC.
Here's a side quest that is worth checking out.