![Enoch Valdez vs CJ Perez PBA](https://sports.inquirer.net/files/2024/04/IMG_1312_PBA-Philippine-Cup-San-Miguel-NLEX_Enoch-Valdez-scaled.jpg)
NLEX's Enoch Valdez tries to protect San Miguel's CJ Perez during the PBA Philippine Cup – MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
San Miguel Beer remains undefeated in nine games and solidifies its leadership in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup, securing a 2-2 advantage with a 120-103 win over the sparse NLEX on Sunday night. did. Coach Jorge Gallento said with a chuckle that the path to the league's crown is next.
“No,” he said during the customary post-game press conference at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City. “The next goal is the next game.”
„We are just taking it step by step. For now we are only thinking about the 10th game against Blackwater,“ he added.
Despite the tremendous amount of talent at the club, Gallento is working meticulously to ensure San Miguel retains the title. He has used metaphors such as „ladders“ and „stairs“ to prevent complacency.
And that approach resonated within San Miguel. One of the club's elder statesmen, captain Chris Ross, said recently that there was no talk of investigating or counting the Biermen's casualties until reporters covering the match did a tally. . As his triples climbed to the top of the all-time record, locker room conversations were limited to thinking about how to keep the team on track.
“We want to play our best basketball until the end, but we also want to stay as healthy as possible,” he previously told the Inquirer, setting his sights on carrying his current success into the playoffs. He added that
tooth and nail debris
Biermann may have a point. The numbers show that half of the wins in this all-Filipino tournament.
The Biermen only won by double digits four times in total, and those games were against then-disjointed Rain or Shine (12 points), shorthanded Phoenix (14 points), and struggled to deal with slippage. It was against a young Northport crew that had a lot of trouble (Gallento and his team scored 2 points), Barangay Ginebra (4 points), and Magnolia (7 points) just to get the win.
„If we play like we played the first nine games, it won't be a problem for me or for us. As long as we understand our role and really play 48 minutes, we'll be fine,“ he said. Told.
San Miguel will be looking for his 10th win this Wednesday at Ultra against a reeling Blackwater opponent. The vaunted club then concludes its elimination round schedule with a match against Meralco. INQ