MANILA, 28 November 2003 — San Miguel Beer, which started the Samsung-PBA Reinforced Conference campaign with a 0-5 (win-loss) mark, is now 4-0 in the playoffs and 2-0 up in its semifinal duel against Sta. Lucia.
The only way the Beermen could miss out on the storied franchise’s 26th finals appearance is for Sta. Lucia to go 3-0 from hereon — a thought that seemed remote, if not impossible, the way the rejuvenated team is playing of late.
Sustaining a remarkable comeback from the jaws of near extinction, the Beermen dominated the Realtors for the second straight game, 101-86, and moved on the threshold of perhaps the most unexpected finals stints in the team’s long history.
“We were 0-5 because we were still waiting to be completed as a team. I was just waiting for us to hit our stride and now that we’re 2-0, let’s just hope that we don’t 0-3,” said ever-cautious San Miguel coach Jong Uichico.
Dazzling their rivals in the third quarter behind Kwan Johnson, Dondon Hontiveros, Dorian Pe?a and Danny Ildefonso, San Miguel went up by 22 points, relaxed a bit as the Realtors closed within 11 before going for the kill in the payoff frame.
Before the Realtors knew what had hit them, San Miguel’s lead had ballooned to 26 points.
Johnson, who was still plying his trade in the USBL while San Miguel and Shea Seals went 0-5, took his ninth win in 12 games by scoring 27 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to go with five steals and three assists.
He was recalled to the bench with five minutes left, the game well in hand for the Beermen.
Ildefonso and Pe?a, who were also absent in that losing stretch due to an injury and a drug-related suspension, respectively, combined for 28 points with the latter hauling down 12 boards. Hontiveros went 3-for-4 from the rainbow country and finished with 15 points.
In the second game, the Coke Tigers came back from 21 points down and bucked the inspiring presence of Jimmy Alapag to burn Talk ‘N’ Text, 109-105, and take a 2-0 edge in their best-of-five semifinal series.
The quicksilver playmaker Alapag masked up in Jason-fashion and started for his team, sparking them to a 19-point lead at the half and a 61-40 edge early in the third. But his efforts failed to subdue the Tigers.
McClary hit a triple with 2.4 seconds left in the third quarter and Reyes had his team where he wanted it to be trailing just by nine, 74-83 entering the final period.
