Exclusive: Words of wisdom from SMB team consultant Leo Austria

San Miguel Beermen team consultant Leo Austria has given his take on their series against Barangay Ginebra, on what they lack and what they need to do in order for them to get toe-to-toe versus their rival.

As of writing, the series is tied 2-2 and it seemed like the observations and assessments that Austria shared with Dribble Report after Game 1 have come into reality.

In an exclusive interview with Dribble Report, the nine-time PBA champion coach shared that after Game 1 of their semifinal series, SMB needed to do a lot of things because if they don’t change their approach in the game, the match-up might have a different story already.

After Game 1, coach Leo said that they must address the hot perimeter shooting of Ginebra where they scored 56 out of the 122 points.

“If you will take a look at the stats and all, we just allowed them to score in the perimeter.I think 56 points, 4-point play, 5 times, that's 20. And then a 3-point play, that's 12, that's 36, plus 20, that's 56. And they scored 122,” Austria said.

He also shared that in a semifinals series like the one they are in, SMB should not allow their opponent to put up more than 100 points especially that Ginebra doesn’t have a dominant big man on the post like the eight-time MVP of the Beermen, June Mar Fajardo.

Austria also specified that their nemesis are already intact because they have already been together for quite some time and the fluidity of their play is evident at present. And the Gin Kings also have additional rest because they finished their quarterfinals series earlier.

As for the Beermen, they took a longer route in beating Converge in the quarterfinals where it went the distance. They also played in the opening of the East Asian Super League or EASL. But that’s not an excuse for them.

“And regarding the adjustment, we have to be prepared mentally. And let us forget what happened on October 9. We cannot dwell on that. But we have to learn from the mistakes and lapses,” said Austria.

The nine-time PBA champion mentor also said that they need to focus and put more effort. And for them to be focused, they need a lot of preparation. But a day of preparation is not enough because it will zap the energy of the players.

True enough, after a two-days rest, the SMB displayed dominance in Game 4 to tie the series anew. The Beermen also won Game 2 but with just a six-point victory after falling down to the Gin Kings by 17 on their first outing. Ginebra also won Game 3 by a margin of 5 points.

As the Finals appearance is at stake, coach Leo said that entering the last dance will be a harder route.

“After getting to the semifinals, you think of a harder approach. And we're getting in there. We have a series, a best-of-seven.”

One more factor is that their import EJ Anosike is still adjusting with the system as he came out late unlike Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee who’s been in the country since 2016 and even became Gilas Pilipinas’s naturalized player so he already knew the brand of Filipino basketball.

But it seemed like Anosike had already adapted the system as he poured out 27 in their last outing to supplement JMF’s monstrous 29 points-16 rebounds performance.

The patience of the coaching staff and the players of San Miguel is coming into fruition as the series is tied already and the Beermen could actually break the odd-even trend of the match-up to take the lead and be one win away from the finals.

With that being said, coach Leo Austria asked the same to the faithful fans of the winningest ballclub in PBA history.

“To the faithful fans of the Beermen, the fans that are always there, win or lose, they're always there. Just be patient because we're doing our best to win the games. And we know that's what we're looking for. Whether it's raining or sunny they are always there. Thank you very much.”

Game 5 of the series will be on Friday, October 18, 5:00 p.m. at Ynares Center in Antipolo.