Finals or bust

Source: PBA.ph

B-Meg standouts Marc Pingris and PJ Simon
defends against Ginebra star Mark Caguioa.

With their season on the line, B-Meg and Barangay Ginebra are only expected to give all they’ve got in their sudden death match Friday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

And with their MVP aspirations also at stake, Ginebra main man Mark Caguioa and B-Meg top gun James Yap are tipped to lead their respective teams in the battle.

The Llamados and the Kings meet in a do-or-die game at 6:45 p.m. with the winner gaining the right to challenge the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the PBA Governors Cup Finals.

B-Meg blew a chance to gain outright finals entry on a 92-82 loss to Rain or Shine Wednesday. Later on the same night, Ginebra lived on to fight another knockout game in bundling out Talk n Text, 73-71.

Ending up tied at second behind the Elasto Painters at the close of the carryover semifinals, the Llamados and the Kings found themselves facing each other in a virtual repeat of their

Commissioner’s Cup semifinals showdown.

“This is a good opportunity for us. We’re content with what we’ve got but we’re not content on what we can become,” said Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen. 

“We’re thankful for the opportunity, and we’ll go hard taking it,” Tanquingcen added.

B-Meg coach Tim Cone, meanwhile, admitted committing a mistake Wednesday. He promised not to commit the same mistake Friday.

Cone said they would be physically and mentally ready.

“We were unprepared for the amount of physicality the league allowed (Wednesday night), and that falls squarely on me. I should have known better. We won’t be unprepared (Friday),” said Cone.

Cone and his troops ache to make it to the finals for the second straight conference and have a shot at a rare back-to-back championships.

Tanquingcen and his chargers, meanwhile, hope to surpass their semis finish in the last conference and have a crack at a first title since their 2008 Fiesta Conference title conquest.

It’s expected to be an fierce battle though the Llamados have dominated their head-on matches since topping their semis showdown in the Commissioner’s Cup.

B-Meg has beaten Ginebra twice this conference by an average margin of 10 points.