San Miguel Beermen aren't done yet.
Simon Enciso hit a clutch triple with 12 seconds left to give the Beermen a 98-96 win over Bay Area Dragons in Game 3 of their 2022 PBA Commissioner's Cup best-of-five semifinal series on Sunday that cut the Dragons' series lead to 2-1.
Here are three thoughts on the game.
Kots Leo finally picks up another win
After missing six games, Leo Austria returned to the San Miguel sidelines in Game 2 -- a 115-96 Bay Area victory. Because his team lost, Austria wasn't required to attend the post-game press conference.
On Sunday, he finally showed up after winning his first game with SMB since Nov. 16, even though he was a few minutes late.
"Sorry I'm late. I'm not used to this anymore," he deadpanned.
Welcome back, coach.
Fajardo plays through an injury
As for the win, Austria praised his MVP center June Mar Fajardo, who finished with 21 points and 16 rebounds despite playing with what the coach said was a "minor injury."
Austria, though, did not specify the nature of the injury, but whatever it is, it did little to slow down 'The Kraken'.
"For your information, June Mar is still recuperating from a minor injury," Austria said. "But he's a warrior. We're seeing who June Mar really is. It's playoff time."
Austria said Fajardo was confident before tip-off and virtually guaranteed a win, adding: "The adjustments we made, last game it was virtually (Andrew) Nicholson who beat us. So we're trying to do our best to limit his shots. We cannot zero him, but at least we limited him.
"The players were really focused, especially June Mar. Before the game, (he asked), 'Coach, are you ready? I'm ready. We're going to win.' And I'm glad what he said came true. Every time he tells me something, it really happens. He makes it happen.
"We only had a short huddle (in practice). I wrote down all the things that happen in the game, and then I allowed them to read for three to five minutes and I'm so happy them remembered it."
"We all stepped up," Fajardo added. "We still had a lot of lapses but it's a good thing we got this win because we needed it. It's do-or-die.
"Our adjustments were good. We just need to follow the game plan on the court. As Pops (Austria) said, we need to use up whatever's left in our tank. I'm just glad we got the win.
Devon Scott bounces back
San Miguel's import averaged just 11.5 points per game in the first two games of the series, getting totally outplayed by the Dragons' Nicholson.
But in Game 3, not only did he lead the team in scoring with 25 points to go with 14 boards, he also had a crucial block on a Kobey Lam drive with seven seconds left that would have tied the score. Before that, Scott hit two crucial free throws with 41 seconds left that pushed the Beermen to within 95-96.
"Devon was really focused on this game," Austria noted. "That was a winning block because last time we were beaten by Kobey Lam on a layup. This time he did not allow it."
Austria, though, was quick to give props to the rest of the team," stating: "This is a team effort. From the ball boy up to the coaching staff, we had a good conversation during our practice and walkthrough. They know what to do. I think that's what happened.
"You saw the other team had a short rotation, so we matched up. But still we have to better because in the match-ups they have (a) 7-foot-5 (player) and Nicholson. We all know Bay Area is a strong team. They have a good coach, an experienced coach so we can never rest against this team. We have to remain focused."
This was the first time in four tries that SMB finally beat Bay Area, and Austria is hoping it won't be the last.
"The confidence that we got from this win is big because they beat us three times," he noted. "This is an indication that Bay Area is beatable as long as we play hard, we play as a team both on offense and defense.
"This is a good challenge for the team because they know this is a guest team. At least we should give them a good fight. Our players have pride. We're up against a foreign team, so it's a good challenge for them. Win or lose we're fighting for the pride of the Filipino people."