San Miguel coach Ato Agustin knows his Beermen are in for a very tough series against Barangay Ginebra and that is why he refuses to make any prediction on how many games will it take to determine the winner of their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal showdown.

What is certain, he said, is that they have to contain the Kings’ transition game.

Agustin gathered his chargers Tuesday for a viewing session of Ginebra’s previous games and they share the same observation that Ginebra’s transition game is so lethal it could instantly turn the complexion of any match around.

“Kailangan ma-contain ang transition offense nila. Alam mo naman ang Ginebra, they get their
energy from fastbreaks,” Agustin said.

SMB and Ginebra open their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series on Wednesday with the Beermen hoping to end a nine-year title drought in the league’s most prestigious conference.

The Beermen swept the Kings in two games in the eliminations but won by just one point on both occasions, an indication this series could go the long route.

Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.

“I don’t want to predict how many games this series will go. Nag be-base ako per game, hindi ko iniisip yung 7 games,” Agustin said.

Agustin, a member of the SMB team that won the All-Filipino championship in ’89, ’92 and ’94,
said the Beermen also must take away Rudy Hatfield and Willy Wilson from the offensive boards to limit Ginebra from scoring on second chance points.

“Hatfield and Wilson are providing [Ginebra] the energy with their dynamism and their ability to
dominate the offensive board,” Agustin observed. “So we got to be ready with their game plan.”

But while Agustin is trying to make sure all bases are well covered, Ginebra coach Jong Uichico is taking everything in stride.

In fact, his approach of this series is simple. Try to drag the series to a deciding seventh Game.

“I hope it goes the distance. If we manage to force a Game 7 it would give us a 50-50 chance of winning,” was Uichico’s simple explanation.

Winning the series opener poses a big question mark for the Kings through, with star center Eric
Menk a doubtful starter.

Uichico said Menk joined his teammates in practice last Friday just to see if he’s comfortable
playing. “But there’s still some pain. Until he gets to practice continuously, his status
remains day-to-day,” Uichico said.

“We’ll just do the best we can and try to contain the height advantage of San Miguel.”