At peak form and performing without obvious weaknesses in its past few games, San Miguel Beer guns for its sixth straight win when it goes up against Rain or Shine as both teams begin their second round bids in the elimination round of the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

On paper, the Beermen look indestructible, winning games may it be close or not. They have completely jelled, something that’s difficult to achieve for a talent-loaded line-up, and seem to be really doing well under the system of Agustin, the mild-mannered man who had polished the team’s concept on defense.

“I’m blessed with a talented team,” said Agustin, the MVP in 1992 eyeing to improve his record this conference to 6-0. “Lahat sila magagaling, and they know their role in the team. I just hope that we can continue this streak.”

The franchise that met a shocking defeat in the Fiesta Conference Finals against Alaska last season hasn’t tasted a loss in nearly a month. The only ball club that has dealt the Beermen a beating was Talk ‘N Text last Oct. 10, 97-83.

But the Beermen have significantly improved since then. Lapses on defense have been resolved, and offense has been more fluid.

Bad news for Rain or Shine indeed.

The Elasto Painters need a solid night for them to beat the Beermen. Coach Caloy Garcia and his premier point guard Sol Mercado have already patched up their differences spawned after a defeat to Ginebra, and recovered well in their next game with a 98-86 victory over Barako Bull last Oct. 29.

“We’ll just have to play smart and now allow San Miguel to dictate the tempo of the game,” said Garcia. “It’s important for us to have a good start.”

At 3-4, the Painters are very much in danger of missing the playoffs since three teams – Derby Ace, Meralco and Barako Bull – are just one victory behind. Under the new format, the ninth and 10th ranked ball clubs will be eliminated.

Talk ‘N Text, on the other hand, will attempt to bounce back from a stunning defeat when it squares off with Barako Bull in the main game.

The Texters lost a 16-point lead and absorbed a 104-97 defeat to defending champion and undermanned Derby Ace Friday, slipping into a share of second spot with Ginebra with similar 5-2 records.

“We allowed Derby Ace to outwork and out-think us the other night (Friday). Let’s see if we’ve learned our lesson,” Chot Reyes, the TNT coach, said.

Going down against the Energy Boosters certainly will deflate Talk ‘N Text’s confidence, which seemed unbreakable early in the conference, but could have suffered a slight crack after that sorry defeat to the Llamados.

In reality, this is a game Barako Bull has nothing to lose. The Boosters aren’t expected to prevail over the Texters, but could give the telecommunications’ franchise a big scare if Talk ‘N Text treats the contest with complacency.

Zean Macamay, Journal Online