MANILA, Philippines – If he could have his way, Alaska Aces assistant coach Louie Alas would rather have Game 7 of the PBA Philippine Cup against San Miguel Beer played right now.
Not tomorrow. Not Wednesday.
“It’s the agony. Ang hirap ng agony of waiting,” said the amiable mentor Saturday evening during the star-studded Spin.ph Awards Night at the Marriott Hotel.
Alas said a four-day break is too long for a series that had gone on a roller-coaster ride. He said he’s not sure how it would affect the players.
Neither is he sure who would benefit from such a lull.
Alaska pounced on the absence of San Miguel big man June Mar Fajardo to take a 3-0 lead in the series. But the Beermen did not roll over and die.
San Miguel took Game 4 with Fajardo still watching on the bench with a hurting knee. He forced himself in for Game 5 and keyed a big win for the Beermen.
Fajardo said he’d rather lose the series with him on the floor than on the bench.
The series is now tied at 3-3, and San Miguel, the defending champion, will try to write history on Wednesday as the first team to win a title after trailing 3-0.
“Sana bukas na ang game (I hope the game is played now),” said Alas.
“Kung talo, talo. Kung panalo, panalo (If you win, you win. If you lose, you lose),” he said.
The former Letran head coach said he’s finding it difficult to sleep since the Aces lost one game after the other and left the Big Dome last Friday staring at a 3-3 series.
“Mababaw ang tulog mo,” Alas said.
It’s Fajardo, he said, that’s giving them all the troubles.
“He’s like an import,” said Alas.
The STAR asked the Alaska coach how it was like inside the dugout after the Game 6 loss.
There was no kicking of chairs, no clipboards flying around, he insisted.
“We did not keep the players long. Coach Alex (Compton) said, “You guys need to rest. Take a shower and go. We will talk tomorrow,” Alas recalled.