Header Ads Widget

Quezon native Austria expects "Ginebra country" coming to Lucena in PBA Finals Game 2

File photo
By Ivan Saldajeno

MANILA--He may hail from the province of Quezon, but Coach Leo Austria still believes he and the San Miguel Beermen are the "heels" in Game 2 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals at the Quezon Convention Center in the province's capital city of Lucena on Sunday night.

They will try to build a 2-0 lead in front of their gaffer's fellow Quezon citizens against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the 6:30 p.m. tipoff there.

But for the Sariaya native, a raucous pro-Ginebra crowd down south is expected.

"Quezon is Ginebra country," said Austria.

However, he also looks forward to a "face turn" should SMB perform the way it silenced the pro-Ginebra majority of the 14,026 people at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay during the series opener on Friday night.

[Related Story: SMB opens finals clash against Ginebra with blowout win]

"If we play like [how] we played [last Friday], I think mapapatahimik namin yung crowd and they will be cheering for us," Austria continued.

The Quezon Convention Center also hosted last year's PBA Philippine Cup Finals Game 3, where Alaska subdued SMB, 82-75, to take a 3-0 lead only to see the latter fighting back and eventually winning it all.

Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno