PBA: For coach Austria, experience is SMB's biggest advantage | ABS-CBN

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PBA: For coach Austria, experience is SMB's biggest advantage

PBA: For coach Austria, experience is SMB's biggest advantage

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

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SMB coach Leo Austria. Richard Esguerra, ABS-CBN Sports

MANILA, Philippines – Facing off against a team that can match their talent, the San Miguel Beermen are relying on their collective experience to give them an edge over the TNT KaTropa in the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals.

San Miguel is eyeing its fifth PBA trophy since Leo Austria took over as head coach, and the seasoned mentor believes that the lessons of their previous championship runs will serve them well in the best-of-7 series against the KaTropa.

"Maybe we have the championship experience, and that's our advantage," Austria said in a press conference on Monday. "A lot of people perceive us as a powerhouse (team), but if you take a look at TNT, they have the deeper bench."

Many members of that TNT bench, however, are neophytes in the Finals, whereas Austria has a core of players who all have played major roles in their previous campaigns.

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"For me talaga, experience is the best teacher," said Austria, who has coached San Miguel to a triple crown in the Philippine Cup as well as one Governors' Cup title. The Commissioner's Cup is the only championship missing in their collection.

"I've been in basketball for a long time, and maybe the reason why teams keep on winning is because of experience," he said. "And in the Finals, you will know what will happen, because everybody's excited and very eager to win a game."

"Experience will help a lot," he added.

The experience that Austria refers to includes the historic 2016 PBA Philippine Cup, which saw the Beermen become the first team to rally from a 0-3 deficit to win a best-of-seven Finals series against Alaska.

San Miguel has yet to lose a Finals series with Austria as their head coach, and they hope to keep that winning streak going against TNT.

"It's not that easy," Austria warned. "Our opponent is Talk 'N Text, and they're out there to win a championship because it's been a long time for them."

He anticipates that the KaTropa will be especially motivated in the Finals, considering that San Miguel has proven to be a thorn on the side of TNT for quite a while. Just in the 2017 All-Filipino Cup, SMB outlasted TNT in a seven-game series en route to their third straight Philippine Cup title.

"I'm sure na it's always on their mind, and I'm sure they will really prepare hard for this," Austria said.

Game 1 of the Commissioner's Cup Finals is on Wednesday night at the Big Dome.

For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.

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