MANILA, Philippines – Simon Enciso saved his best performance in the PBA Philippine Cup just when San Miguel needed him the most.

Enciso fired a conference-high 20 points as the Beermen stayed alive in the best-of-seven finals with a wire-to-wire 114-96 win over the TNT Tropang Giga in Game 6 on Friday, September 2.

“I just do what I do. I just go in the gym, I work hard, I come out with the same mentality every game. Luckily tonight, [my shots] went in and we pushed it to Game 7,” said Enciso

“We’re still trying to strive for that main goal and that is the championship.”

Enciso proved to be a superb complement to Marcio Lassiter as they knocked down 6 three-pointers each in a scorching outing from downtown that saw San Miguel drain a total of 16 triples.

Lassiter set the tone by going a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc in the opening quarter and dropping 12 of his team-high 22 points in the period.

Enciso – who averaged just 4.8 points in the first five games – then took over the scoring cudgels in the second frame, where he scattered 17 points off 5 treys as the Beermen built a lead as big as 26 points in the first half.

“I told [Marcio] it was super huge, both of us going crazy from the three-point line. It is kind of hard to beat a team with two shooters going crazy,” Enciso said.

Chasing his first PBA championship, Enciso will see action in his first-ever Game 7 in a PBA title series.

Enciso reached the finals in the 2018 Governors’ Cup with Alaska and in the 2020 Philippine Cup with TNT, but both squads went on to lose in six games.

While it will be an uncharted territory for Enciso, the seven-year veteran said he will approach the rubber match on Sunday, September 4, just like any other game.

“I play like it is a Game 7 every game. My effort will always be there,” Enciso said.

“Game 7 is always a big game, it is win or go home. Whoever wants it more is going to win. That is what we’re going to do – come out, execute our game plan, and we’re going to want it more than them.” – Rappler.com