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There's no such thing as fatigue for Chris Ross and San Miguel, which has seen its starters play heavy minutes in their Philippine Cup semifinals series with TNT. Richard Esguerra, ABS-CBN Sports

MANILA, Philippines San Miguel guard Chris Ross dismissed concerns regarding the extended minutes he has played, along with the team's other starters, in their Game 7 victory over TNT KaTropa in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.

Ross logged 44 1/2 minutes of playing time, and the other starters save for June Mar Fajardo also played more than 40 minutes in the game (Fajardo played 38 1/2 minutes).

San Miguel's starting five was on the floor for virtually the entire second half, including the third quarter wherein they outscored TNT 36-21.

"It's Game 7. It's Game 7," Ross told reporters after San Miguel's 96-83 win that sent them to their third straight All-Filipino Finals.

"You gotta keep your horses out there," he said. "I told coach (Leo Austria), 'I'm good, I can play. I can play 48 (minutes) if you need me.' I'm sure the other starters said the same thing."

San Miguel's starters combined for all but eight points in Game 7, and the Beermen's near-flawless execution on offense in the third simply overwhelmed the KaTropa. Yet the champions showed no sign of exhaustion as the game wore on; Fajardo even found the hops for a two-handed dunk in the fourth quarter.

For Ross, his teammates' minutes in the knockout game was a sign of faith from Austria, who has been criticized repeatedly for his short rotation and penchant for giving his key guys long minutes.

"Coach has a set of guys that he is comfortable with in Game 7s," said Ross. "It's win or go home, so you go with your guys that got you here. Luckily, it worked out for us."

The Beermen now have three days to rest, recover, and prepare before Game 1 of best-of-seven Finals, and Ross expects that they'll be in peak form by then and ready to play extended minutes if need be.

"Everyone will get some good food in them, get some good rest, and get ready to go on Friday," he said.

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

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PBA: Chris Ross downplays extended minutes, says it's sign of coach's faith - ABS-CBN News