Return of the Kings
A year removed from its perch and a conference after hitting rock bottom, San Miguel Beer made its way back to the top.
Led by June Mar Fajardo, Jericho Cruz and CJ Perez, the Beermen became champions of the PBA Philippine Cup after a 107-96 victory that shattered the dreams of the battered TNT Tropang 5G to complete a historic Grand Slam.
Most of the crowd on a rainy night at Philsports Arena in Pasig City were overjoyed by the momentous occasion that saw San Miguel capture its 30th championship, the most by any team in the colorful 50-year history of the country’s premier league.
Fajardo came through with 24 points on 11-of-12 from the field in a fitting climax to a season that may secure him another Most Valuable Player award, while Cruz emerged as the best player of the series by backing up his swagger with big plays throughout.
Cruz was hailed as the PBA Press Corps Finals MVP after averaging 13.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He finished with 13 points, four rebounds and six assists in Game 6, but caught fire in the third when San Miguel began to pull away.
Perez bounced back from a horrendous Game 5 shooting with 24 points, while Don Trollano also stepped up by posting 12 and the Beermen regained their place as the team of the all-Filipino, the most prestigious competition of the PBA season.
San Miguel ruled the Philippine Cup for the seventh time in the last 10 editions after losing to Meralco last year and struggling in this season’s Commissioner’s Cup that led to a shock playoff absence.
Coach Leo Austria, who in the same Commissioner’s Cup switched places with Jorge Gallent after a brief stint as consultant, bagged his 10th championship that may end any doubt to his status as one of the best tacticians in the league.
And it came at the expense of TNT, which fell two wins short of pulling off the sixth Triple Crown in the league. The Tropang 5G tried to force a deciding Game 7, keeping things close in the first half, only to run out of gas after the break.
TNT’s fortunes since a 0-3 start here and dealing with injuries finally ran out as it settled for two titles in what is still a successful Season 49.
But the night belonged to the Beermen, who started plotting their return to power by nabbing the top seed in the eliminations, dethroning Meralco in the quarters and surviving Barangay Ginebra in a semis series that reached the full seven games.
The Beermen’s triumph also put San Miguel Corporation back into the winner’s circle after teams under Manny V. Pangilinan dominated the last three conferences and four of the last five.
San Miguel’s title concluded a series filled with drama, first when Mo Tautuaa’s dunk late in Game 1 of TNT’s win was nullified because of a basket interference that left the league’s officials and technical committee under intense scrutiny.
