San Miguel Beer nails Finals berth

RAIN or Shine’s Jericho Cruz soars to the hoop against the San Miguel Beermen’s Ronald Tubid during their still unfinished semifinal duel last night at Smart Araneta Coliseum. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

JUNE Mar Fajardo was wheeled out of the floor on a stretcher in the third quarter last night and after that, San Miguel flaunted its best form yet.

The 6-foot-10 franchise player’s support cast stepped up big time and took the cudgels for their fallen heart-and-soul, pulling away from Rain or Shine from there for a 90-82 win that put the Beermen back in the Smart Bro-PBA Philippine Cup Finals.

Several men rose to the occasion at Smart Araneta Coliseum, with Arwind Santos and Marcio Lassiter taking over as the go-to-guys as the Beermen turned a 47-52 deficit when Fajardo left the game, into a 15-point bulge the Elasto Painters couldn’t claw out of.

San Miguel won the last three games to close out the best-of-seven series, 4-2, and, more importantly, showed that it can make do without Fajardo.

Game 1 of the best-of-seven Finals tomorrow will have the Beermen trying to repeat over Alaska, which they beat in a classic seventh game last season. That match will also be at the Big Dome in Cubao starting at 5 p.m.

Fajardo twisted his left knee in a rebound play involving Jireh Ibanez and later said in the locker room that he heard something pop in his left knee.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital where MRI tests will be conducted later last night.

“It’s sad what happened to June Mar,” San Miguel coach Leo Austria said. “When he got hurt, everybody stepped up, unlike in the first half when it seemed like we were lacking the energy.”

Meanwhile, the sale of the Barako Bull franchise to an undisclosed buyer is growing louder by the day, and PBA commissioner Chito Narvasa admits that “I am the last to know.”

Barako Bull is reportedly entertaining offers from at least three big corporations in selling its franchise, with the possibility of the new team debuting as early as the Commissioner’s Cup on Feb. 10.

But Narvasa, in a phone interview with the Inquirer, said that he is unaware of any transactions or negotiations happening.

“Before they (Barako Bull) can do anything, they have to notify the Office of the Commissioner first,” Narvasa said.

The scores:
SAN MIGUEL 90—Lassiter 22, Santos 15, Fajardo 14, Espinas 9, Ross 8, Cabagnot 6, Tubid 6, Araña 4, De Ocampo 4, Lutz 2.
RAIN OR SHINE 82—Belga 16, Norwood 14,Ponferada 14, Chan 11, Ibanes 10, Cruz 6, Ahanmisi 5, Quiñahan 4, Trollano 2, Tiu 0.
Quarters: 19-16, 37-46, 70-63, 90-82