SMB heads back to Finals

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Finally finishing off a foe that simply didn’t want to go away, San Miguel Beer won its Final Four series and took a giant step toward its run at history.

The Beermen turned back Star with authority, 109-102, Friday night at Mall of Asia Arena and bundled out the hard-fighting Hotshots by winning the last three games of the best-of-five series to book the first title series slot in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

“What more can I say? People and management expected this from us,” San Miguel coach Leo Austria said after earning a shot at the second jewel of a Triple Crown sweep. “We’re back in the Finals and my players showed that they are (of) championship caliber.”

Alex Cabagnot fired 26 points and Chris Ross had 24 and 10 assists and Austria’s starting five scored all but eight of the Beermen’s total. The starters were outscored by just one by the entire Hotshots.

“Yes, we’re one step closer to the Grand Slam,” Austria said. “But it’s not in my mind. You can never know what will happen in the Finals. But now that we have the chance, we will work hard for it.”

June Mar Fajardo fired 22 points and import Charles Rhodes accounted for 21, with Marcio Lassiter shooting eight points after draining the Hail Mary three-pointer in Game 2 Wednesday night.

TNT KaTropa will try to put away No. 1 seed Barangay Ginebra on Saturday afternoon at Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay in their half of the Final Four.

“I really don’t care who we play (in the Finals),” he said. “Either team will be tough because, remember, they were the only ones who beat us in the eliminations.”

The best-of-seven title series will start on Wednesday even if the Ginebra-TNT series drags into a fifth game on Monday.