There was no stopping San Miguel Beer this time in its pursuit of a shot at a historic fourth straight all-Filipino title in the Philippine Basketball Association.
Foiled by Barangay Ginebra in their bid for a second PBA Grand Slam last year, the Beermen gave the Gin Kings no chance to spoil their quest for a fourth consecutive Philippine Cup crown with an emphatic 4-1 win in their best-of-seven semifinal series on Saturday.
Ginebra, which lost to SMB by the same 4-1 margin when they clashed in the title playoffs here last year, put up a stiff fight despite missing the services again of its 7-foot center Greg Slaughter, who actually sat out his team’s last seven games with a sprained ankle.
But the Beermen, ousted by the Kings in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Governors’ Cup they eventually won over the Meralco Bolts for the second straight year, were unstoppable this time. After an impressive 102-90 win in the semifinal opener, SMB made it 2-0 as Marcio Lassiter struck on a followup to seal a 104-102 overtime win.
The Kings finally broke through in Game 3 with a 95-87 decision but the Beermen came back with a masterful 102-81 rout before securing their place in the finals for the 39th time in the league with a 100-94 win.
Now it looks like all downhill for the Beermen, who will get at least a week’s rest while Magnolia and NLEX battle it out to decide who gets to challenge the now supremely confident SMB squad.
The Hotshots and the Road Warriors were battling it out to break their 2-2 tie at press time on Sunday night, with the winner getting a chance to clinch the series in Game 6 on Tuesday.
If a Game 7 becomes necessary, it will be held Thursday.
While no one expects SMB to bungle its mission no team has come close to achieving since the league started in 1975, June Mar Fajardo, the team’s four-time MVP and unstoppable center, said he expects tough sailing in the finals.
“We know it’s not going to be easy winning. Whoever will be our opponent will not just roll over. We have to earn it. Our job is not yet done,” said the 6-10 Fajardo, a prime candidate to win a fifth straight—also a record—MVP award when the season ends.
SMB nipped Magnolia in the eliminations, 77-76, but the Hotshots are now playing minus the veteran Marc Pingris, who is out for the season with an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear on his left knee. The Beermen also own a 109-98 win over the Road Warriors.