There’s no doubt that San Miguel has had the most fruitful three-year span in the PBA beginning in 2015 with the team winning six of the possible 11 titles.
The Beermen had won four straight Philippine Cups and had one each of the Commissioner’s and Governors’ Cups, but the league’s most successful franchise also had its downs.
San Miguel had a chance to take a second straight Commissioner’s Cup but that title mission ended in disaster when Barangay Ginebra took the crown in six games punctuated by a 93-77 Game 6 win Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
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Shooting guard Marcio Lassiter, who has been with the franchise since its days as Petron, said the setback would just embolden to the Beermen to be better in the future conferences.
“Definitely after having this kind of feeling, you want to bounce back from this taste of losing,” said Lassiter. “It’s been 2013 when I had this type of feeling with Petron. It will definitely make us hungry.”
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The Beermen were a perfect 6-of-6 in their previous title runs under head coach Leo Austria with their last finals defeat coming against San Mig Coffee, now Magnolia, in the 2013 Governors’ Cup under then head coach Gee Abanilla.
Lassiter admitted that it was unfamiliar for them to lose a finals series but assured San Miguel will be back in the finals.
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“We’re going to be working hard, we’re going to play how we need to play, we want to make it to the finals,” said Lassiter. “That’s the goal, every conference, make it to the finals. That’s what we need to do the next conference, make it to the finals and we got to win it.”