Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
In a series that went the distance, it was only fitting that Game 7 would do the same thing.
In the end, the San Miguel Beermen kept their dynastic grip on the PBA Philippine Cup—this latest title, however, they barely captured.
The Beermen won a fifth straight all-Filipino crown, surviving a crucial error and missed free throws in the stretch to hang on to a 72-71 victory over a stubborn Magnolia crew Wednesday night at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Alex Cabagnot nailed a jumper at the baseline for the lead in the last 57.2 seconds to ice the final count.
“It was extremely difficult,” Cabagnot said of the series, which swapped winners from Game 1 until San Miguel Beer won back-to-back in the final two games. “We just went back and forth.”
“Credit goes to the players. They made me look like a good coach,” said San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria in Filipino. “We just got lucky tonight.”
He wasn’t kidding.
Ian Sangalang missed a short jumper going into the final 40 seconds but the Beermen could not control the rebound—on a night, ironically, that June Mar Fajardo set the single-game record for rebounds with 31. Jio Jalalon missed a jumper in the next possession but Marcio Lassiter threw the ball away under pressure to give Magnolia 17 seconds to turn the game around.
But Jalalon missed what looked like an easy short stab, and Fajardo collared the rebound with four seconds left.
Magnolia put the reigning five-time MVP on the stripe and Fajardo missed both, but Paul Lee could not get past the backcourt as time ran out.
As tense and unpredictable as the series was, the choice of Finals MVP was hardly a surprise.
“I just want to thank God that no one got hurt even if it was a physical series,” said Fajardo, who averaged 22.9 points, 19.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a game in the Finals.