SMB books Finals berth

It took a breathless finish, but San Miguel Beer got the job done and continued charting its course to a second straight championship.

Chris McCullough had five points in the final 3:42, including the go-ahead triple to spark the Beermen’s 98-95 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Friday in Game 4 of their PBA Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Beermen closed out the series, 3-1, and forged a clash of titans with TNT.

“It was a roller-coaster journey to the Finals, but we’ll enjoy this,” said coach Leo Austria, whose wards rose from the No. 7 seed to get to the Finals.

The Beermen will be gunning for their second straight title this season after ruling the Philippine Cup for a fifth straight year.

And if San Miguel succeeds, it will open a pathway to a Grand Slam.

McCullough’s triple gave San Miguel a 96-94 edge with 2:45 remaining, a count that stood for a full minute before Terrence Romeo, scoreless the entire match, nailed a cushion jumper that stretched the lead to four.

San Miguel’s defense took over the rest of the way, setting up Sunday’s Game 1 versus TNT at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“San Miguel has a lot of talent—June Mar Fajardo, Chris McCullough and a whole other bunch of guys who can score,” said TNT active consultant Mark Dickel, who scouted the game with coach Bong Ravena.

The KaTropa booked a Finals berth on Thursday after dethroning Barangay Ginebra in their own semifinal series, 3-1.

McCullough finished 34 points and 18 rebounds while Alex Cabagnot added 21 more to help give the Beermen their 42nd Finals appearance.