BIG BOSSES. From L-R; Robert Non, Leo Austria, Ramon S. Ang, Bobby Huang and Al Francis Chua. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–San Miguel Beer is far from satisfied despite winning its second straight PBA title this season.
Sure, winning the Philippine Cup title for an unprecedented fifth consecutive time was quite an achievement and becoming the lowest-seeded squad to claim the Commissioner’s Cup championship at the expense of the top-ranked team was impressive as well.
But there’s nothing like winning a Grand Slam and San Miguel’s top officials have made it clear that they want no less than the cherry on top to end the season.
“I would just like to remind a simple wish of mine: A Grand Slam,” said Bobby Huang, president of San Miguel Brewery, in Filipino during the team’s victory party Tuesday at SMC headquarters in Mandaluyong City.
Hearing the message loud and clear, the Beermen are determined to pull off the elusive feat.
“When you win two championships, there’s a tendency to relax and that happened to us in 2017,” SMB head coach Leo Austria said. “This time, we have another chance and I hope the team has learned its lesson.”
“The players don’t want to stop winning. They’re not that old and can still do it. Before they’ve been criticized that they’re aging players but time and time again, they’ve been able to show that they can still compete with the young guys and how important experience is in winning the championship.”
The last time the Beermen ruled the first two conferences, they got eliminated by eventual champion Barangay Ginebra in the 2017 Governors’ Cup quarterfinals.