San Miguel Beer’s trek to the top has never been devoid of hurdles.
And with a familiar problem arising, a familiar foe will be at the opposite end of the floor when the Beermen start their difficult trek to win the PBA Governors’ Cup and complete the franchise’s second Grand Slam.
San Miguel clashes with sister team Barangay Ginebra at the start of the season-ending conference’s quarterfinal round on Sunday, with the Beermen needing to win two straight times to make the Final Four while doing it without its original import and three locals suspended.
The Beermen qualified as the fifth seeds, just behind the Gin Kings, who were also the ones who spoiled their last stab at a Triple Crown two years ago in this same conference.
Arwind Santos, Ronald Tubid and Kelly Nabong have all been indefinitely suspended by management after a fight in practice that included original import choice Dez Wells last week, and it is seen by many as a huge blow with Wells considered as the most prolific reinforcement in the lot.
Wells has since gone back to the United States, leaving John Holland to help the Beermen overturn the win-once advantage that the Kings have.
San Miguel, incidentally, is winless in the two games that Holland has played.
Tip-off is at 6:45 p.m. at Smart Araneta Coliseum shortly after Meralco, the No. 2 seed, shoots for the win that will bundle out No. 7 Alaska and seal the Bolts’ place in the semifinals.
“Their decision is firm,” a San Miguel source who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Inquirer about the decision to keep the three locals suspended.
“The rotation that you saw during the TNT match (a 114-109 loss) is pretty much it (for Sunday).”
The team’s practices has been shut off from the press and spectators following the tumultuous episode last week.
Ginebra coach Tim Cone, meanwhile, isn’t one to let his guard down even with what is going on at San Miguel.
“It’s always such a great challenge going against them,” said Cone, who beat the Beermen in the 2017 quarterfinals.