Magnolia threatens to spoil San Miguel party

San Miguel Beer blew its chance to nail a second Grand Slam in the PBA when sister team and defending champion Barangay Ginebra San Miguel eliminated the Beermen in the quarterfinals of the Governors’ Cup last year.

The Beermen, who first swept all three conferences of the league in 1989 under coach Norman Black, have since recovered and are back in another historic pursuit—the first fourth straight all-Filipino championship since the pro league started in 1975.

But another sister team is threatening to spoil the SMB party with the underdog Magnolia Hotshots upending the Beermen at the start of their best-of-seven Philippine Cup title playoffs last Friday.

The 105-103 conquest was one for the books. Magnolia was given little chance of challenging SMB, which boasts of the tournament’s best all-Filipino starting five led by four-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo.

Yet no team deserved the second title slot after SMB had ousted Barangay Ginebra in five games of their best-of-five semifinal series.

Bucking the loss for the rest of the season of veteran Marc Pingris due to an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear on his left knee in the first game of their own semifinal duel with NLEX, the Hotshots eliminated the Road Warriors, four games to two, and justified their lofty finish in the elimination round with the Beermen.

SMB and Magnolia actually wound up tied for first at 8-3 after 11 games but the Beermen were ranked ahead due to their 77-76 decision of the Hotshots in their first meeting last Feb. 4.

Their rematch to kick off the title series was a time for revenge and redemption for Magnolia, which is gunning for a first title since 2014 when the team then known as San Mig Coffee pulled off a grand slam under coach Tim Cone.

The Beermen came from 16 points down to nip the Hotshots in their first meeting but Magnolia surpassed that effort by wiping out a 20-point SMB lead in the third quarter then pulling through with a 30-14 onslaught in the last period.

Although the 6-foot-10 Fajardo finished with a game-high 31 points, he was held to only six in the final quarter where he was outgunned by the 6-7 Ian Sangalang, who unloaded 14 points of his team-high 29, including two free throws with 16.5 seconds left that finalized the count.

Fajardo and three other members of the feared SMB starting five—Alex Cabagnot, Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos—combined for 98 points but their bench added only five measly points. Chris Ross, the other regular SMB starter, was not a factor with a hurting right thigh.

In contrast, Magnolia drew inspired games from rookie Rob Hernon, guard Jio Jalalon and Rafi Reavis, who not only held his own in place of Pingris, but also blocked the potential game-winning shot from Santos in the dying seconds of play.

Odds still favored the Beermen in Game 2, which was being played at press time on Sunday night. Game 3 will be held on Easter Sunday with Game 4 set on Wednesday.