The San Miguel Beermen once again asserted their dominance in the PBA Philippine Cup, overpowering the TNT Tropang 5G in Game 6 of the finals, 92-77, on Sunday, February 1, at the Mall of Asia Arena to claim the 50th season’s All-Filipino trophy.
This is San Miguel’s 12th All-Filipino crown and 31st overall championship in franchise history.
This also marks head coach Leo Austria’s 11th title overall.
San Miguel came out blazing, racing to a 12-0 start and stretching the lead to as much as 21 points at 26-5. The Beermen then carried a 49-39 advantage into halftime.
TNT mounted a comeback in the third quarter, eventually grabbing a 68-66 lead late in the period.
However, San Miguel quickly regained control with a decisive 12-0 run that spilled into the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, pushing the Beermen ahead, 78-68, with 8:27 remaining.
The Tropang 5G trimmed the deficit to 78-73, but San Miguel stayed composed down the stretch, outscoring TNT, 22-9, in the fourth quarter to seal the championship.
San Miguel finished atop the elimination round with a 9-2 record before disposing of the NLEX Road Warriors in the quarterfinals. The Beermen then needed six games to get past the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings in the semifinals.
June Mar Fajardo delivered a dominant performance, tallying 29 points, 23 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. He was named Finals Most Valuable Player, becoming the first recipient of the Ramon Fernandez Trophy awarded by the PBA Press Corps.
CJ Perez added 19 points, seven assists, four rebounds, and a steal, while Rodney Brondial chipped in a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds, along with one assist and a steal.
For TNT, Calvin Oftana led the way with 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Jordan Heading and Poy Erram finished with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
In the finals, TNT struck first before San Miguel responded with back-to-back wins to take control of the series.
TNT forced another shift with a 110-87 win in Game 4, but the Beermen closed strong, dominating anew in Game 5, 96-82, to inch closer to the title. (GMA Integrated News)