For the 45th time, the San Miguel Beermen are going to play in the PBA Finals. A conference ago they unleashed hell on sister team Magnolia Hotshots en route to their 29th title.
Gunning for number 30, the Beermen are entering the finals with just two losses across their name.
The last time they lost was during the quarterfinal stages when the Terrafirma Dyip were able to extend the series.
The first time they lost was a 92 to 95 squeaker against the team they are facing in the finals.
It’s insane to think that the Meralco Bolts are 1-0 against the Beermen this Philippine Cup.
It’s always nice to see a SMC versus MVP finals because they represent the two largest sides of the PBA.
San Miguel employs a nine-man strong lineup. Their roster is so strong that Jeron Teng, Simon Enciso, and Vic Manuel are relegated to cameo roles. Of course, the team is led by their monster baller June Mar Fajardo, who is also gunning for his eighth MVP, tenth BPC, and eleventh championship. The closest player to battle him for individual awards is teammate CJ Perez, who also leads the team in points, assists, and steals. With that said, JMF is going to be the man to watch, as he is also the only one apart from Christian Standhardinger to average a double-double this conference.
Meralco on the other hand, is the blatant underdog in this situation. Title-less since filling the void vacated by the Sta. Lucia Realtors, their best player is not exactly their most dominant player. Yes, Chris Newsome leads the Bolts in points and assists this conference, but he is also a 38 percent field-goal shooter. Meralco also has a slew of weapons to compensate for the injury to Aaron Black. Aside from Newsome, they can always rely on Allein Maliksi, Chris Banchero, and Bong Quinto. To at least contain June Mar, they have Cliff Hodge and Raymond Almazan, with a slew of frontline magic bunots in Norbert Torres, Raymar Jose, Kyle Pascual, and even Alvin Pasaol.
And yeah.
Brandon Bates is a couple of seasons away from becoming a defensive powerhouse.
But while their bench helped seal the fate of the Barangay Ginebra Kings, the same can’t be said when it comes to the Beermen. As Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao would put it, San Miguel’s second or third team is better than most other first teams. Now, the Beermen have played just 13 players this conference and this statement is a stretch, considering that Troy Mallillin and Kyt Jimenez are the other two reserves that could play in their third squad. Still, facing San Miguel, especially in this kind of situation, is like a Euro team against the United States.
And if you’re a snarky fan, yes, Team USA is beatable.
With that said, would you really want to face Team USA especially if they are angsty for recognition?
A San Miguel win is just as important as a Meralco championship. At the moment, San Miguel had a hand as to why people believe the league is imbalanced. Even the SMC bigwigs know that in order for the league to return to its former glory, the SMC teams must be nerfed.
At the moment, Magnolia’s lack of size and Ginebra’s lack of depth have been exposed, leaving the Beermen as the only “super team” in their group. The problem with the Beermen is that most of their players are in their mid-30s. June Mar is 34, Chris Ross is 39, Marcio Lassiter is 37, Vic Manuel will turn 37 in a couple of weeks from now, Mo Tautuaa is 35, Jericho Cruz and Rodney Brondial will turn 34 this year, Simon Enciso is 33, Don Trollano is 32, Terrence Romeo is 32, and even CJ Perez is going to hit 31 this year. San Miguel, Magnolia, and Ginebra will try to decrease their average age, but again, it’s not like free agency, as well as the other teams have an abundance of talent.
Meanwhile, Meralco is a team MOSTLY created with fair trades and projects. Newsome, Hodge, Black, Quinto, and Anjo Caram have been Meralco players since the draft. Yes, the Bolts are also showing their age. Newsome is going to turn 34 this year while Maliksi is going to turn 37 this year, Cliff Hodge is 36, Raymond Almazan is going to turn 35 this year, Chris Banchero is 34, and Caram is now 33. With that said, Meralco is way hungrier for recognition. Unlike in the SMC where the three teams are taking turns in the top, TNT is the top dog of the bunch.
Let me just list this:
CLIFF HODGE | 0 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 1 MYTHICAL SECOND TEAM – 2 ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM AWARDS
ALLEIN MALIKSI | 4 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 1 GRAND SLAM – 0 INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
RAYMOND ALMAZAN | 1 CHAMPIONSHIP – 0 INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
BONG QUINTO | 0 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 0 INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
CHRIS BANCHERO | 0 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 0 INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
And hey, I almost forgot.
CHRIS NEWSOME | 0 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 0 INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
I know San Miguel is the favorite to win the PBA Philippine Cup, but would it be awesome if Meralco finally wins a championship?