ALL is not lost for San Miguel after being defeated in Game 1 of the PBA 50th Season Philippine Cup finals against TNT last Wednesday.
READ: TNT turns back last-gasp San Miguel comeback in Game One
And mind you, that’s not just a cliché.
The Beermen have had the habit of finding a way to win the championship in the Philippine Cup even with a loss in the series opener.
In fact, SMB's last four All-Filipino titles came after it was beaten in Game 1.
Just last season, San Miguel also bowed to the Tropang 5G in the series opener, 99-96, only for them to rally and win the next three games and eventually, the crown in Game 6.
In 2022-23, the Beermen also faced TNT in the finals, dropping the first game, 86-84, before pocketing the championship in seven games.
It was again the same story in 2019 when SMB was outlasted by Magnolia, 99-94, in Game 1 only to win Game 7 thanks to June Mar Fajardo’s 31-rebound performance in the 72-71 victory in a match-up where now-TNT guard Jio Jalalon was still a Hotshot.
This streak started in 2018 when San Miguel was also defeated by Magnolia, before sweeping the next four matches, winning Game 5 in double-overtime on the back of Fajardo’s 42-point, 20-rebound effort.
And of course, two years before that, who can forget the finals where the Beermen essayed a 'Beeracle,' when after losing the first three games, they went on the biggest comeback in PBA history by capturing the next four matches, as Chris Ross took Finals MVP honors.
Finally, the 2015 title series also saw SMB losing Game 1 to Alaska in overtime, 88-82, but showed resiliency by taking home the trophy in Game 7, 80-78, with Arwind Santos bagging Finals MVP.
So overall, San Miguel has been beaten in Game 1 in six out of the last seven times it won the crown.
Can the Beermen do it again? Time will tell.
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