THE PBA Philippine Cup title is back in the hands of San Miguel.
After a rare title slump, the powerhouse Beermen closed the PBA 49th Season with a championship, ruling the season-ending all-Filipino conference with a 107-96 victory over TNT on Friday night in Game 6 at the Philsports Arena.
Fueled by the first-half resurgence of Cjay Perez, the second-half explosion of Jericho Cruz, and their sheer dominance off the boards, SMB completed its quest for redemption with the 30th PBA championship in franchise history.
READ Jericho Cruz caps contentious series with PBA Finals MVP award
The 4-2 win in the best-of-seven finals also rewarded the Beermen their seventh Philippine Cup crown over the last 10 seasons and once again shut down TNT’s bid for a maiden grand slam for the second time since 2011.
Once winners of five straight Philippine Cup titles from 2015 to 2019, the Beermen got back the league's crown jewel following an uncharacteristic string of failures.
San Miguel lost last season’s Philippine Cup crown to Meralco, was ousted by Barangay Ginebra in the semifinals of the Governors’ Cup to begin the 49th season, and missed the playoffs altogether for the first time in a decade in the Commissioner’s Cup.
Leo Austria won his 10th title as PBA head coach - and his first since returning to that position midway through the Commissioner’s Cup last conference after stepping aside as team consultant in 2022 to give way to Jorge Gallent.
TNT, on the other hand, fell two wins short of a grand slam this season after Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the Tropang 5G to titles in the Governors' and Commissioner's Cup.
Like Game 5 which TNT won, Game Six was too close to call for the entire first half. That changed when San Miguel went on a 34-20 third quarter to open a commanding 86-67 lead. The Beermen led by as many as 20 points thereafter.
Cruz was later adjudged as the Finals MVP.
Perez had 16 of his 24 points in the first half that got San Miguel going as they held a 52-47 lead, atoning for his five-point performance in Game 5.
Cruz had nine of his 13 points in that critical third-period breakaway. He had 23 points in Game 4.
READ Chot on failed TNT grand slam bid: 'Almost better than nothing'
And of course, no SMB title would be won without the play of eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, who finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds on Friday night.
The Beermen won three straight games after a controversial defeat in Game 1. San Miguel’s celebration got delayed when the Tropang 5G got Game 5 but the MVP group's flagship franchise eventually fell short.
Calvin Oftana had 19 points, while Kelly Williams had 17 points but the Tropang 5G fell short of forcing a Game 7.
The scores:
San Miguel 107 – Fajardo 24, Perez 24, Cruz 13, Trollano 12, Tautuaa 10, Ross 9, Lassiter 7, Brondial 4, Tiongson 4, Teng 0, Cahilig 0, Calma 0.
TNT 96 – Oftana 19, Williams 17, Ganuelas-Rosser 15, Heading 13, Vosotros 13, Pogoy 12, Khobuntin 5, Aurin 2, Galinato 0, Nieto 0, Heruela 0.
Quarters: 23-25; 52-47; 86-67; 107-96.
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