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How San Miguel Beer won its all-time 20th PBA crown
By Al S. Mendoza
FROM sure winner to sure loser.
And then ending up a lucky winner.
That was San Miguel Beer in the just-ended PBA Philippine Cup.
San Miguel Beer looked a sure winner early on by building double-digit margins consistently.
When it held a 48-25 lead late in the second quarter, San Miguel Beer appeared extremely obvious as the winner even with the final half still be played.
And even when the Beermen took a 21-point, 48-27 advantage at the half, almost everybody believed there was no more of those three collapses they suffered in Games 1, 3 and 6.
In those three matches, San Miguel Beer was up by 22, 21 and 17 points—only to lose and allow Alaska to force a 3-3 deadlock for the All-Filipino crown won last year by San Mig Coffee.
And in a bizarre turn of events again, the ghost of those horrific defeats threatened to derail San Miguel Beer’s championship drive.
Almost, the Alaska Aces were successful.
They uncorked their famous third-quarter rally to close the gap at 59-62 going to the fourth quarter, unloading 32 huge points in that stretch as against San Miguel Beer’s measly 14 from the Beermen’s 21-27 points in the first two quarters.
So unforgiving was Alaska’s defense again that it clamped down scoring on SMB’S top guns, who were pestered tirelessly and forced to commit costly turnovers.
It went on that way in the decisive fourth, where Alaska built a 74-68 bubble with 4:41 left in the game behind a blazing 11-0 blast that erased SMB’s 68-63 at the 8:12 mark.
But just as Alaska had seemed ready to steal it, June Mar Fajardo, SMB’s 6-foot-10 brick wall, and spunky Chris Lutz countered with a 4-0 attack to put SMB clawing back to within 72-74, with still 3 minutes remaining.
After 6-foot-8 Sonny Thoss hit twice against a Ronald Tubid followup for a 78-74 Alaska margin at the 1:38 mark, Lutz brought SMB back to life again with two free throws on Thoss’s fifth foul.
Obviously rejuvenated by Lutz’ courageous charities that pushed SMB to within 76-78 with 1:24 left, the Beermen unwrapped their stickiest defense all night, leading to Alaska’s failure to grab a basket in 30:30 seconds of ball possession.
Then, with 43.7 seconds remaining, Arwind Santos, receiving a well-timed pass from Alex Cabagnot positioned at the key, took serious aim of a trey from right quarter court.
The world stood still as it watched the ball in suspense-filled flight.
When, finally, it hit nothing but net, the predominantly SMB crowd of 22,511 broke into wild applause, shaking the very foundations of the Cubao Big Dome, their cheers heard as far as Balintawak in Monumento.
It was a mere 79-78 SMB margin, yes, but it was enough to rattle and shackle the Aces who could not score again as another free throw by Santos on JV Casio’s foul with 18.9 ticks left made it a final 80-78 count for a 4-3 victory in the best-of-seven Finals for the Beermen’s all-time 20th PBA title.
“I know I almost bungled it, and thank God I survived,” said SMB coach Leo Austria. “My gratitude, too, to San Miguel boss Mr. Ramon Ang for his trust and confidence.”
Give him an ice-cold beer, please? Make that pale pilsen.
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