The champs are back where they belong.
For the fourth consecutive season, the San Miguel Beermen will take center stage in the Philippine Cup finals after eliminating Barangay Ginebra, 100-94, in Game 5 of their semifinals series on Friday at the Cuneta Astrodome.
One man continued to be at the heart of the Beermen's success. Four-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo displayed dominance anew, leading his team to the big stage with 25 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
"We had to win this game," said Fajardo. "We were already tired. [Ginebra] was already tired. We could not afford this series going any further."
Marcio Lassiter also came up big for the Beermen, putting up 23 points. Arwind Santos brought home a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds.
"We're happy we advance to the finals so we can defend our title," San Miguel head coach Leo Austria said after the game. "Ginebra came out strong, but our players refused to lose because they know the importance of this game."
Ginebra came out firing. They made their first four shots, including two 3-pointers, to gain an early 10-2 advantage. But it did not take long for San Miguel to find its rhythm. They too went on a run, scoring 10 unanswered points.
That exchange set the tone as the offenses dominated in the first half. The Beermen shot 53 percent from the field. The Gin Kings countered by connecting on nine 3-pointers and moving the ball well enough for 19 first half assists, 10 of which came from Scottie Thompson.
After 24 minutes of play, barely anything was settled. The teams were tied, 55-all.
The third quarter started with a Japeth Aguilar dunk that hoped to light a fire under the Barangay. However, it was San Miguel that was able to pull away. The Beermen's shooting dipped, but their efforts heightened. Fifteen of their 28 points in the third came from either Ginebra turnovers or offensive rebounds, with Fajardo imposing his strength in the paint. Their hustle allowed them to build a double-digit advantange, 80-69.
The game would have broken open if not for Aguilar, who scored 14 of Ginebra's 21 points in the third quarter to keep his team in the game. With 6:54 left in the game, Aguilar threw down another jam, off of a Sol Mercado miss, to finally give Ginebra the lead back.
From then on, the two teams engaged in another shootout. Ginebra answered every San Miguel make. San Miguel did the same. With 3:43 left to play, Jervy Cruz made a big putback while absorbing a foul from Lassiter. The basket tied the game at 94-all, but he missed the go-ahead free throw.
With the game open for taking, the Beermen went to the guy who delivers in the clutch: Alex Cabagnot. The Crunchman made back-to-back baskets that gave San Miguel some breathing space.
Ginebra tried to pull another "never say die" act, but fatigue had kicked in and San Miguel was just too much to overcome.
Aguilar finished with a game-high 32 points. Thompson saw his triple-double of 10 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists go down the drain. One missing factor for Ginebra was LA Tenorio, who went 3-for-15 from the field and was limited to eight points and four assists.
San Miguel now awaits the winner of the semifinals series between NLEX and Magnolia, which is tied at 2-2.
"We have the luxury to prepare because we are the first to reach the finals. We have time to watch their games," Austria explained the importance of the win. "When it comes to the finals, it comes down to who will play with a big heart and a lot of energy."
EXTRA DRIBBLES
San Miguel's 3-point shooting had been a telling statistic in this series. In their three wins, they averaged 43 percent from deep. In Ginebra's Game 3 win, the Beermen were limited to 20 percent. Tonight, Ginebra actually shot better (34 percent) than San Miguel (27 percent). But it still was not enough.
In the all-Filipino conference, San Miguel Beer is the first team to be in four straight PBA finals since Purefoods went to seven straight from 1988 to 1994.
June Mar Fajardo just completely dominated throughout the series. He averaged 20.8 points and 12.8 rebounds on 70-percent shooting. That even includes a rather subpar game of nine points and seven rebounds in Game 1.