It was win-or-go-home for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in Game 6 on Friday and win-and-advance for the San Miguel Beermen. In the end, it was San Miguel that prevailed, as it rode a scorching start and withstood repeated Ginebra rallies to fashion a 101-88 victory at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The Beermen’s Game 6 win sealed a second straight PBA Finals appearance and a chance to defend the Philippine Cup crown against the TNT Tropang 5G.
What Happened?
San Miguel got off to a torrid start, with CJay Perez leading the way. The Predator singlehandedly outscored Ginebra, 30-25, in the first quarter as the Beermen erected a 39-25 lead in the opening 12 minutes. The defending champs pushed their lead to 19 in the second quarter and finished the first half with a 63-47 cushion.
Ginebra, though, fought back in the third quarter, limiting the Beermen to only 16 points to inch closer, 79-71, heading into the fourth canto. The crowd darlings got as close as 83-79 early in the payoff period, only for the Beermen to uncork an 11-0 run to regain control, 94-79, with under four minutes left. That blitz proved to be decisive, as San Miguel cruised to the win.
Who Stood Out?
CJay Perez was unconscious for San Miguel, pouring in 34 points in the first half alone to tow the Beermen to an early double-digit lead. Then, in the fourth quarter, it was Don Trollano who finished the job, firing 11 of his 23 points in the final six minutes to quell Ginebra’s last-gasp rally.
For Ginebra, it was Scottie Thompson who once again did the heavy lifting, putting up 24 points for his third straight 20-point game of the series to go along with 9 rebounds and 3 assists. He also scored 10 of his total in the third to bring Ginebra closer.
3 Keys to the Game
- Red-hot start. As in their Game 5 win, the Beermen rode high on a strong start and carried it all the way to the final buzzer—all while fending off repeated Ginebra uprisings. This time around, San Miguel had an even better start that put Ginebra in fight-back mode really early.
- Defense. San Miguel is known more for its prolific offense, and in the first half, that offense certainly did wonders. But with Ginebra threatening another epic rally, the Beermen tightened the screws on defense, getting six straight stops after the Gin Kings got to within 83-79. That swarming defense proved to be the difference-maker in the end.
- Transition play. One big reason San Miguel got off to such a torrid start was transition play, with Perez getting four layups off leak-outs alone. Overall, the Beermen outscored Ginebra, 20-4, in fast-break points.
Next Up for the PBA
With the Game 6 win, San Miguel set up a PBA Philippine Cup Finals rematch with the TNT Tropang 5G. Their best-of-seven battle for the crown will begin on Wednesday, January 21, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
Tip-off of Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals is at 7:30 p.m.
