As the San Miguel Beermen and TNT Tropang 5G collide once again in the PBA Philippine Cup Finals, the margin for error is razor-thin. Familiarity runs deep on both sides, but so does the urgency to adjust, execute, and impose identity. From pace control to perimeter shooting and interior dominance, this Finals rematch will be decided by who best plays to their strengths—and who forces the other out of rhythm. Here are the keys to winning for both contenders.

SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN

Open Up the Game

It’s no secret that San Miguel is close to unbeatable when its scoring—a league-best 104.7 points per game this conference—is on point. That’s only going to happen if Don Trollano, CJ Perez, and the rest of the Beermen’s scoring brigade are making plays and getting out in transition. Getting these scorers involved will also open up the lane for June Mar Fajardo and make him an even more difficult cover when that swarming TNT defense cannot collapse at will on the big man.

Stay Attached to TNT’s Scorers

As recently as the last Philippine Cup, this would have been “stay connected to TNT’s shooters.” In some ways, that is still mostly the case, as Calvin Oftana, Jordan Heading, and company continue to be superb shooters. But as they showed in the Tropa’s semifinals win over the Meralco Bolts, they are three-level scorers who can punish defenses even if the three-ball is not falling. That means San Miguel’s defense will need to take away not only the trey ball but also contain those drives, which the Tropa used to great effect against the Bolts.

Punish the Paint

Of course, San Miguel’s bread and butter will always be interior scoring thanks to Abai, and that should continue to be a point of emphasis in the Finals. But Fajardo cannot be doing it alone. The Beermen’s double-big configuration with JMF and Mo Tautuaa has proven to be quite effective, and they will need to be assertive inside against a talented but not overtly physical TNT frontline.

TNT TROPANG 5G

Hit Those Threes

TNT showed it can win even with the treys not falling as normal. But the Tropa is the PBA’s most prolific and accurate three-point shooting team for a reason—they are superb from distance, making a league-high 11.3 treys on a league-best 34.3%. That shooting cannot be off against San Miguel, not at this stage when the Beermen are locked in. The bigs’ three-point shooting, particularly from Kelly Williams, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and Poy Erram, will be crucial in this regard, as they are likely to get quite a few good looks with Fajardo not exactly the most mobile of big men.

Make June Mar Fajardo Work

Fajardo will be counted on massively in this series, as has been the case in his MVP years—which is to say, almost every year. The Kraken, for the most part, has shown he can carry that burden. That is why it is on TNT to add to that workload by making sure JMF bleeds for his points offensively and works just as hard defensively. The Tropa’s bigs—Williams, most notably—have shown they can at least make Fajardo work hard to get good position. That leaves the TNT offense to find more ways to involve Abai in as many offensive actions as humanly possible to potentially tire him out.

Extend That Defense

One of the worst things TNT can allow in this series is for San Miguel to settle into a smooth offensive rhythm. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel found that out the hard way in its semifinals duel with the Beermen. To prevent that from happening, the Tropa will need to pick up full court and not let Trollano and company get comfortable running their sets. Jio Jalalon’s end-to-end pressure defense is the blueprint for this, and he could help dictate the terms of engagement with that energetic defense of his.

Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup Finals tips off later today at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.