It all boils down to this: The TNT Tropang 5G going up against the San Miguel Beermen for the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup title and that fabled, coveted Grand Slam. Needless to say, these TNT-San Miguel Finals is the stuff of legends—two proud franchises, the banner teams of the two powerful conglomerates of the PBA going at it in the biggest, brightest stage of local hoops.
What makes these TNT-San Miguel Finals so compelling aside from the fact that these are two evenly matched teams are the intriguing subplots that will define the series. And there is no more intriguing angle to this faceoff than TNT’s chase for the Grand Slam and how San Miguel will move heaven and Earth to deny it.
With that as the backdrop of these TNT-San Miguel Finals, Rebanse took a deep-dive and came up with this series preview:
How the TNT-San Miguel Finals Happened
San Miguel
San Miguel, to no one’s surprise, proved to be a handful in the eliminations, finishing tied with three other teams—NLEX Road Warriors, Magnolia Hotshots, and Barangay Ginebra—for the best record. But the Beermen sealed the top spot by virtue of a superior quotient to earn them a win-once date vs. former Philippine Cup tormentor Meralco Bolts.
The Beemen beat the Bolts decisively in the quarterfinals, setting up a gigantic semis showdown with Ginebra, who it turn gave San Miguel all it could handle. The “sister teams” went the distance in this one, with the Beermen ultimately prevailing thanks to a vintage playoff Chris Ross performance in Game 7 to set up a PBA Finas faceoff with the Grand Slam-seeking Tropa
TNT
TNT stumbled out of the gates to start the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup, dropping its first three games. But the Tropa righted the ship eventually with a six-game winning streak that proved enough to get them the sixth seed. Incidentally, a win against San Miguel ignited that six-game run that gave way to back-to-back defeats. Those losses dropped TNT to twice-to-win territory against Magnolia.
Back against the wall to start the playoffs, TNT responded with their trademark defense and endgame poise to beat the Hotshots twice—both by one point to earn another semis battle with Rain or Shine. The Tropa appeared headed for another easy series win, but between injuries and Rain or Shine showing grit, TNT got stretched to six highly physical games but prevailed anyway to set up a TNT-San Miguel Finals.
The Leading Men of the TNT-San Miguel Finals
San Miguel
You might have heard of San Miguel’s main man—a certain June Mar Fajardo, eight times hailed as the Philippine Cup Best Player of the Conference (BPOC) and eight times awarded as league MVP. His running mate, someone named CJay Perez is plenty good, too, having been BPOC and Finals MVP of the 20203–24 Commissioner’s Cup. The Kraken and The Predator make up for a dynamite inside-out combo and has proven to be a nightmare duo for opposing teams.
- Fajardo: 16.0 PPG, 13.9 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.1 BPG (19 GP)
- Perez: 20.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.5 SPG (19 GP)
TNT
TNT usually does things by committee, with different guys stepping up at different times—sometimes from game to game or within a game itself. But without Jayson Castro, the leaders of this Grand Slam-seeking squad are no doubt RR Pogoy and Calvin Oftana. Pogoy and Oftana are a no-nonsense pair who can do a little bit of everything, especially putting the points on the board. When they get hot and decide to take over, not a lot of players in the league can cover them one-on-one.
- Oftana: 20.1 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.1 SPG (19 GP)
- Pogoy: 17.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 SPG (15 GP)
The X-Factors
San Miguel
The “Martilyo Boys”—Jericho Cruz and Don Trollano—won San Miguel that semis series against Ginebra. Every time they took the floor, things opened up, the ball moved crisply, and the pace quickened just enough. This happened in the second quarter of Game 1 and became a recurring theme of that semis faceoff, culminating in the two former Adamson Falcons helping Ross close out the show with a massive fourth quarter.
- Cruz: 9.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.5 SPG (15 GP)
- Trollano: 13.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.8 SPG (19 GP)
TNT
Everyone can be TNT’s X-Factor, but with San Miguel’s guard depth, Glenn Khobuntin will have to step up and be Closeout Khobuntin. Remember, he sank Ginebra in Game 7 of the Commissioner’s Cup Finals with big baskets in regulation and OT and he put up 16 points and 12 boards in Game 6 against Rain or Shine. Besides Khobuntin, a lot will be riding on Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, who needs to be laser-focused because he’ll be counted on to slow down the eight-time MVP.
- Khobuntin: 7.4 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.4 SPG (19 GP)
- Ganuelas-Rosser: 9.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.1 BPG (11 GP)
Key Matchups
Fajardo vs. TNT’s Bigs
Chot Reyes will no doubt have schemes ready for Fajardo, but the success of those tactics will largely depend on how well Ganuelas-Rosser, Poy Erram, Kelly Williams (if he returns), and Henry Galinato play The Kraken. They’ll have to at least move Fajardo off his sweet spots and keep him off the offensive glass, which are obviously easier said than done. On offense, BGR and company will need to be on-point in pick-and-rolls and knock down open shots from the perimeter to make the MVP work defensively.
Oftana vs. San Miguel’s Guards
For all of San Miguel’s depth at the guard spot, they don’t have that true wing who can match up with Oftana. Marcio Lassiter, who essentially starts at the 3 for the Beermen, is more of a two and will give up three inches and a lot of strength to the 6-foot-5 Oftana. Trollano, Cruz, Ross, and Jeron Teng, on the other hand, have the heft but not the height. Meaning, other than the pick-and-roll involving Fajardo, going to Oftana might be another point of attack TNT will try to exploit in this TNT-San Miguel Finals.
3 Things to Watch Out for in This TNT-San Miguel Finals
Can TNT make the long ball?
There’s no doubt TNT will defend like crazy—it’s their identity. But part of their success in Season 49 has been the long ball, and they’ve made just enough to win two titles and be on the cusp of a Grand Slam. The Tropa will need to make a few more in at least four games. The good news is TNT has the players for it in Oftana, Pogoy, Khobuntin, Jordan Heading, and even their bigs.
Can TNT’s bigs stay focused?
Focused BGR is very good player. Focused Erram is also a very good player. Williams is always focused and productive in these kinds of games, but he’ll also be coming off a right ankle sprain. That means BGR and Erram will be counted on heavily to either neutralize Fajardo or at least even out the matchup in this TNT-San Miguel Finals
Will CJay Perez tone his game down?
There’s no doubt Perez is a great player. In fact, he’s one of the rare guards in the league who can create his own shot whenever he pleases. And therein lies the rub: It’s looking more and more that Perez feels he needs to score almost every time that he forces the issue one too many times. But as his 4.2 dimes a game prove, he can play make for his teammates just as well. That’s exactly what San Miguel needs to win this TNT-San Miguel Finals.
Prediction
This TNT-San Miguel Finals is a true toss-up, and that’s why the Rebanse staff was torn right at the middle, with half picking TNT and the other half going with San Miguel. But all things considered, a TNT coronation is starting to feel like destiny. San Miguel will certainly have something to say about that, and it’s why this series will be an epic one—just as it always seems to be in every TNT-San Miguel Finals.
Having said that, do give TNT the edge, 4-2. They better not let this TNT-San Miguel Finas go the distance, or else risk Playoff Ross leading the Beermen to another title.
