The San Miguel Beermen lost Game 1 of their PBA Philippine Cup Finals rematch with the TNT Tropang 5G as the Tropa proved steadier down the stretch. But even in defeat, the defending champions served up a reminder of why they are the barometer of any all-Filipino Conference.
That’s because the Beermen played poorly by their lofty standards. Overall, they shot only 39.8% from the field and were just 5-for-25 from distance. They also started off slow, scoring a measly 36 points in the first half as they fell behind by 17 early on.
San Miguel Struggles as Old Reliables Falter
Even worse, San Miguel’s usual reliables in Don Trollano, Jericho Cruz, Marcio Lassiter, and Chris Ross combined for only 14 points, with Cruz scoring 8, Trollano adding 4, and Ross chipping in just 2 points. Lassiter, the PBA’s all-time leader in three-point makes, went scoreless. In the Beermen’s previous 18 games, these same four players averaged a combined 37.5 points, with Trollano (16.4) and Cruz (10.8) both putting up double-digit averages.
In Game 1, each of these four struggled mightily, and yet there was San Miguel, just down 92-91 with 20 seconds left in regulation. In short, for all their struggles, the Beermen were still in a position to steal away the series opener. And that’s mostly a credit to June Mar Fajardo’s brilliance and San Miguel’s fearsome depth.
Fajardo was magnificent once more, recording a game-high 24 points and 17 boards. This time, with his usual supporting cast having trouble, it was Mo Tautuaa who picked up the slack, adding 22 markers and 9 boards and leading the Beermen’s third-quarter comeback.
TNT Prepared for the Mighty Beermen
No less than TNT coach Chot Reyes knows how hard it is to beat what he described earlier as “the big guy on the block”—which is why the Tropa added key pieces in Jio Jalalon and Kevin Ferrer in the offseason.
“If you go into any tournament, you take a look at who’s the big guy on the block,” Reyes pointed out in the PBA Finals presser on Monday. “No secret that San Miguel has dominated this tournament. So, if you want to be able to compete with them, then you better have the resources, and that’s what guided our build-up.”
At least for Game 1, TNT’s resources proved enough to beat the mighty Beermen.
