The San Miguel Beermen are the first team to seal a semis seat in the PBA Philippine Cup after fending off a stiff challenge from the NLEX Road Warriors on Christmas Day. And a big reason the Beermen overcame yet another Robert Bolick masterclass for NLEX was the dominance of June Mar Fajardo, who posted 26 points, 23 rebounds, and 6 assists in the win.
Then, postgame, the ever-humble Abai gave arguably one of the biggest understatements of the season as he assessed San Miguel’s chances moving forward.
“Sa tingin namin capable naman kami manalo basta sundin namin ‘yung game plan namin,” he told reporters at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Judging by how San Miguel played against NLEX, that game plan will likely involve a lot of post plays for Fajardo, whose dominance in the all-Filipino conference is just about unmatched.
Fajardo, Beermen Will Put in Needed Work to Seal Finals Berth
The anchor of San Miguel’s recent slate of championship-winning runs, Fajardo of all people knows the hard work needed to make a deep run in the playoffs, and he reiterated it after the Beermen eliminated the Road Warriors in a tougher-than-expected clash. He also remains wary, even with San Miguel in the midst of a 10-game winning streak.
“Confidence booster sa amin na nanalo kami ng 10 straight,” Fajardo admitted. “Pero ‘yun nga, tapos na ‘yung eliminations saka playoffs, wala na ‘yun. Pagdating sa semis, best of seven, so back to zero na ‘yun. Kelangan ‘di kami maging kampante kasi nga gusto namin pumasok sana sa Finals. Pero alam naman namin na hindi ganun kadali ‘yun. Kelangan namin pagtrabahuhan ‘yun, and willing naman kami magtrabaho.”
It won’t be easy, for sure, especially with the Beermen set to face either the talented Converge FiberXers or the veteran-laden Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. But San Miguel and Fajardo will at least be getting a head start, as Ginebra extended their matchup with Converge to a win-or-go-home decider on Sunday.
Rest assured, the Beermen will be watching closely—and working hard to get better at the same time.
