We always wanted to have that “perfect balance” of everything in our lives.
Whether it is the balance of the style and price in purchasing a basketball shoe, the equal amount of seasoning in our favorite chicken adobo recipe, or even the perfect balance between the creaminess and sweetness of our morning coffee.
For the 2014 San Mig Coffee Mixers, it was the proper balance among rookies and veterans on the roster, role players playing with superstar players, a veteran head coach, a vintage basketball offense, and a little bit of luck in order to get the elusive Grand Slam title in the PBA.
1. Origins: The Arrival of the Triangle
Last September 14, 2011, Head Coach Tim Cone of the Alaska Aces got a new job under the San Miguel franchise in the PBA as the new mentor for the team of the B-Meg Derby Ace Llamados.
Known for his “Triangle Offense” that gave the 1996 Alaska Milkmen a Grand Slam title, winning 3 straight championships in all three conferences in a single PBA season. Nobody saw this coming, considering Tim Cone was Alaska’s Coach for 22 years.
B-Meg was then bought by the San Mig Coffee Mixers franchise during the 2012 season, and in the 2013 PBA Governors’ Cup, they had their first ever title for the franchise after a grueling 7 games in the Finals against the Petron Blaze Boosters.
2. Just the Right Mix of Everything
Coach Tim Cone defied the odds and proved to everyone that proper roster construction, trusting him with the “proven and tested” basketball offense, would indeed be a success for any team he’ll handle.
Fresh from their 2013 title, the Finals-MVP was given to Marc Pingris, and he was the perfect Power Forward to them entering the 2014 PBA Philippine Cup. Joe Devance was a bit undersized for his position as a Center proved to be handy for him as his agility and strength made up for his short height. Mark Barroca, the player who a lot of people believe deserved that Finals MVP in 2013, was surely making wonders as the team’s starting point guard. PJ Simon was the shooting guard who could give the team instant offense, hence being called the “Scoring Apostle”. Lastly, the face of the franchise, labeled as “The Man with a Million Moves”, James Yap was the team’s superstar who could play either the #3 or #2 positions, was the last in their starting 5 lineup.
Off the bench, they got prolific rookies. A 6-foot-7 center in Ian Sangalang and a 6 flat athletic guard in Justin Melton, who can actually dunk the ball in fast break situations. They also got a veteran 7-footer in Rafi Reaves, who knows what it takes to become a champion, a role player in Alex Mallari, who does the Point Guard duty off the bench along with Allein Maliksi, who is very similar to Simon, can provide instant offense.
3. A Historic 4-Peat
You thought winning a title was hard? Well, think about winning 4 straight titles in a row, imagine how difficult it must be when you’re suffering from success.
Entering the 2014 Philippine Cup, San Mig barely got a week to prepare after their championship in the 2013 Governors’ Cup. The result? They ended up with a record of 7-7 after their elimination games and entered the Playoffs as the #5 seed.
They beat the Talk N’ Text team in 3 games and against the title favorites Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the Semifinals, their “Manila Clasico” matchup fed families and instantly became an iconic 7-game series for the history of Philippine Basketball.
They won against the title favorites. Against the Rain or Shine in the Finals, they dismantled them after six games.
Mark Barroca not only got an iconic moniker of “The Coffee Prince” but also earned the Finals MVP against the Bayan ng ROS.
During the Commissioner’s Cup, the team had the 6-foot-9 James Mayes. And similar to their performance in the PH Cup, San Mig struggled in the eliminations. They had a record of 4 wins and 5 losses and were the #6 seed.
They beat the Alaska Aces in the best-of-three quarterfinals, then during the semis, they encountered an underdog Air21 Express team. An underdog that took their series to a sudden-death Game 5, in which the Coffee Mixers fortunately won. But their opponent in the Finals was the toughest of them all.
The Talk N’ Text team was led by Jayson Castro, Jimmy Alapag, and the best import of the conference, Richard Howell. Their record? They won 13 straight games entering the Finals. Yup, 13-0.
Yet the Coffee Mixers defied the odds, and the success of the triangle offense was unquestionable. San Mig won the series, 3 games to 1. James Yap was named the Finals MVP, averaging 11.5 points and 4.3 rebounds.
In the Governor’s Cup, where the San Mig was the defending champions, as usual, the team struggled in the elims but was good enough to be the #4 seed with a twice-to-win advantage in the quarterfinals. They easily dispatched their sister company, San Miguel Beermen, and in the semis, faced a tough challenge against TNT, which forced them into yet another do-or-die Game 5, wherein the Coffee Mixers managed to win.
A familiar foe awaits in the Finals in the name of Rain or Shine. Led by the best import of the conference,e Arizona Reid, “Mr. Everything” Marqus Blakely of the Mixers had the perfect match up. Blakely was the import that Mixers had during the 2013 Gov’s Cup title
The Finals would then go to a classic winner-take-all Game 5, and after so many dramatic missed free throws to seal the deal and three pointers to tie the game, San Mig Coffee completed their Grand Slam mission and won it all, naming James Yap as the Finals MVP again.
Here are some videos to make the PBA at 50 a better viewing experience:
