As the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup Playoffs are now underway, let’s now rank the real title contenders for each squad.
Kindly do note that this ranking is solely subjective, and factors such as “championship DNA” and “playoff experience” were present in making this list.
#1 – San Miguel Beermen
Clinching the 1st seed with a win-loss record of 8-3, one huge reason why SMB was able to climb back on top after missing the playoffs last conference was having Coach Leo Austria getting familiar with his new squad.
His system gave emphasis that his offense will mainly go through either CJ Perez or June Mar Fajardo.
Perez had league-best 23.4 points per game and 2nd-best in the steal department with 1.8. A point 1 behind Northport’s Joshua Munzon with 1.9. Fajardo then has the most boards collected with 13.1 per outing.
Having the most titles in every decade since the PBA was formed, it won’t be much of a surprise if the Beermen easily reach the Finals without breaking a sweat at all.
#2 – TNT Tropang 5G
They ended with 6-5 and are the 6th-seeded squad facing a twice-to-beat disadvantage against the 3rd-seeded Magnolia Hotshots.
Losing both Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac due to injuries is really tough.
But the good news is, RR Pogoy and Calvin Oftana have answered the call from Head Coach Chot Reyes to be the main leaders of this team. Brandon Ganuelas Rosser, their power forward, who just came back right in time from his injury and was able to play a few elimination games, boosting their frontcourt.
Also, getting Jordan Heading is such a plus factor for them via trade.
Having that said, going in the Finals for 2 straight times has surely given them an edge in terms of “playoff familiarity” more than anyone. A Grand Slam may actually happen in 2025.
#3 – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel
It might sound odd, but Ginebra has not won the championship since 2022, when they defeated the Bay Area Dragons during the Commissioner’s Cup.
But they have continuously been a guaranteed playoff team, but still haven’t been able to win it all. Coach Tim Cone didn’t do any major lineup changes, considering they were able to face TNT in back-to-back finals.
That being said, there’s no more excuse for Ginebra not to win the title. No one is nursing an injury.
#4 – Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters
ROS is more convincing and “playoff-ready” than NLEX and Converge to make it to the Semifinals.
It’s a great thing to see that Coach Yeng Guiao has now appointed Adrian Nocum and Leonard Santillan as his main stars for the team. Nocum has now averaged 16.27 PPG, 3.82 RPG, and 3.36 APG, while Santillan has 14.73 PPG, 8.27 RPG, and almost 1 assist per game.
They also have Gian Mamuyac and Jhonard Clarito scoring double figures per outing. Mamuyac averages 13.8 points along with 3.6 rebounds and 3 assists. Clarito provides that extra boost of hustle every time he enters the floor. He also has 11.3 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, and 1.27 steals to accompany that energy.
Speaking of semifinals, Bayan ng ROS has been able to make it to the semis in back-to-back conferences, so even if they’re facing a twice to bead deficit against the #2 NLEX Road Warriors, don’t be so shocked if they can upset Berto Bolick and company.
#5 – Meralco Bolts
It’s hard not to believe in the defending Philippine Cup champions.
Despite them being the 8th seed and needing to defeat the mighty SMB twice to make it to the semis, Chris Newsome and Cliff Hodge will surely step up come playoff time.
Being the “Heart and Soul” of the Bolts, these two stars have proven to do miracles when the lights shine the brightest. Newsome, the Finals MVP in their PH Cup championship, has 16 PPG, 3.73 RPG, 3.64 APG, and 1.64 steals, while the veteran Hodge has 10.4 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 2.8 APG, and 1 steal per game.
#6 – Magnolia Hotshots
After opening the conference with 6 straight wins, Magnolia ended the eliminations with a record of 8-3.
Paul Lee has not been that lethal to them. Mark Barroca is carrying a heavy load in the guard and playmaking duties. And newly acquired William Navarro has not yet gotten a good rhythm with his teammates.
Thank goodness this team was still the #3 seed, all thanks to the improved overall performance of Zavier Lucero in this conference.
But the team has proven to be the “intro boys” of the league for quite some time now, so it shouldn’t surprise a lot of people if Magnolia gets eliminated in the 1st round.
#7 – NLEX Road Warriors
Being the #2 seed with a record of 8 wins and 3 losses is surely impressive. But unfortunately, they don’t have the playoff experience compared to other teams.
Sure, they have the two-to-beat advantage against ROS, and no one in the league has ever figured out how to stop or limit the scoring barrage of Robert Bolick and complementary players like Xyrus Torres, Brandon Ramirez, and Jonnel Policarpio played their roles properly.
But knowing how the previous conference had ended, more notably Northport, who were the #1 seed in the Commissioners Cup, only to be swept by Ginebra in the semis, this feels like a “history repeats itself” type of path for the Road Warriors.
#8 – Converge FiberXers
They don’t have Jordan Heading, both Justine Baltazar and Justin Arana can’t perform well consistently, and Schonny Winston and Alec Stockon only had a tad bit of games wherein they scored well.
They have also reached the quarterfinals for two straight conferences now, and this Philippine Cup may look no different than the other.
