Beer dynasty
It would be a perfect full-circle story if they win it again three decades later, and, quite frankly, the likelihood is there
Sometimes, life isn’t fair.
That may seem to be the case for most Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) teams, but as far as championship runs are concerned, the same can’t be said of San Miguel Beer.
The Beermen, founded more than 40 years ago, just notched their 29th PBA title, beating the favored TNT KaTropa in six games in the finals of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
TNT was one of the finest teams in the entire tournament, losing just one game in the eliminations before beating Alaska and Ginebra in the playoffs en route to their finals date with San Miguel, which was seeded seventh after registering just five wins in 11 games.
The KaTropa’s tournament-long dominance hardly mattered in the best-of-seven series, though, as the Beermen flexed their experience, poise, and depth, rallying from a 1-2 series deficit to win Games 3, 4, and 5 to clinch the title despite the absence of Marcio Lassiter.
It was the Beermen’s second championship of the 2019 season after winning the Philippine Cup. They remain in contention for a rare grand slam, which they last won in 1989. It would be a perfect full-circle story if they win it again three decades later, and, quite frankly, the likelihood is there.
I mean, look at how stacked San Miguel is. Up front, no less than greatest of all time candidate June Mar Fajardo is the Beermen’s anchor, and he’s flanked by 6-foot-8 Filipino-German Christian Standhardinger, former Most Valuable Player Arwind Santos and the fearsome Kelly Nabong.
Out on the wings, apart from Lassiter, they have three-point specialist Von Pessumal and the versatile Matt GanuelasRosser.
In the guard spots, their depth shines even more with former TNT and Gilas scorer Terrence Romeo joined by veteran Alex Cabagnot and defensive dynamo Chris Ross.
In the Commissioner’s Cup, import Chris McCullough shone brightly, too, coming in to salvage San Miguel from its horrendous 2-5 win-loss start and help carry them to the playoffs.
McCullough had some struggles himself, especially when he was ranged against former Houston Rocket big man Terrence Jones in the finals, but he was splendid when the chips were down for San Miguel and spearheaded its seriesclinching three-game run.
Looking ahead to the Governors’ Cup, which begins in September after the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China, San Miguel is hoping for a stronger start as it aims for the triple crown.
Reports are in that the Beermen are set to bring in 6-foot-5 Dezmine Wells as their import, and that will certainly be a boon for coach Leo Austria’s squad.
Wells was a notable former Xavier Musketeer and Maryland Terrapin in the US National Collegiate Athletic Association and he’s a veteran of the Oklahoma City Blue in the NBA G-League.
Given that pedigree and its depth, San Miguel is a cinch to be the favorite to cop the Governors’ Cup title, which would complete its grand slam mission that would cement its modern-day PBA dynasty.
Reports are in that the Beermen are set to bring in 6-foot-5 Dezmine Wells as their import, and that will certainly be a boon for coach Leo Austria’s squad.