Is SMB unbeatable?

San Miguel Beer makes its PBA Commissioner’s Cup debut against undefeated Meralco at the Smart Araneta Coliseum this Sunday and all eyes will be on coach Leo Austria as he attempts to re-establish the Beermen’s reputation as the team to beat in the second conference.

No doubt, San Miguel is in a class of its own, having captured the last three Philippine Cup championships. Last season, Austria piloted the Beermen to the Final Four thrice, claiming the first conference title, finishing third in the second and fourth in the third. In the recent Philippine Cup, San Miguel encountered rough sailing in the semifinals against TNT but was dominant in disposing of Barangay Ginebra in five games of the finals.

San Miguel clinched the first conference finals last March 5 so the Beermen will be coming off a long respite when they battle the Bolts. The rest of San Miguel’s schedule is as follows – Phoenix at the MOA Arena on April 7, Star at the Big Dome on April 16, Mahindra at Cuneta on April 19, Rain Or Shine at the MOA Arena on April 22, TNT at Araneta on May 5, NLEX at Cuneta on May 19, Ginebra at the MOA Arena on May 21, Alaska at a venue to be announced on May 27, Blackwater at Cuneta on May 31 and GlobalPort at Araneta on June 2.

The PBA will take a break from May 11 to 18 to give way to the SEABA Championships at Araneta on May 12-18. The league will also interrupt hostilities for the All-Star Weekend from May 23 to May 4.

Alaska coach Alex Compton recently said San Miguel’s starting five is the toughest to crack in the league and singled out JuneMar Fajardo as the anchor of the outstanding cast. Compton said any team that hopes to win a championship in any conference has to go through San Miguel to stake a claim to the throne. With import Charles Rhodes of Mississippi State in San Miguel’s lineup for the Commissioner’s Cup, Austria is able to stretch his rotation and not just rely on five mainstays. A campus hero, Rhodes played four years at Mississippi State and led the Bulldogs varsity to the NCAA Tournament as a senior in 2007-08. He earned a glowing reputation as an inside-outside threat and an intimidating rim protector in Latvia, Spain, Turkey, Israel and Korea.

Fajardo is expected to play five alongside Rhodes at four. Arwind Santos will likely drop down from four to three, leaving Marcio Lassiter to alternate with Alex Cabagnot at the two spot. Chris Ross will be steady at point guard. If ever Fajardo or Rhodes gets into foul trouble, Austria can easily adjust by moving Santos up to four. Austria can go nine deep with Gabby Espinas, Ronald Tubid and R. R. Garcia off the bench.

Meralco hasn’t lost in four games this conference and the Bolts will be razorsharp in battling San Miguel which is likely to show up rusty. Import Alex Stepheson has delivered consistent numbers in points and rebounds but Meralco’s early surge is also credited to the stellar play of coach Norman Black’s locals, particularly quarterback Baser Amer. Jared Dillinger, Chris Newsome and Cliff Hodge provide strong support with their tenacity and versatility. No team has scored 90 or more points against Meralco, indicating Black’s emphasis on defense.

San Miguel went through the wringer to survive TNT in the semifinals last conference. The Beermen trailed 3-2 and were on the ropes in Games 6 and 7. San Miguel turned back TNT, 104-88, in Game 6 as the KaTropa missed Troy Rosario who got married that day. Then, the Beermen took out TNT, 96-83, as Jayson Castro was out of commission with a hamstring injury.

San Miguel’s dominance was evident in the way the Beermen lorded it over in several statistical departments. They were No. 1 in offense (98.5 points a game), No. 1 in field goal percentage (44.8), No. 1 in blocks (5.04), No. 2 in assists (20.5), No. 2 in rebounding (51.04), No. 2 in least turnover points allowed (16.6), No. 3 in defense (yielding 90.8 points) and No. 3 in field goal percentage allowed (41.4). In the eliminations, San Miguel wound up No. 1 with a 10-1 record. Overall, the Beermen posted a 19-5 mark, losing once to Phoenix, thrice to TNT and once to Ginebra.

Five Beermen averaged in double figure points – Fajardo (18.9, shooting 64.9 percent from the floor), Cabagnot (16.7), Santos (14.8), Lassiter (13.8) and Ross (10.8). Austria’s dependence on his starters was reflected in San Miguel’s fastbreak points, last in the league with only 8.75 a game as the Beermen preferred to work the clock to execute in the half-court. The starters averaged at least 34 minutes and no other Beerman logged at least 20, showing the reliance on the first five to play extended time. Rhodes’ arrival will surely ease the pressure on Austria’s starters.