THE longest running rivalry in the Philippine Basketball Association resumes when the league’s two-winningest squads—the San Miguel Beermen and the Alaska Aces—battle for the championship of the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup Sunday, Jan. 17 at the Araneta Coliseum.
The two teams are evenly-matched. The Aces qualified to the Finals after a 4-1 decision over the GlobalPort Batang Pier. The Beermen advanced after their own 4-2 victory over the Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters.
Before that the two teams rampaged through the elimination round. The Aces topped the eliminations but only through a tie-break after both squads ended the round with similar win-loss records.
The two teams meet for the third time in the Finals of the past four conferences with the Beermen winning both the 2015 Philippine Cup and the 2015 Governors Cup.
San Miguel Beer is the most successful team in PBA history with 21 conference titles in 41 seasons. It is the only remaining founding member of the league. It won the coveted PBA Grand Slam in 1989.
Alaska is the second most successful franchise in league history. It joined the PBA a year and a decade after San Miguel Beer but has already accumulated 14 conference titles with 30 Finals appearances. It won the coveted PBA Grand Slam in 1996.
Alaska will be the more motivated team and will be eager to avenge its loss in the last All-Filipino conference Finals that was decided by a three-pointer by Arwind Santos in the dying seconds of the game where the Aces came back from 22 points down.
It will be a game of contrasts between the defense-oriented Aces and the all-star Beermen.
Alaska thrives on pressuring the opposing team’s ball carriers, forcing turnovers and scoring transition baskets on fastbreaks.
The Beermen like to rely on their offensive dreadnaught June Mar Fajardo at the post who is surrounded by blistering outside shooters who can rip the shreds from afar if left open when defenders try to double-team Fajardo.
Game Two will be on Jan. 19 at Araneta, Game Three on Jan. 22 in Lucena, and Game Four on Jan. 24 at the Philsports Arena.
