LOSING their first two games in the elimination round of the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup proved to be the jolt the defending champions needed.
For San Miguel Beer, the early stumble was less a setback and more a reminder of what it takes to win. Shaken out of complacency, the Beermen tightened their defensive schemes and rediscovered the championship grit that has long defined the franchise—paving the way to another title run that ended with a second straight Finals conquest over TNT Tropang 5G.
“Talagang ayaw magpatalo ng team na ito (This team just hates to lose). So everyday, we have to keep on improving and not be complacent with what we have achieved, especially after losing the first two games of the eliminations,” said head coach Leo Austria.
Austria spoke after San Miguel sealed its 31st PBA championship with a commanding 92-77 victory over TNT in Game 6 of the Finals, played before more than 14,000 fans at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The title mirrored the Beermen’s triumph just months earlier, when they captured the 49th Philippine Cup crown in July—also at the expense of TNT—with a similar 4-2 series win.
June Mar Fajardo once again stood at the center of San Miguel’s success, delivering a dominant 29-point, 23-rebound performance in the title-clinching game to earn his fifth Finals MVP award, presented by PBA legend Ramon Fernandez.
According to Austria, the early elimination losses served as a crucial lesson.
“It was a lesson for us because we became complacent after winning the All-Filipino Conference. They thought it would be easy to win again,” he said.
From that point on, San Miguel sharpened its defensive focus, particularly against TNT star Calvin Oftana, who played a major role in pushing the Finals series to a 2-2 deadlock. Oftana still finished with 28 points, seven rebounds, and five assists in Game 6, but the Beermen—led defensively by Chris Ross—made sure his impact was contained when it mattered most.
“The losses in the elimination round were a wake-up call for us,” Austria added. “Our target was to make it to the top four, and that did not come easily.”
Responding like champions, the Beermen rattled off nine straight wins to close the eliminations and secure the top seed heading into the playoffs. They then outlasted the NLEX Road Warriors in the quarterfinals, 101-94, before dispatching Barangay Ginebra in six games in the semifinals.
