PBA: San Miguel ousts Ginebra, earns chance to halt TNT's Grand Slam bid

MANILA, Philippines, July 10 ------ San Miguel clinched the second finals berth in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup, earning the chance to halt TNT in its tracks of achieving a coveted Grand Slam. The Beermen ousted the Gin Kings from title contention after a 100-93 decision in Game 7 of the Semifinals at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Leo Austria and his wards now have a clear opportunity of correcting their last year's runner-up finish in the same all-Filipino tournament, although against another squad. Banking on a different motivation, they will take on an equally determined Tropang 5G side for the Philippine Cup crown. "It's very clear, 'no. They [Beermen] never give up, especially in the last quarter," said coach Austria during the postgame press conference.

The Gin Kings had a comfortable 73-62 lead — the biggest in the game — more than a minute left in the third frame, only to squander it to the rallying SMB side. The Beermen gave Ginebra a taste of their own medicine, erasing that deficit by capitalizing on the Gin Kings' missed shots and turnovers, highlighted by baskets of Don Trollano, Jericho Cruz, and Rodney Brondial to tie at 77-77 and eventually gain the driver's seat.

They held onto that separation until the buzzer sounded, despite efforts from RJ Abarrientos and Jamie Malonzo to mount a Ginebra comeback. Chris Ross flexed his veteran experience, finding the shots late and teaming up with his big man June Mar Fajardo to keep the Gin Kings at bay. When Troy Rosario found the conversion to pull within two, 86-84, Fajardo and Ross answered back with a layup and a triple, respectively, to expand their separation to 91-84.

Fajardo and Ross were the protagonists again in crunch time, dropping baskets off an and-one and a two-pointer to make it a 98-89 cushion just when Stephen Holt made it a four-point game at 93-89, 2:47 ticks left. And when Malonzo had a last gasp, 98-93, drilling one from the extended arc, Ross found the defensive rebound on RJ Abarrientos' missed attempt — the one that rattled out, to the dismay of the Ginebra fans inside the Big Dome — and the eventual duty foul from the other side to finally put away the Gin Kings.

The seasoned point guard capped his prolific showing tonight by clutch freebies, as Scottie Thompson's triple attempt went way off in the succeeding play, marking SMB's Finals return. Fajardo lived up to his billing as the league's eight-time MVP, registering a massive double-double of 21 points and 19 rebounds, to go with three assists, two blocks and a steal while powering through a calf injury that also saw him limping earlier in the game. Ross, who did not play in Game 6, saved the best for last — at least for this series — by putting up 19 points, seven assists, and four steals.

CJ Perez had 15 markers, Mo Tautuaa had 14, and Trollano delivered 10, supplementing the SMB offensive cast to reach the 100th-point mark. For the other side, Malonzo paced his team with 22 points and four rebounds, while Thompson and Abarrientos had 16 markers each. Game 1 of the Finals between San Miguel and TNT is on Sunday, July 13, at the same Cubao venue.

The Scores:

SAN MIGUEL 100 – Fajardo 21, Ross 19, Perez 15, Tautuaa 14, Trollano 10, Tiongson 6, Brondial 6, Lassiter 5, Cruz 4

GINEBRA 93 – Malonzo 22, Thompson 16, Abarrientos 16, Rosario 15, Holt 12, J.Aguilar 12, David 0, Ahanmisi 0, Tenorio 0

QUARTERS: 17-23, 45-44, 66-73, 100-93

Source: news.abs-cbn.com