WHAT was dubbed as the most explosive championship series has come to an end on Friday evening. The San Miguel Beermen hoisted the 2019 Honda PBA Commissioner’s Cup trophy by defeating TNT KaTropa in six games.
Actually, the finals series could have gone the other way. The KaTropa handily won Game 1 (109-96) and Game 3 (115-105) and was also close to winning Game 2, which the Beermen got 129-127 following missed free throws by TNT players in the endgame.
But the Beermen got its game going in the fourth game after head coach Leo Austria exploited the height advantage of June Mar Fajardo and Chris McCullough for a 106-101 win.
In the fifth game, it was McCullough and Terrence Romeo who keyed the Beermen’s come-from-behind 99-94 win, while Christian Standhardinger also played a role in pestering KaTropa’s import Terrence Jones in the endgame.
The Beermen again leaned on inside edge behind McCullough, Standhardinger and Fajardo and the veteran presence of Alex Cabagnot and Chris Ross. They scored a wire-to-wire 102-90 victory and clinched their second consecutive title this season.
Apart from experience, the Beermen was also able to exploit its bench depth with Romeo and Standhardinger as the usual scorers. Arwind Santos had minimal contribution.
The KaTropa’s bench points had been badly hurt all series long, with their contributors only coming from their starting unit of Jones, Jayson Castro, Celedonio Trollano, Jeth Troy Rosario, and Roger Pogoy.
The KaTropa tried to adjust in the final two games by putting Rosario off the bench joining the minimal hits by Brian Heruela but still, this did not work in favor of the Mark Dickel-mentored squad.
TNT’s bench players Anthony Washington, David Semerad and Yousef Taha were all absent offensively despite their championship experiences, while Ryan Reyes, Anthony Semerad and Kelly Williams were also absent due to injuries.
PBA FINALS NOTES
Yancy de Ocampo achieved his 12th PBA title, the most for any active player.
John Billy Mamaril played a single second in the entire series and won his fifth PBA ring.
Not playing a single second in the finals but still winning rings were Ronald Tubid (9), Louie Vigil (3) and Chico Lanete (3).
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Ilonggos can support their Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) home team Iloilo United Royals wholeheartedly in their first-ever home game against Pasay City Voyagers on Sept. 19 at the University of San Agustin Gym.
ODM Sportswear, the official outfitter of the Royals, recently launched the squad’s t-shirt, which comes out in two colors—white and dark blue—and with sizes small to XXXL.
Those who wish to purchase can go to ODM Sportswear branches in Iloilo City (Muelle Leoney, City Proper and Esmael Building, No. 124, Ungka, Jaro) and Roxas City, Capiz (Barangay Tiza, Blk 6, Malipayon Villages).
The sportswear brand is also accepting orders through their Facebook page with additional P200 shipping fee for those purchasing the shirt outside of Western Visayas area.
Ilonggos can also customize their own Iloilo United Royals jersey at P1,500 per set (any surname and jersey number), P750 for upper or shorts only. Free shipping will be accorded for two sets./PN
