San Miguel is eager to return to the Finals after ceding the crown to Meralco in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup. The Beermen also failed to advance to the playoffs last conference.
The road back to the top begins now for the San Miguel Beermen.
San Miguel opens its PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinal series against rival Barangay Ginebra on Wednesday, June 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Fans can catch the action live via One Sports’ YouTube channel.
[RELATED STORY: Nightmare over for Don Trollano as San Miguel ousts Meralco as Philippine Cup champion]
After surrendering the All-Filipino crown to Meralco last season, the Beermen are hungry for redemption. But to return to the Finals, they must outlast a Ginebra squad led by Scottie Thompson and a resurgent Japeth Aguilar.
The top-seeded Beermen handled business in the quarterfinals with a convincing win over the Bolts, leaning on their powerhouse trio of June Mar Fajardo, CJay Perez, and Don Trollano.
[ALSO READ: Austria, San Miguel salvage pride in PBA PH Cup QF win vs Meralco: 'We redeemed ourselves’]
Fajardo, the Best Player of the Conference frontrunner, tallied a dominant 23-point, 15-rebound, four-block performance, while CJay Perez and Don Trollano added 19 points apiece in that win.
With Fajardo and Perez anchoring the charge, San Miguel eyes its 11th All-Filipino title—and first since 2022. The core may no longer be the famed Death Five, but the Beermen’s championship DNA remains as strong as ever.
[ALSO READ: Aguilar stands tall vs Arana, Baltazar as Ginebra eliminates Converge in PBA Philippine Cup]
(With reports from Jan Ballesteros)
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[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]