The San Miguel Beermen and the TNT Tropang 5G pose for a group photo at the press conference for the PBA Philippine Cup finals on Friday. Paige Javier, ABS-CBN News
MANILA – It's going to be an epic showdown between two teams in the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup finals, as one seeks redemption while another is chasing history.
The San Miguel Beermen are hungry to redeem themselves after missing out on the finals in the past two conferences and a runner-up finish in the 2024 Philippine Cup.
On the other side are the TNT Tropang 5G, who want to get the coveted grand slam after reigning in the Governors' Cup and Commissioner’s Cup.
"Meron sila sa loob nila, sa coaches at sa mga teams, may mga tinatago na konting gigil hindi galing sa paglalaro sa basketball. Parang may gusto silang i-prove sa series na ito," PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said.
SMB head coach Leo Austria relished their return to the finals, but he is not counting out TNT despite their injury woes.
San Miguel head coach Leo Austria. Paige Javier, ABS-CBN News
"We know that everybody is thinking that San Miguel is really a mighty team... But, guys, the other team is equally talented; they are really strong, especially Talk and Text. They won two championships in the last two conferences and experience is really something they can dwell on," he said.
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"The mere fact they are in the finals in spite of those adversaries, they are really competitive," Austria added.
He believes SMB's performance in the past two conferences served as motivation for the team.
"We realized this na it should not happen again for us. And I'm so happy with them because everybody steps up. From day one of the training, going to this conference, so they act differently," Austria said.
"The championship, the All-Filipino, which is, I think, everybody's expecting us because in the last so many years, out of 10 years, 8 times kami na in the All-Filipino championship. And hindi naman kami ganun kalakasan pero lagi sinasabi so paninindigan na namin ito," he said.
Austria added that it takes a lot of hard work on the part of the players, the team and the management to win another conference.
TNT head coach Chot Reyes. Paige Javier, ABS-CBN News
For his part, TNT head coach Chot Reyes credits his team's fighting spirit and resilience after all the adversity they faced this conference.
The team had to play without veteran playmaker Jayson Castro who tore his ACL, followed by Rey Nambatac who went down due to a groin injury.
TNT forward Calvin Oftana, guard RR Pogoy and big man Kelly Williams were also not spared, getting hurt in the semifinals.
Despite all this, TNT still booked a finals date with the dangerous SMB squad.
"The adversity that we went through is really testament to the fighting spirit of the players. They just refused to give up. Ayaw talaga bumigay eh," he said.
"So sinasabi namin palagi sa team namin, as long as you keep fighting, then you'll give yourself a chance. And now we're here. We've given ourselves a chance. We know napakalakas ang kalaban namin with all of our injuries as well. But we will just do what we've been doing the whole conference. Keep fighting and just trying to give ourselves a chance," Reyes added.
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The TNT head coach admitted this title run will be more difficult not just because of the injuries, but due to the team standing on the other side of the court.
Reyes said they held a team viewing of Game 7 between SMB and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel so they can scout their opponent in the finals.
He described their first win in the conference, which was against San Miguel, as "crucial" because it served as a turning point for them.
Pogoy said his recovery is going well and they will find out if he can play in Game 1 by Saturday.
"Nung semis pa lang gustong-gusto ko na maglaro. Kasi 'yun nga kung makita mo 'yung mga teammate mo na kagaya ni Calvin injured na nga pero naglaro pa rin siya. Pero sa akin kasi, ano eh, may something kasi kaya talaga pwede kailangang ipahinga. So, 'yun, may gigil din talaga. Gustong-gusto ko na din talaga maglaro," he explained.
As for Williams, Reyes said his situation remains "doubtful" with Oftana later sharing the big man's foot is discolored.
"It's a day-to-day situation but like I said, he's not even joining our practice as of this morning. So it may be a day-to-day our practice as of this morning. So, it may be a day-to-day thing," he said.
REYES NOT THINKING OF GRAND SLAM
When asked about the motivation of achieving the grand slam, the TNT head coach brushed this off.
"Nakalimutan ko na 'yun eh. Believe it or not, 'di ko talaga iniisip 'yung grand slam. Even up to now when I come to coach, I come to coach what's in front of me," Reyes said.
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"Even in our team discussions, we really never talk about winning a championship. We talk about being the hardest working, best conditioned team. If we do that, then the winning will follow. So 'yun ang approach ko. So I'll just do my best, take it every game, every conference. And before we know it, we're here. So hindi ko talaga iniisip," he added.
Reyes went on to say that 2011, when TNT missed out on a grand slam, is "ancient history" to him.
"This tournament, this finals, is going to be nice to win on its own merits, not because of any past experience," he said.
For his part, Austria had a similar sentiment on the motivation of SMB.
"We're here not to stop their ambition. We're here to win games and eventually win the championship," he said.
ROAD TO THE FINALS
It was not an easy road to the finals for both teams, SMB had to outlast Ginebra in seven games, while TNT finished off the Rain or Shine Elastopainters in six games.
Both coaches believe these grueling series helped prepare them for the tougher battle in the finals.
"They played us a lot better than the previous two conferences. So I felt na talagang nahasa kami. Rain or Shine really prepared us for playing against San Miguel. But they are two very different teams in the style of play, in the kind of players they have," Reyes said.
SMB has not yet beaten TNT this season, but Austria said it's a different story in the finals.
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"It's enough for the players to realize. It's hard to be at the bottom of the standing. That's why at the start of this conference, we realized that we need to work hard. And we've gone into basic fundamentals of basketball, but on offense and defense to come up really competitive and it pays off," he said.
"In the finals, every possession is very important and you're thinking not to give up some possession and talagang magiging deliberate. And you cannot expect a high scoring game. So it's a matter of execution," Austria added.
Game 1 of the Philippine Cup finals will be on July 13 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.