MANILA, Philippines – Taking the cue from sister-team Barangay Ginebra, San Miguel did its share to arrange a dream showdown for the Motolite-PBA Fiesta Cup title.
The Beermen went on a big scoring rampage in the second and third periods which they used as springboard for a 118-103 victory over Burger King Sunday night to advance into the finals of the season-ending meet.
Ginebra earlier booked the first finals berth with a 108-100 demolition of Rain or Shine in their own semifinals series.
The defending champion Kings and the Beermen begin their Finals series on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Kings won their last championship duel against the Beermen in the 2006-07 season, capturing the Philippine Cup title after clawing back from a 2-0 series deficit in a team that still included a healthy Mark Caguioa and Rudy Hatfield.
The coming showdown will be the first time that the two teams will meet in a championship with imports since the 1989 Reinforced Conference.
San Miguel Beer closed out the second quarter with a 9-0 run, and then outscored Burger King, 39-22, in the third period to turn a 54-46 deficit into a whopping 94-76 edge going into the final period.
The top-seeded ball club was no longer threatened in the fourth quarter.
Like the Kings, the Beermen also won the series, 4-2, bouncing back from a 103-90 loss in Game 5.
San Miguel’s last championship came in the 2005 Fiesta Conference when it beat Talk ‘N Text in five games. The Beermen will be gunning for their 18th title in a league record 29th Finals appearance, with the Gin Kings aiming to capture their ninth crown.
Once more, Gabe Freeman led the Beermen with 26 points, only this time, he got plenty of support from the locals. Jonas Villanueva had 23 and Marc Pingris scored 17 off the bench, while Jay Washington and Danny Ildefonso combined for 29.
Erick Rodriguez led the Whoppers with 15 points while Shawn Daniels contributed 14. For the second straight game, Arwind Santos failed to break the double-digit barrier, only having seven points.
Scores:
- San Miguel 118 – Freeman 26, Villanueva 23, Pingris 17, Washington 15, Ildefonso 14, Cortez 7, Racela 6, Hontiveros 6, Calaguio 2, Pennisi 2, Custodio 0, Gonzales 0, Pena 0.
- Burger King 103 – Rodriguez 15, Daniels 14, David 14, Aban 12, Arboleda 12, Yee 11, Sharma 8, Billones 8, Santos 7, Quinahan 2.
Quarter scores: 29-26, 55-54, 94-76, 118-103
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- PBA: Barangay Ginebra wins Game 5; makes it 3-2
- PBA: Aggressive Beermen rebounds to tie Fiesta Cup title series in Game 2
- PBA: Beermen cinch to enter finals; wild race for rest
- PBA Fiesta Cup semis: Rain or Shine stuns Ginebra
- PBA: Beermen play Kings minus ace
- PBA: Gin Kings survive Beermen rally to win Game 1
- Alaska to face Coke after surviving Ginebra
- Barangay Ginebra Kings march to semis
- PBA: Gin Kings level semis series vs Rain or Shine
Fr. Eduardo Hontiveros, SJ
Abdusakur Tan, jolo, sulu