ON WHAT could be another rainy Wednesday (July 23, 2025), San Miguel Beer and TNT collide in Game 5 of their PBA Philippine Cup title showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with the Beermen aiming to write the season’s closing chapter in triumphant fashion.
After sad, disappointing exits in the last three conferences, this could be the moment for the Beermen - a possible culmination of their relentless pursuit to reclaim the throne.
Fueled by sheer desire to restamp their class as the All-Filipino kingpin, the Beermen now stand one win away from achieving their long-cherished goal. Since a narrow 96-99 defeat in the series opener, they’ve roared back with emphatic victories in the next three games: 98-92, 108-88, and 105-91.
And they all appear raring and ready to conquer the final hurdle.
Coach Leo Austria said this is evident on the body language of the players, a display of an unwavering resolve to win.
But SMB main man June Mar Fajardo stressed they’re not counting the Tropang 5G out.
Instead, they’re bracing for an all-out war in anticipation of TNT’s big fight to survive.
“Alam naman natin kung gaano kagaling (ang) TNT, magba-bounce back yun, try nila ipanalo yung game. Pero kami, try namin i-close out,” said Fajardo, the Best Player of the Conference and a strong bet for Season MVP honors.
(We all know how good TNT is — they’ll bounce back and try to win this game. But we’ll try to close it out).
Indeed, the Tropang 5G are not giving up.
For them, it’s another mountain to climb in a treacherous journey.
They have battled back from a 0-3 tournament start, conquered a twice-to-win disadvantage in the quarterfinals, and endured tons of injuries and other health woes.
Through it all, their mantra remains unchanged: “Believe!”
“Lalaban hanggang dulo (Fight until the end)! On to the next!” read a post on social media. (PBA.PH)