Meralco's stunning win raises hope that parity isn't dead in PBA

Meralco's stunning win raises hope that parity isn't dead in PBA

WHEN PBA history will be written in the future about the most compelling, most dramatic, the most thrilling championship series ever played, count the last one between Meralco and San Miguel Beer among the top contenders.

The series was unlike any that have been played the past several years. The dominant and proud San Miguel franchise was tipped as overwhelming favorite, and that was the thought even when Meralco grabbed a 3-2 lead that put it on the doorstep of winning its first championship.

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According to its faithful, and even those who are not Beermen fans, San Miguel would soon flex its muscle and put Meralco in its proper place. The team was just perhaps trying to make the series exciting.

Of course, that didn't happen. With Meralco playing a disciplined and tactical game, the team fashioned a win for the ages.

Not only did Meralco achiever something for itself, it might have also saved the PBA from its current predictable and, if we may be allowed to say it, boring state of affairs.

The win in the Philippine Cup finals earned it a spot in  the PBA pantheon of champions, ending a streak of futility that dates back 14 years when it first joined  the country's oldest and most enduring professional league.

The Bolts won the title-clinching sixth game, 80-78, but the win, played before a sizable crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, almost got away.

June Mar Fajardo, San Miguel's incredible center, always the star of past championship victories, scored what could have been the shot of the game, perhaps of the series, had the Beermen won - a three-pointer with 3.3 seconds to go, to tie the game, 78-78.

Had time ran out on Meralco and the game went to overtime, who knows what could have happened.

chris newsome meralco champion pba

PHOTO: Jerome Ascano

But Meralco was not to be denied, Chris Newsome, the heart and soul of the franchise,  saved the day for the team by sinking his own Hail Mary shot, igniting pandemonium at the coliseum.

The win averted a winner-take-all seventh game as Meralco won the series, 4-2.

It was a long way coming for Meralco, which suffered four heartbreaking finals losses against Barangay Ginebra .

But hats off to both Meralco and San Miguel for a truly memorable and hard-fought title series.

Below are the takeaways in Meralco’s title-winning game at the Big Dome:

cj perez smb meralco game six pba finals

PHOTO: Jerome Ascano

BOLTS HOLD BEERMEN TO LOWEST OUTPUT

Meralco saved its best for last as it held a powerhouse San Miguel to its lowest output in the best-of-seven title series. Previously, the Beermen’s lowest output in the finals came in Game 1 which they lost, 93-86. In all, San Miguel averaged just 91.2 points as Meralco scored much better with its 92.2 average. It also just shot 41.6 percent from the field compared to the 42.6 percent of the Bolts. Meralco likewise averaged 4.8 blocks per game in a true testament to how well the Bolts defended against San Miguel in the entire series.

allein maliksi meralco smb pba finals game six

PHOTO: Jerome Ascano

MERALCO BEATS TOP TWO SEEDS ON THE WAY TO THE TOP

This one was truly gratifying for the Bolts. They had to beat the top two seeds on their way to winning the championship. First they fended off No. 2 and longtime nemesis Barangay Ginebra in a grueling seven-game series during which the Kings were held to only 69 points in the deciding Game 7 in San Jose, Batangas. In the finals, they went up against top seed and star-studded San Miguel Beer. While Meralco was the only one to beat the Beermen in the eliminations that denied the team an 11-game sweep, the Bolts were hardly given a second look to get past June Mar Fajardo and Co. But they proved naysayers wrong and showed that with discipline and team work, even the almost impossible could be overcome. In the end, the Bolts pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in PBA history to cap a perfect ending to the Cinderella story of Season 48.

mo tautuaa

PHOTO: Jerome Ascano

FREE THROWS WERE SMB’S ACHILLES HEEL

In the final game, the Beermen struggled with their free throws. San Miguel missed 13 (22-of-35) for 62.9 percent. Fajardo was 8-of-13 and Mo Tautuaa 4-of-8. For the entire series, San Miguel shot 70 percent from the foul line (135-of-191) compared to the 73.9 percent of Meralco (113-of-153).

jericho cruz

PHOTO: Jerome Ascano

CRUZ STRUGGLED IN THE FINALS

Jericho Cruz didn’t have a good finals and Game 6 was the perfect barometer of his struggle. The gung ho-playing guard was held scoreless (0-of-4), and managed just three rebounds and two assists. In fact, the former Adamson stalwart didn’t hit double figures in scoring the entire series and averaged just 5.0 points as San Miguel’s primary player off the bench. Cruz was a shadow of the player that played a key role in the Beermen’s title run during the Commissioner’s Cup finals against Magnolia. He performed so well that he was actually a strong contender for the PBA Press Corps Finals MVP, which CJ Perez won.