Beermen, Austria fuel quest for Triple Crown

MANILA, Philippines - They slew the ghost of two previous PBA Commissioner’s Cup setbacks and now found themselves on the cusp of a rare grand slam.

The San Miguel Beermen are now facing a big test of chasing the third jewel in the Slam following their 115-91 victory over the Talk N Text Tropang Texters at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday night.

The Triple Crown looms as a tough test for coach Leo Austria and his troops.

For the SMB super five of June Mar Fajardo, Arwind Santos, Chris Ross, Alex Cabagnot and Marcio Lassiter and their teammates, the grand slam beckons as the Governors Cup fires off July 19..

“We’re in a collision course now,” said Cabagnot, embracing the situation they’ve got into following their conquest of the Commissioner’s Cup in a follow-up to their Philippine Cup title run.

“That’s something very special,” said Austria, staying perfect in his championship stints, nailing a fifth crown in as many title playoffs.

Austria and his battle-tested crew have won all the championships in a dominant ride in the last eight conferences. One thing missing in their treasure chest is a sweep of the three cups in one PBA season.

“We are five-of-eight. And each of our championships has its character. Of course, there’s the first all-Filipino. The next was the Governors Cup with AZ Reid. Third was the ‘Beer-acle’ (a fightback from 0-3 down versus Alaska Milk in the 2016 Philippine Cup) and the fourth title against Barangay Ginebra,” said Austria.

“Now comes the Commissioner’s Cup to complete our collection of championships in all PBA tourneys. We’ve got a lot in our pocket but there’s that very important feat that everybody longs for. And you know what is that,” Austria added.

“Let’s celebrate first then we’ll plan for the next conference,” said Austria who will chase the grand slam with import Wendell McKines, a PBA veteran with earlier stints with Alaska Milk and Rain or Shine.

Playing small ball to overcome Josh Smith’s dominance at the post was among the keys in SMB’s disposal of Talk N Text KaTropa in six games of their best-of-seven title playoff.

Austria banked heavily on the combination of Charles Rhodes, Santos, Cabagnot, Ross and Lassiter in the last four games, sacrificing the minutes of reigning three-time PBA MVP Fajardo in the process.

“We cut June Mar’s playing time and gave it to our import because we’re looking for the advantage. Smith was dominating his matchup with June Mar. Thank God, our adjustment proved right,” said Austria.

Austria also felt their semis series against the Star Hotshots helped them gear up for the TNT battle.

“Star was tough with Ricardo Ratliffe who I believed was the Best Import. Nagagalit nga si Rhodes on why did I keep praising Ratliffe. He didn’t know I was challenging him,” added Austria.

In Rhodes, they found the import that they missed in their downfalls in the two previous Commissioner’s Cup.

“Our imports then didn’t finish the tourney. And there were things that came out that were beyond our control. But we learned from those experiences,” said Austria.

 With lessons learned, Austria and his chargers made sure they wouldn’t be denied in their third Commissioner’s Cup.