Title series: Champ vs ex-champ

MANILA, Philippines — Prior to the rise of June Mar Fajardo and his San Miguel Beer teammates as dominant champs, Magnolia (then known as San Mig Coffee) was the league mighty ruler, highlighting its reign with a grand slam in 2014.

Fast forward.  San Miguel and Magnolia clash in what promises to be an exciting duel between the titleholder and the former champs in the best-of-seven finale of the 2018 PBA Philippine Cup starting tomorrow at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

It’s a showdown between the league’s winningest teams in the all-Filipino tourney with SMB having seven titles under its belt and Magnolia boasting of six championships.

It will also be a duel for pride, given the two teams’ series of fierce battles in the 90s.

They clashed in a title playoff the last time in the 2013 Governors Cup, with Magnolia – then carrying the San Mig Coffee banner with Marqus Blakely as import – prevailing to touch off a string of four straight title runs.

With San Miguel now chasing an all-Filipino four-peat and Magnolia out to end a four-year title drought, the two teams could well figure in a dogfight.

“This team has won three titles but remains hungry. We want to make history and everyone wants to be part of it. We expect history to be written starting Friday,” said SMB governor Robert Non during the pre-finals media conference at Sambokojin Restaurant in Eastwood City yesterday.

“It will be sports entertainment at best. We want the championship and not just the experience. We’ll not give an inch to the defending champion,” said Magnolia’s Rene Pardo.

Fajardo provides another perspective.

“I won’t forget my rookie year, they made me cry. This is payback time,” said Fajardo, recalling his first year in the pro league marked by their sorry downfall to San Mig Coffee in the Governors Cup quarterfinals.

“That’s my first heartbreak. I broke my PC (personal computer) that time. I need to get even with them to earn a bonus that I can use to buy a new PC,” Fajardo also said.

Arwind Santos, Marcio Lassiter, Chris Ross and Alex Cabagnot said they’re highly motivated to stretch their reign in the tourney.

“Many teams want to take the championship from us. But we have our own goal to pursue,” said Santos.

“We know what’s at stake, and we have lots of motivation,” said Lassiter.

“We have another opportunity to win and that’s always the goal. We don’t want to waste the opportunity. We want to put our names on the history book,” said Ross.