It’s official. No 6th Philippine Cup (formerly All-Filipino) title for the San Miguel Beermen.
This after the Meralco Bolts dealt the Beermen an emphatic 22-point beatdown, 90-68, to negate its twice-to-beat advantage on the last day of the 2020 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal round to dethrone the defending champions and moved on to complete the semifinal cast.
Cliff Hodge and Baser Amer topscored for the Bolts with 14 points apiece while Marcio Lassiter led all scorers with 20, a mighty effort that went to naught as the Beermen failed to match the Bolts’ intensity on the floor.
They meet next Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, an early semis qualifier and a familiar opponent that has brought them heartbreak in at least three championship wars, particularly the PBA Governors Cup.
For a team that has failed to make the playoffs in the race for this most prestigious crown jewel of the PBA the last several seasons, the Bolts of Norman Black were like a team on a mission. The way they manhandled the hapless Beermen was testament to their determination to make the next round–and hopefully win the championship.
But the charges of multi-titled coach Tim Cone are as determined as well to take the Philippine Cup, a title that has eluded them for the last 13 years.
The semifinal round kicks off on November 18, Wednesday at the Angeles University Foundation Sports Center. Game time for the Gin Kings-Bolts setto is at 6:30 pm, after the clash between the other semifinalists TNT Tropang Giga and Phoenix Super LPG Fuelmasters, another interesting matchup, at 3:45 p.m.
(Photo credit: pba.ph)