2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals

The 2018 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner's Cup Finals was the best-of-7 championship series of the 2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup and the conclusion of the conference's playoffs. The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the San Miguel Beermen competed for the 18th Commissioner's Cup championship and the 123rd overall championship contested by the league.

2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals
TeamCoachWins
(5) Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Tim Cone 4
(6) San Miguel Beermen Leo Austria 2
DatesJuly 27 – August 8, 2018
MVPScottie Thompson
(Barangay Ginebra San Miguel)
TelevisionLocal:
ESPN5
The 5 Network
PBA Rush (HD)
International:
AksyonTV International
Announcerssee Broadcast notes
Radio networkRadyo5 (DWFM)
Announcerssee Broadcast notes
Referees
Game 1:N. Quilinguen, N. Guevarra, S. Pineda, J. Narandan
Game 2:P. Balao, J. Mariano, R. Yante, M. Montoya
Game 3:N. Quilinguen, S. Pineda, E. Tangkion, J. Narandan
Game 4:N. Quilinguen, N. Guevarra, J. Mariano, J. Narandan
Game 5:P. Balao, S. Pineda, M. Montoya, J. Narandan
Game 6:N. Quilinguen, J. Mariano, R. Gruta, R. Yante

This was the sixth Finals match-up between the two teams, with the Beermen winning four of the first five series. They last met during the 2016–17 Philippine Cup Finals which the Beermen won, 4–1. Barangay Ginebra's sole series win came during the 2007 Philippine Cup Finals.[1]

The series highlighted the match-up between Greg Slaughter and 4-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, arguably two of the best centers in recent PBA history,[2][3] who last faced each other in a finals series during their college days in CESAFI in 2009, which Slaughter's University of Visayas won.[4][5] The series also featured the match-up between the PBA Best Import of the Conference award front-runners Justin Brownlee and Renaldo Balkman,[6] who won a title as teammates with the San Miguel Alab Pilipinas of the ABL three months back.[7][8]

Background
Further information: 2017–18 Barangay Ginebra San Miguel season § Commissioner's Cup, and 2017–18 San Miguel Beermen season § Commissioner's Cup

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel

This was Barangay Ginebra's fourth Commissioner's Cup Finals and 25th overall. They last appeared in a Comm's Cup Finals in 2013, with their last Commissioner's Cup title coming in 1997.[9]

San Miguel Beermen

This was the Beermen's 40th Finals appearance,[10] who won all of their six previous Finals in the last ten conferences.[11] This was their sixth Commissioner's Cup Finals appearance, and was the defending champion entering the series having won the previous year's series.[12]

Road to the finals
Main article: 2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup
Barangay Ginebra San MiguelSan Miguel Beermen
Finished 6–5 (.545): Tied with San Miguel and Magnolia in 5th placeElimination roundFinished 6–5 (.545): Tied with Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia in 5th place
Barangay Ginebra (5th): 1.07; San Miguel (6th): 1.02; Magnolia (7th): 0.92Tiebreaker*Barangay Ginebra (5th): 1.07; San Miguel (6th): 1.02; Magnolia (7th): 0.92
Def. Meralco in 2–0 (best-of-three)QuarterfinalsDef. TNT in 2–0 (best-of-three)
Def. Rain or Shine, 3–1SemifinalsDef. Alaska, 3–1

Head-to-head matchup
June 3
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 97, San Miguel Beermen 104 (OT)
Scoring by quarter: 20–23, 23–24, 30–24, 20–22, Overtime: 4–11
Pts: Brownlee 18
Rebs: Thompson 15
Asts: Brownlee, Thompson 7		 Pts: Balkman 27
Rebs: Fajardo 19
Asts: Cabagnot 8
Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay
Referees: N. Quilingen, N. Guevarra, R. Yante, J. Borja

Series summary
GameDateVenueWinnerResult
Game 1Friday, July 27Smart Araneta ColiseumBarangay Ginebra127–99
Game 2Sunday, July 29Smart Araneta ColiseumSan Miguel134–109
Game 3Wednesday, August 1Smart Araneta ColiseumSan Miguel132–94
Game 4Friday, August 3Smart Araneta ColiseumBarangay Ginebra130–100
Game 5Sunday, August 5Smart Araneta ColiseumBarangay Ginebra87–83
Game 6Wednesday, August 8Mall of Asia ArenaBarangay Ginebra93–77

Game summaries

Game 1
July 27
7:00 pm
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 127, San Miguel Beermen 99
Scoring by quarter: 35–20, 34–30, 25–25, 33–24
Pts: Brownlee 42
Rebs: Brownlee, Slaughter 7
Asts: Brownlee 9		 Pts: Balkman 27
Rebs: Balkman 13
Asts: Cabagnot 7
Barangay Ginebra leads series, 1–0
Smart Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Attendance: 11,883
Referees: N. Quilinguen, N. Guevarra, S. Pineda, J. Narandan
The players of San Miguel and Barangay Ginebra during the player introductions before the start of Game 1.

Entering the game, Barangay Ginebra won 10 of their last 11 games and had the momentum to start strong in the series.[13] They got into a fast start, leading by 15 in the first quarter and 19 after the half. Import Justin Brownlee was red-hot, having scored 29 points at halftime, with 18 coming in the first period.[14] The Beemen tried to stage a comeback in the second half and was trailing by 19 after three quarters. However, Barangay Ginebra started the last period with a 25–5 run for a 39-point advantage, 119–80, the largest of the game. They never looked backed and dealt the Beermen their worst loss of the conference.[15] Chris Ross tweaked his ankle in the fourth quarter and had to head to the locker room. After the game, he confirmed that he will be able to play in Game 2.

Brownlee led the Gin Kings with 42 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists on 17-for-19 shooting and had support from the locals, with 4 other players scoring in double figures led by Joe Devance who had 22 points. For the Beermen, import Renaldo Balkman scored 27 points and top rookie Christian Standhardinger added 26, with four-time MVP June Mar Fajardo registering a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.[16]

Ginebra shot 62 percent from the field and shot 13-for-25 from the arc. San Miguel only shot 39% and was 7-for-29 from 3. Ginebra also registered 37 assists. During the third quarter, Devance scored his 500th 3-point field goal made. He was the 41st PBA player and 19th among active players to reach that milestone.[17]

Game 2
July 29
6:30 pm
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 109, San Miguel Beermen 134
Scoring by quarter: 23–34, 23–41, 33–24, 30–35
Pts: Brownlee 29
Rebs: Thompson 7
Asts: Tenorio 7		 Pts: Cabagnot 33
Rebs: Balkman 11
Asts: Cabagnot 9
Series tied, 1–1
Smart Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Attendance: 15,042
Referees: P. Balao, J. Mariano, R. Yante, M. Montoya

Game 3
August 1
7:00 pm
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 94, San Miguel Beermen 132
Scoring by quarter: 27–30, 24–23, 21–39, 22–40
Pts: Brownlee 32
Rebs: Brownlee 11
Asts: Mercado, Thompson 4		 Pts: Balkman 28
Rebs: Fajardo 15
Asts: Lassiter 9
San Miguel leads series, 2–1
Smart Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Referees: N. Quilinguen, S. Pineda, E. Tangkion, J. Narandan

Game 4
August 3
7:00 pm
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 130, San Miguel Beermen 100
Scoring by quarter: 39–21, 28–31, 30–23, 33–25
Pts: Brownlee 37
Rebs: Brownlee 11
Asts: Thompson 8		 Pts: Santos 22
Rebs: Fajardo 14
Asts: Cabagnot 6
Series tied, 2–2
Smart Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Attendance: 12,288
Referees: N. Quilinguen, N. Guevarra, J. Mariano, J. Narandan

Game 5
August 5
6:30 pm
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 87, San Miguel Beermen 83
Scoring by quarter: 24–26, 16–14, 26–26, 21–17
Pts: Thompson 20
Rebs: Slaughter 13
Asts: Devance 6		 Pts: Balkman 34
Rebs: Balkman 20
Asts: Ross 9
Barangay Ginebra leads series, 3–2
Smart Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City
Attendance: 16,958
Referees: P. Balao, S. Pineda, M. Montoya, J. Narandan

Game 6
August 8
7:00 pm
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 93, San Miguel Beermen 77
Scoring by quarter: 14–17, 21–21, 27–8, 31–31
Pts: Brownlee 31
Rebs: Brownlee 19
Asts: Brownlee 7		 Pts: Fajardo 29
Rebs: Fajardo 15
Asts: Heruela 4
Barangay Ginebra wins series, 4–2
Mall of Asia Arena, Pasay
Attendance: 20,490
Referees: N. Quilinguen, J. Mariano, R. Gruta, R. Yante
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel poses with the Commissioner's Cup trophy after winning their finals series against the San Miguel Beermen at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Rosters
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#POBNameHeightWeightCollege
G/F 1 Sargent, Julian (R) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 202 lb (92 kg) –07–15 De La Salle
G 2 Manuel, Jett (R) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 1992–09–22 Philippines
G 3 Mercado, Sol 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1984–05–06 Biola
G 5 Tenorio, LA 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 151 lb (68 kg) 1984–07–09 Ateneo
G 6 Thompson, Scottie 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1993–07–12 UPHSD
C 12 Caperal, Prince 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1993–06–12 Arellano
F 14 Ferrer, Kevin 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1993–03–26 UST
G/F 16 Chan, Jeff 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1983–02–11 Far Eastern
C 20 Slaughter, Greg 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 258 lb (117 kg) 1988–05–19 Ateneo
F 21 dela Cruz, Arthur  6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1992–05–09 San Beda
F/C 23 Aguilar, Raymond 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1985–07–27 National-U
F/C 25 Aguilar, Japeth 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1987–01–25 Western Kentucky
F 27 Cruz, Jervy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1986–09–09 UST
F 31 Mariano, Aljon 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1992–08–03 UST
F 32 Brownlee, Justin (I) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 219 lb (99 kg) 1988–04–23 St. John's
F 38 Devance, Joe 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1982–02–19 UTEP
G 47 Caguioa, Mark (C) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1979–11–19 Glendale (CA)
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Team manager


Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (I) Import
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (R) Rookie
  • Injured

Roster

  • a Chua also serves as Barangay Ginebra's board governor.


San Miguel Beermen 2018 PBA Commissioner's Cup roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#POBNameHeightWeightCollege
G 1 Heruela, Brian 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1989–04–13 Cebu
F/C 2 Mamaril, Billy 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1980–06–25 Bakersfield
G/F 3 Pessumal, Von 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1993–02–12 Ateneo
G 5 Cabagnot, Alex 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1982–12–08 Hawaiʻi-Hilo
G 6 Ross, Chris 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1985–03–09 Marshall
G/F 13 Lassiter, Marcio 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1987–05–16 Cal State Fullerton
C 15 Fajardo, June Mar 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 268 lb (122 kg) 1989–11–17 Cebu
G/F 18 Vigil, Louie (R) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 1991–09–26 UST
G/F 22 Ganuelas-Rosser, Matt 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 1990–06–13 Cal Poly Pomona
G/F 23 Agovida, Keith 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1990–02–14 Arellano
G 26 Lanete, Chico 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1979–08–01 Lyceum
F 29 Santos, Arwind (C) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1981–06–10 Far Eastern
F/C 30 Nabong, Kelly 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 227 lb (103 kg) 1988–11–17 SRJC
F 32 Balkman, Renaldo (I) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1984–07–14 South Carolina
F 33 Semerad, David  6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1991–04–25 San Beda
F/C 34 Standhardinger, Christian (R) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1989–07–04 Hawaiʻi
C 95 de Ocampo, Yancy 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1980–03–11 St. Francis of Assisi
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Team manager


Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (I) Import
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • (R) Rookie
  • Injured

Roster

Broadcast notes

The 2018 Commissioner's Cup Finals was on TV5 with simulcasts on PBA Rush (both in standard and high definition). TV5's radio arm, Radyo5 provided the radio play-by-play coverage.

ESPN5 provided online livestreaming via their official YouTube account using the TV5 feed.

The PBA Rush broadcast provided English-language coverage of the Finals.

GameESPN5PBA Rush (English)
Play-by-playAnalyst(s)Courtside reportersPlay-by-playAnalyst(s)Courtside reporters
Game 1Magoo MarjonRyan Gregorio and Andy JaoSelina DagdagCarlo PamintuanDominic UyRizza Diaz
Game 2Chuck AranetaRyan Gregorio and Yeng GuiaoRizza DiazCarlo PamintuanNorman BlackPaolo del Rosario
Game 3Charlie CunaDominic Uy and Jason WebbApple DavidCarlo PamintuanYeng GuiaoPaolo del Rosario
Game 4Sev SarmentaRyan Gregorio and Andy JaoCarla LizardoCarlo PamintuanJason WebbRizza Diaz
Game 5Magoo MarjonQuinito Henson and Jason WebbRizza DiazCarlo PamintuanAlex ComptonPaolo del Rosario
Game 6Charlie CunaDominic Uy and Ryan GregorioSelina DagdagCarlo PamintuanTony dela CruzPaolo del Rosario
  • Additional Game 6 crew:
    • Trophy presentation: James Velasquez
    • Dugout celebration interviewer: Apple David

References
  1. "Coach Tim Cone believes Ginebra has the best match-up to San Miguel".
  2. "Slaughter, Fajardo finally play with a title at stake".
  3. "'Gregzilla' thrilled to face 'The Kraken' in title series".
  4. "Nine years after Cesafi face-off, Slaughter, Fajardo finally meet in PBA finals".
  5. Corp., ABS-CBN. "PBA: Showdown with June Mar not personal says Slaughter". ABS-CBN SPORTS.
  6. "PBA Best Import race down to Brownlee and Balkman".
  7. "'Brothers for life' Brownlee, Balkman duke it out in PBA Finals".
  8. "Bros turn foes as Balkman, Brownlee face off in PBA Finals".
  9. "Gordon's Gin Boars: The last Ginebra team to win the PBA Commissioner's Cup".
  10. "Beermen dispose of Aces for Finals return - Philstar.com". philstar.com.
  11. "San Miguel-Ginebra Finals: Rich in subplots and interesting match-ups".
  12. News, Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN. "San Miguel claims PBA Commissioner's Cup crown".
  13. "Brownlee scores 44 as Ginebra manhandles San Miguel in Game 1".
  14. Corp., ABS-CBN. "PBA: Aggressive Brownlee shines for Ginebra anew". ABS-CBN SPORTS.
  15. Corp., ABS-CBN. "PBA: Ginebra lands the first haymaker of Commissioner's Cup Finals". ABS-CBN SPORTS.
  16. "Brownlee plays near-perfect game as Ginebra thwarts San Miguel in Game 1".
  17. "Ginebra gets hot from outside, drubs SMB for 1-0 series lead".
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