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

Team Coach Wins (5) Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Tim Cone 4 (6) San Miguel Beermen Leo Austria 2
Dates	July 27 – August 8, 2018
MVP	Scottie Thompson (Barangay Ginebra San Miguel)
Television	Local: ESPN5 The 5 Network PBA Rush (HD) International: AksyonTV International
Announcers	see Broadcast notes
Radio network	Radyo5 (DWFM)
Announcers	see 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 former PBA Best Player of the Conference (2017 Governors') and 4-time All-Star 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 Miguel		San Miguel Beermen
Finished 6–5 (.545): Tied with San Miguel and Magnolia in 5th place	Elimination round		Finished 6–5 (.545): Tied with Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia in 5th place
Barangay Ginebra (5th): 1.07; San Miguel (6th): 1.02; Magnolia (7th): 0.92	Tiebreaker*		Barangay Ginebra (5th): 1.07; San Miguel (6th): 1.02; Magnolia (7th): 0.92
Def. Meralco in 2–0 (best-of-three)	Quarterfinals		Def. TNT in 2–0 (best-of-three)
Def. Rain or Shine, 3–1	Semifinals		Def. Alaska, 3–1

Head-to-head matchup

June 3

Box score

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

Game	Date	Venue	Winner	Result
Game 1	Friday, July 27	Smart Araneta Coliseum	Barangay Ginebra	127–99
Game 2	Sunday, July 29	Smart Araneta Coliseum	San Miguel	134–109
Game 3	Wednesday, August 1	Smart Araneta Coliseum	San Miguel	132–94
Game 4	Friday, August 3	Smart Araneta Coliseum	Barangay Ginebra	130–100
Game 5	Sunday, August 5	Smart Araneta Coliseum	Barangay Ginebra	87–83
Game 6	Wednesday, August 8	Mall of Asia Arena	Barangay Ginebra	93–77

Game summaries

Game 1

ESPN 5

July 27 7:00 pm

Box score

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

ESPN 5

July 29 6:30 pm

Box score

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

ESPN 5

August 1 7:00 pm

Box score

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

ESPN 5

August 3 7:00 pm

Box score

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

ESPN 5

August 5 6:30 pm

Box score

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

ESPN 5

August 8 7:00 pm

Box score

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 roster

• v
• t
• e

Players	Coaches
Pos. # POB Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From 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 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 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 CC (CA)	Head coach Tim Cone Assistant coach(es) Richard del Rosario (1st Assistant) Olsen Racela Freddie Abuda Team manager Alfrancis Chua[a] Raymond Rodriguez (Assistant) Legend (C) Team captain (CI) Commissioner's Cup Import (GI) Governors' Cup Import (EI) EASL 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 roster

• v
• t
• e

Players	Coaches
Pos. # POB Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From 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 Saint Francis of Assisi	Head coach Leo Austria Assistant coach(es) Peter Martin (1st Assistant) Biboy Ravanes Dayong Mendoza Boyzie Zamar Ato Agustin Jorge Gallent Team manager Gelacio Abanilla Daniel Henares (Assistant) Legend (C) Team captain (CI) Commissioner's Cup Import (GI) Governors' Cup Import (EI) EASL 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.

Game	ESPN5			PBA Rush (English)
	Play-by-play	Analyst(s)	Courtside reporters	Play-by-play	Analyst(s)	Courtside reporters
Game 1	Magoo Marjon	Ryan Gregorio and Andy Jao	Selina Dagdag	Carlo Pamintuan	Dominic Uy	Rizza Diaz
Game 2	Chuck Araneta	Ryan Gregorio and Yeng Guiao	Rizza Diaz	Carlo Pamintuan	Norman Black	Paolo del Rosario
Game 3	Charlie Cuna	Dominic Uy and Jason Webb	Apple David	Carlo Pamintuan	Yeng Guiao	Paolo del Rosario
Game 4	Sev Sarmenta	Ryan Gregorio and Andy Jao	Carla Lizardo	Carlo Pamintuan	Jason Webb	Rizza Diaz
Game 5	Magoo Marjon	Quinito Henson and Jason Webb	Rizza Diaz	Carlo Pamintuan	Alex Compton	Paolo del Rosario
Game 6	Charlie Cuna	Dominic Uy and Ryan Gregorio	Selina Dagdag	Carlo Pamintuan	Tony dela Cruz	Paolo 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. Naredo, Camille B. "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".

External links

• PBA official website