San Miguel’s Jericho Cruz surprised by TNT coach Jojo Lastimosa’s remarks accusing him of “acting up”

The San Miguel Beermen moved within one win of clinching the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup after holding off TNT Tropang Giga’s comeback to secure a 105–91 victory in Game 4 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday, July 20.

Jericho Cruz led the way for San Miguel with 23 points, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter, and received solid support from CJ Perez, who added 16 points. Record-setting Best Player of the Conference June Mar Fajardo was once again his consistent self, finishing with 15 points, 16 rebounds, three steals, and one block.

However, TNT head coach Jojo Lastimosa expressed frustration with the way San Miguel won the game—and even more so with Cruz, whom he accused of “showboating” and acting like a “little boy” on the court.

#WATCH: “TUMATALON AKO KASI PANALO KAMI”

Jericho Cruz clears the air — no beef with TNT’s Jojo Lastimosa, just pure celebration after San Miguel’s big win in the #PBA2025 Finals 🏀

🎥 @justinebacnis /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/s0gVmOSGVs

— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) July 20, 2025

Cruz, for his part, was surprised by Lastimosa’s comments, revealing after the game that he was not showboating but was simply overcome with emotions and happiness.

“I was jumping because I was happy. I wasn’t showboating. I wasn’t even looking at Coach Lastimosa. I don’t even know about that. I know him, he knows me—we were always together back at the NLEX Road Warriors, doing shooting drills—so I was surprised to hear he said those things,” Cruz said after the game.

The 34-year-old added that he was only trying to drum up the crowd and hype them up in the dying seconds of the game, while also refuting statements about being a dirty player.

“I don’t hurt players. I’m just physical—and at the end of the day, it’s just basketball. After this, we go home, we respect them, and tomorrow we play basketball again,” he added.

San Miguel continues to show why they are one of the most dominant and feared teams in the league. The Beermen now lead the finals series 3–1 and will look to capture yet another Philippine Cup title in Game 5, set for Wednesday, July 23, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

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