Tim Cone states that San Miguel Beermen remain the ‘gold standard’ in Philippine Cup history

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the San Miguel Beermen are undoubtedly two of the biggest and most popular teams in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), and fans are set for a blockbuster clash as the two sides face off in the semifinals of the Philippine Cup.

Barangay Ginebra head coach Tim Cone admitted during a pre-game press conference that they are bracing for a tough semifinal series—one that could prove to be a long and grueling challenge for both him and his team.

Barangay Ginebra enters the semifinal series knowing that the last time they faced San Miguel was during the Governors’ Cup semifinals, where they cruised past their opponents, 4–2, to advance to the finals. This marks the second semifinal encounter between the two teams this season.

However, despite their recent victories over the Beermen, Cone acknowledged that San Miguel remains the “gold standard” in Philippine Cup history, even though they haven’t won the All-Filipino Conference title since 2022.

“When they go All-Filipino, they are motivated, and they are confident, and they play really tight together. We always say: if you’re going to win the All-Filipino, you have to go through San Miguel at some point—whether it be in the quarterfinals, the semis, or the finals, you have to go through them to have a chance to win a championship. So that’s the runway we’ve been given. That’s the runway we’ve got to go through,” Cone said.

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Cone understands that it won’t be easy for his team, as they’ll have to contend with a stacked San Miguel roster featuring June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, Don Trollano, Chris Ross, and Marcio Lassiter, among others. The Beermen have retained their core for several years now, only recently adding Juami Tiongson to their lineup.

“I don’t think they’ve changed all that much. Leo Austria has had so much success in the way he’s done things. If it ain’t broke, why change it? And until someone can consistently prove they can beat San Miguel, why would they change? No one’s been able to prove that in the All-Filipino.

“Marcio Lassiter is still there. Chris Ross is still there. And those guys are such huge veterans. They know the game so well. They know each other and the team so well. They’re terrific leaders. I had the experience of having them at the Asian Games, and I know what kind of leaders they are. We can’t say enough good things about them.

“And now they’ve added a veteran in Juami, who’s a good fit for what June Mar likes to do— kind of like an Alex Cabagnot-type. He can sit outside and really space the floor for him,” Cone concluded.

San Miguel has won 10 Philippine Cup titles, the most in PBA history, including five championships in a six-year stretch from 2014 to 2019.

The best-of-seven semifinal series promises to be a thrilling showdown, with Game 1 scheduled for Wednesday, June 25, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

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