As the Philippine Cup rolls on, so do the San Miguel Beermen. Eros Villanueva and Sid Ventura assess all 12 teams after more than a month of the season.
1. San Miguel Beermen
First 4 weeks: 6-1
Week 5: 2-0
Total: 8-1
Previous rank: 1st
Up next: Terrafirma Dyip, Meralco Bolts
Both of San Miguel's wins in Week 5 -- a blowout over TNT Tropang Giga, and a too-close-for-comfort overtime victory over Blackwater Bossing -- encapsulate what this team is all about: Offensively, the Beermen will always find a way to respond. Lately, though, it has been June Mar Fajardo, Jericho Cruz, and CJ Perez providing the answers. Fajardo (30 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block vs. TNT, and 25/18/3/3/1 vs. Blackwater) has been nuts, as expected; Cruz (27.5 points on 51.3 percent shooting last week) continues to thrive alongside talent; Perez (6.4 assists, fourth in the PBA) has ably shouldered heavier playmaking responsibilities. SMB's offense (108.9 points per 100 possessions, per Stats by Ryan on Tiebreaker Times) is three points better than the second-best team - a number which should terrify teams as the conference draws closer to the playoffs. If teams can't find a solution later on and the Beermen maintain this level of production, we might see the start of another Philippine Cup dynasty. -- Villanueva
2. Barangay Ginebra
First 4 weeks: 5-1
Week 5: 1-1
Total: 6-2
Previous rank: 2nd
Up next: Meralco, NorthPort Batang Pier
On Sunday, Ginebra suffered its first loss in the Richard Del Rosario era, and it wasn't pretty: a 106-92 shellacking at the hands of the TNT Tropang Giga that snapped its four-game winning streak and loosened its grip on second place. The four-day break after their 24-point win over Terrafirma apparently didn't do them any good as they trailed for the majority of the game and by as many as 21. The Kings are still in a good position to get a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals with struggling teams Meralco and NorthPort coming up, but they have to get more production from their bench which is averaging a league-worst 20.4 points per game as Stanley Pringle continues to struggle with his shot (8.3ppg, 40.4% field goal shooting). -- Ventura
3. TNT Tropang Giga
First 4 weeks: 7-2
Week 5: 1-1
Total: 8-3
Previous rank: 3rd
Up next: None
A lengthy rest for a TNT team whose coach (Chot Reyes) and center (Poy Erram) will head on over to the FIBA Asia cup should do wonders for a team that's a virtual lock for the playoffs. For the coaches and players set to be left behind, internal assessment awaits; the Tropang Giga are capable of blowing the doors off of any team -- as evidenced by a one-sided win over Ginebra that was much wider than the score suggested -- but they are also prone to freezing over and allowing a ton of leaks, as shown by a 16-point loss to San Miguel where they shot 38 percent from the field while allowing the Beermen to put up 115 points. For a repeat of last conference, some consistency - and an improvement from being fifth and fourth in defensive efficiency - is necessary. While it feels nitpicky, nothing less should be expected from the defending champions. -- Villanueva
4. Blackwater Bossing
First 4 weeks: 4-1
Week 5: 1-1
Previous rank: 4th
Up next: Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, NLEX Road Warriors
The Bossing had a very eventful Week 5. First, Baser Amer hit his second game-winner in a row in a thrilling 91-89 victory over the Phoenix Super LPG. Then two days later, Blackwater erased a 21-point deficit and pushed the San Miguel Beermen into overtime before falling just short in a three-point loss. Have any opposing coach drink truth serum, and he'll tell you that Ariel Vanguardia is doing the best coaching in the league right now. The Bossing believe they deserve to be mentioned among the top contenders, and not many would disagree. Their two losses both went down the wire and came against the top two teams. It doesn't hurt that they're getting phenomenal production from rookie Ato Ular, who torched Phoenix for 34 points and became just the third rookie in the last six seasons to score at least that many. Top overall pick Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser is also finally getting his legs under him, chipping in 11 points and 7 boards against the Beermen while also helping out in guarding June Mar Fajardo. -- Ventura
5. Magnolia Hotshots
First 4 weeks: 4-3
Week 5: 1-0
Total: 5-3
Previous rank: 5th
Up next: Meralco
There's not much to dissect about the Hotshots, who expectedly steamrolled past a Terrafirma team that is basically handing out free wins. One thing that should be monitored moving forward: Paul Lee's groove. In his return from a four-game absence due to back and calf injuries, the 11-year veteran fired 17 points and 5 triples in just 17 minutes -- a welcome sign for a Magnolia team that is producing less points per 100 possessions than all teams but the Dyip. Lee riding this momentum is crucial for a team that really needs that push heading into a tight battle for one of the mid-to-lower playoff spots. -- Villanueva
6. Converge FiberXers
First 4 weeks: 2-5
Week 5: 2-0
Total: 4-5
Previous rank: 8th
Up next: Phoenix
Have the FiberXers finally found their groove? They're on their first winning streak as a new franchise after toppling NLEX and NorthPort in Week 5 to sneak into the top eight and stay firmly in the hunt for a quarterfinal slot. Main man Jeron Teng remains sidelined, but the FiberXers are getting big contributions from their bench, which is chipping in a league-high 52.0 points per game per RealGM. Leading their bench mob is off-season acquisition David Murrell, who burned his former team NLEX with a career-high 21 points, and pint-sized flamethrower RK Ilagan, who also had 21 in their win over NorthPort. If Converge can get past Phoenix in Week 6, a quarterfinal slot is all but assured. -- Ventura
7. Meralco Bolts
First 4 weeks: 3-3
Week 5: 1-0
Total: 4-3
Previous rank: 7th
Up next: Ginebra, Magnolia
An ugly, hard-earned win over Rain or Shine last week is only the start of a tougher uphill climb for the Bolts, who will need to survive a couple of tough tests against the Gin Kings and the Hotshots in order to boost a playoff bid that nearly went sideways. Beyond Allein Maliksi, Aaron Black, and Chris Newsome, who each average over 13.0 field goal attempts and a combined 47.3 of Meralco's 86.9 points, there is still not a lot of production. Bong Quinto (9.3 points on 53.2 True Shooting Percentage, 3.1 assists) has been a good option on the fringes, but that simply isn't enough; Chris Banchero is still missing, while the hope is that the lower leg injury that Raymond Almazan sustained late in that game vs. the Elasto Painters isn't serious. -- Villanueva
8. NLEX Road Warriors
First 4 weeks: 4-3
Week 5: 0-2
Total: 4-5
Previous rank: 6th
Up next: Blackwater
A winless Week 5, with ugly losses to struggling teams Converge and Rain or Shine, has handed the Road Warriors a three-game losing streak and sent them tumbling down to eighth place and on the precipice of elimination. As things stand, NLEX is just two-and-a-half games ahead of NorthPort, Phoenix and Rain or Shine, all of which have three games left. If the Road Warriors can't get past a suddenly very good Blackwater team in Week 6, they'll leave the door open for one or more of the lower-ranked teams to overtake them. To avoid that, they'll need to rediscover their outside shooting soon; they're shooting just 30% from beyond the arc during their losing streak, including an atrocious 6-for-33 against Converge. -- Ventura
9. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters
First 4 weeks: 1-4
Week 5: 1-1
Total: 2-6
Previous rank: 11th
Up next: Blackwater, Terrafirma
The Elasto Painters finally take a step in the right direction and move up in this edition of our power rankings after a solid win over the Road Warriors, though the free-fall of other teams ahead of them in the standings greatly helps their case. (NLEX, NorthPort, and Phoenix all have losing streaks of over three games). It might be too late for Rain or Shine to make a playoff push, but coach Chris Gavina and the rest of the coaching staff have to like what they are seeing from Gian Mamuyac and Leonard Santillan. Mamuyac's impeccable instincts on defense and developing three-point shot (33.3 percent on 3.0 attempts; 4-of-6 vs. in a win over NLEX) are stellar building blocks to have in the backcourt, while Santillan (18 points, six rebounds, four triples vs. the Road Warriors) is taking a slow yet steady upward trajectory when it comes to his play. -- Villanueva
10. Phoenix Super LPG
First 4 weeks: 2-5
Week 5: 0-1
Total: 2-6
Previous rank: 9th
Up next: NorthPort, Converge
The Fuel Masters played just one game in Week 5, and it was one they probably wish they could get back after Baser Amer made them go "night, night" with a game-winning jumper that extended their losing streak to four. With the elimination round heading into the homestretch, Phoenix has to regroup quickly if it wants to climb back into contention for a quarterfinal slot as the team is currently in 10th place. The Fuel Masters are third in offense with 93.4ppg, but they're not crashing the boards enough as they're currently last in total rebounds (43.1), per RealGM. Rookie Tyler Tio continues to be a bright spot, though, putting up 11.1ppg on 51% shooting from beyond the arc. -- Ventura
11. NorthPort Batang Pier
First 4 weeks: 2-5
Week 5: 0-1
Total: 2-6
Previous rank: 10th
Up next: Phoenix, Ginebra
Things continue to go from bad to worse for the Batang Pier, who now have the longest losing streak in the conference at six straight losses after losing steam vs. Converge. Scoring isn't the problem, as NorthPort is actually second to San Miguel in terms of offensive rating; it's the defense that's been incredibly shabby, allowing teams to score 108.6 points per 100 possessions, good for 11th among 12 squads - and that's even with 2022 PBA Defensive Player of the Year Arwind Santos roaming around. Roi Sumang and Jamie Malonzo being as good as they are these days is supposed to help NorthPort in the now, but as it stands, the Batang Pier may be better off preparing for next conference. -- Villanueva
12.Terrafirma Dyip
First 4 weeks: 0-6
Week 5: 0-2
Total: 0-8
Previous rank: 12th
Up next: San Miguel, Rain or Shine
Week 5 went pretty much as expected for the hapless Dyip as they were blown out by Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia by an average of 22.5 points. Terrafirma is still last in points scored (83.4) and field goal percentage (.367), per RealGM. On top of that they are giving up a league-worst 103.8 points, meaning they are losing games by a hefty 20 points per outing. On top of the injuries to Ed Daquioag and Isaac Go, the Dyip were dealt another blow after third-leading scorer Aldrech Ramos was forced to sit out the entire week due to health and safety protocols. With the league-leading Beermen up next, Week 6 certainly doesn't look good for Terrafirma. --Ventura