Higher seeds San Miguel and Ginebra made quick work of their opponents to book another semifinals clash in the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup. San Miguel got its payback from last season with a 108-97 victory over Meralco while Ginebra held off Converge 88-80.
Let's take a deep dive into how these two powerhouse squads imposed their will in the quarterfinals - and which strong points can both teams carry as they add another chapter to their storied playoff rivalry.
San Miguel dominates inside
San Miguel didn't overcomplicate things. With a roster loaded with talent, they leaned into simplicity, feeding June Mar Fajardo and letting everything else flow from there. Not only did they unleash the Kraken, a relentless downhill attack kept Meralco's defense scrambling.
Fajardo was the focal point, and Meralco's decision to guard him straight-up proved costly. The multiple time MVP forced both Brandon Bates and Raymond Almazan into foul trouble and earned 13 of San Miguel's 40 total free throw attempts, finishing with 23 points and 15 rebounds. The team's frontline overwhelmed Meralco across the board, as Rodney Brondial (13 points and 12 rebounds) and Mo Tautuaa (10 points and 11 rebounds) also posted double-doubles, while Don Trollano, typically a perimeter threat, showed off his versatility by attacking inside for 19 points.
As Meralco started to collapse the paint to contain Fajardo and the other bigs, space opened up on the perimeter. Juami Tiongson capitalized the most, scoring 19 points on a blistering 77.1 TS%, while also handing out four assists - having more ball handling reps for this game. Although San Miguel only shot 35% from deep on 20 attempts, the inside-out balance was more than enough to control the pace and scoreboard.
Meralco's best stretch came in the third quarter, where they outscored San Miguel 31-23 behind a fast-paced transition game and pick-and-roll actions targeting Fajardo. Chris Banchero led the charge with 32 points on 75.9 TS%, but San Miguel's defense made the right adjustments. By sending aggressive traps and switching coverages when Fajardo wasn't involved, they forced Meralco into tough decisions - ultimately leading to 16 turnovers that stifled any late-game momentum.
San Miguel, the Philippine Cup runner-up last season, has plenty of momentum heading into the semifinals. The defending champions Meralco will enter an early offseason and be forced to reflect on what went wrong - whether the international stints of the team with the EASL and BCL Asia affected their campaign.
Ginebra's small-ball offense reigns
Both squads struggled to find rhythm offensively. Converge shot 41.8% from the field, while Ginebra fared even worse at 40.8%. Turnovers also plagued both sides with 20 miscues for Converge and 15 for Ginebra. And while their stars produced at similar levels, neither team truly found consistent footing for much of the contest.
The turning point came late in the third quarter when Tim Cone made a bold adjustment - rolling out a lineup featuring four perimeter players alongside Japeth Aguilar. It was a tactical gamble considering Converge's twin tower setup with Justin Arana and Justine Baltazar, but it paid off by opening the floor and exploiting mismatches. RJ Abarrientos thrived in this setup, creating off the dribble and setting up teammates for easier buckets.
That group of Abarrientos, Aguilar, Nards Pinto, Jayson David, and Stephen Holt turned a slim lead into a 73-59 cushion by the end of the third. Their spacing and tempo stood in contrast to Converge's disjointed halfcourt execution. With only one big on the floor, Ginebra moved the ball with fluidity, allowing Abarrientos to orchestrate from the middle and collapse the defense on his terms.
For Converge, this game summed up a recurring theme all conference long: a talented roster that never truly clicked on offense. Despite having the tools to compete, the FiberXers couldn't settle into a consistent rotation or establish a clear offensive identity.
Moving forward, rediscovering structure and purpose on that end of the floor will be critical if they want to be more than just a tough matchup and make a deep playoff run. The addition of star Mikey Williams in the conferences to come could be the difference.
On the other hand, Ginebra will next deal with another dominant big in the semifinals against the Fajardo-led San Miguel squad in a best-of-seven series.