Without any complication, the San Miguel Beermen took Game 2 and tied the 2025 PBA Philippine Cup finals at 1-1 with an impressive 98-92 victory against the TNT Tropang 5G.
If there's one lesson San Miguel took from their Game 1 loss it was that their physicality sparked their fourth-quarter comeback. They attacked the paint relentlessly and leveraged the drives of Chris Ross and CJ Perez while they established their twin post threats in June Mar Fajardo and Mo Tautuaa. That same interior approach was how they cracked TNT's defense early in Game 2.
San Miguel opened the game by hammering post touches for Tautuaa -- not just to get him going offensively, but to ease the pressure on Fajardo and occupy the help. TNT's initial help defense came from someone close to the basket, most likely a smaller defender will be asked to split Fajardo, and allowed San Miguel to distort the defensive coverage.
This forced TNT into constant rotations, which translated into high-percentage looks. The results are in the numbers: San Miguel dominated points in the paint 64-24 and had an 18-4 edge in second-chance points. Tautuaa and Fajardo led the charge with a combined 33 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 50% inside the arc.
The attention demanded by San Miguel's bigs also opened up opportunities for cutters and off-ball threats. Jeron Teng and Don Trollano thrived in these roles. Teng dropped 10 points in the second quarter alone, mostly as a small-ball four who screened, posted, and dove to the rim effectively. Meanwhile, Trollano's smart decision-making early on turned into confident scoring down the stretch. He led the team with 22 points and six rebounds on a sizzling 76.2 TS%.
Defensively, San Miguel prioritized protecting Fajardo and Tautuaa, particularly in ball screen actions where they're most vulnerable. That put pressure on perimeter defenders to stay attached and limit breakdowns. While TNT had some success in the third quarter -- especially when Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser stretched the floor from the corner as his defender became the low man -- the team's consistent on-ball pressure paid dividends. Chris Ross once again anchored that effort, finishing with seven points, four rebounds, seven assists, and four steals, including key stops late in the game.
Despite trailing for most of the night, TNT remained within striking distance throughout the second half. But 17 turnovers and an off shooting night from deep (29.7%) proved too much to overcome.
Calvin Oftana bounced back with 23 points and seven boards on 66.1 TS%, showing a more varied scoring approach through drives and jumpers depending on what San Miguel's defense allowed. However, RR Pogoy struggled, finishing with just six points on 29.1 TS%, a scoring punch that could have put them over the top in Game 2.
Adding to TNT's worries is the status of Poy Erram, who exited Game 2 with a severe ankle sprain. While Kelly Williams and Ganuelas-Rosser provided solid minutes with 11 and 10 points, respectively, TNT will need every available body to contain Fajardo and match San Miguel's bruising interior game moving forward.