SPORTS | April 13, 2018
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| San Miguel Beermen all smiles and cheers after winning their fourth straight PBA Philippine Cup title (Image Source: Hoops.ph) |
Following its fourth straight championship win in the
recently-concluded 2018 PBA Philippine Cup, the San Miguel Beermen are now
setting their sights on championing the next two conferences in this year's
season and probably becoming a Grand Slam champion once again in Asia's
premiere pay-to-play professional basketball league. The team may have done it
before long, but it makes sense for its players and even head coach Leo Austria
that their goal won't be so easy.
Any longtime PBA fan would remember that the San Miguel Beermen once held
the Grand Slam in the late 90s. Meanwhile, anyone who has been watching the PBA
lately would remember that the Beermen have felt short of fulfilling their goal
in the previous season due to its quarterfinals exit in last year's Governor's
Cup at the hands of Barangay Ginebra Kings. However, judging from what we have
seen from them during the finals of the Philippine Cup a few days ago, it looks
like we would feel awed by their perseverance to move on and set sights once
more on that Grand Slam goal.
Aside from the team's powerhouse Junemar "The Kraken"
Fajardo, both PBA and San Miguel Beermen fans will expect the much-anticipated
debut of the season's top draft pick Christian Stanhardinger when the Commissioner's
Cup begins on April 22nd following his stint at the ASEAN Basketball League as
part of the Hong Kong Eastern Lions. As the next conference moves to closer,
there will be doubts if Stanhardinger will become either a threat to other teams
or the season's newest basket case.
