Push Admin

PBA: SMB puts 'winning habit' at stake against Magnolia

Article (news)

Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/news/05/01/pba.jpg"/><figcaption>Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup finals is on Wednesday. Richard Esguerra, <a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/pba/photos">ABS-CBN Sports</a></figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines – San Miguel Beer has already made history in the PBA with its dominance of the All-Filipino Conference in the past half-decade.The Beermen – bannered by their tried-and-tested core of June Mar Fajardo, Arwind Santos, Chris Ross, Marcio Lassiter and Alex Cabagnot – have won ruled the Philippine Cup for the past four seasons. It is an unprecedented achievement, one that has seen them rewrite the league&#x27;s record books.During this remarkable run, under the guidance of coach Leo Austria, the Beermen have also triumphed in the Commissioner&#x27;s Cup and the Governor&#x27;s Cup. But it is during the All-Filipino that they truly leave their mark – and the team is not yet done.San Miguel is now seeking to extend its rule of the Philippine Cup for a fifth straight year, as they are set to face the Magnolia Hotshots in the 2019 All-Filipino finals. It is a rematch of last season&#x27;s championship series, won by the Beermen in five games.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/pba/news/2019/04/29/pba-finals-romeo-excited-first-true-shot-title-56296">READ: Romeo excited for first true shot at title</a></li></ul>&quot;For us, winning is a habit. It&#x27;s a lifestyle,&quot; said Austria on Monday, as he explained how the Beermen have remained motivated despite all the success that they have already experienced.&quot;What is prevailing with our team is the pride,&quot; he added. &quot;Ever since they won a championship, they don&#x27;t want to lose anymore.&quot;&quot;Ayaw pa talaga nilang bitawan,&quot; Austria stressed.Although their place in PBA history is already secure, the Beermen believe that a fifth consecutive All-Filipino title – something no team has ever done – should secure their legacy. <a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/pba/news/2019/04/25/pba-san-miguel-legacy-line-beermen-go-5-peat-56146">Arwind Santos</a>, in particular, believes that a &quot;five-peat&quot; cements their status as one of the best teams in the history of the league, if not the best.&quot;Kahit patay na kami, &#x27;pag nakuha namin &#x27;yung pang-limang championship, paguusapan at paguusapan &#x27;yan,&quot; Santos said after the Beermen ousted Phoenix in the semifinals to clinch a finals berth.Austria agreed with his veteran forward.&quot;Meron silang vision,&quot; the coach said of his players. &quot;This is our opportunity to win a five-peat na I think wala pang nakakagawa nito sa PBA. So kung gusto mong manalo ng championship, isama mo na itong legacy na ito na sinasabi nila.&quot;&quot;Dahil alam mo naman ang mga players, tumatanda na rin at darating ang time na hindi na sila maglalaro, so ito ang gusto nilang maiwan,&quot; he added.Yet the coach is also the first to say that the five-peat is not guaranteed, not even for his powerhouse team. The Beermen beefed up even further after winning the All-Filipino last year, adding Christian Standhardinger in the Commissioner&#x27;s Cup, then trading for Terrence Romeo in the offseason.But now, they are up against a Magnolia squad that has only grown in confidence since losing last year&#x27;s title series. The Hotshots ended a four-year title drought by claiming the Governors&#x27; Cup title in December, and after a slow start to the All-Filipino, they appear to be peaking at the right time.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/04/29/19/pba-underdog-magnolia-banks-on-experience-chemistry-against-smb">READ: &#x27;Underdog&#x27; Magnolia banks on experience, chemistry against SMB</a></li></ul>A hard-won series against Rain or Shine has only further prepared Magnolia for the finals, and Austria acknowledged that they are &quot;a really dangerous&quot; opponent.&quot;For me it&#x27;s a 50-50 ball game, alam naman natin na they gained a lot eh. Unang-una &#x27;yung experience, and then nagma-mature na daw sila. And talagang nabubuo sila eh,&quot; said Austria.&quot;For a short period of time, makikita mo very successful sila, and if you notice in the last 2 seasons, they are always in the playoffs. That&#x27;s a lot for them to experience that kind of situation,&quot; he added. &quot;That is one of the reason kung bakit lagi silang pumapasok sa Finals. They gained a lot of experience.&quot;It took San Miguel five games to dismiss Magnolia last year, winning the last four games after getting stung in Game 1 by the Hotshots&#x27; rally. This time around, Austria said the outcome of the series will depend on the first two games.&quot;Pagka naka-una ka ng dalawa, medyo iba na &#x27;yung momentum,&quot; he said. &quot;But knowing the situation, alam natin ang Magnolia, nag-gain ng a lot of experience, they don&#x27;t want to be in a catch up situation.&quot;&quot;Our situation, of course as much as possible, we want to end the series very shortly. I hope makuha namin ito, but sabi ko, hindi ganoon kadali,&quot; Austria said.Game 1 of the best-of-7 finals series is on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.

San Miguel Beer has already made history in the PBA with its dominance of the All-Filipino Conference in the past half-decade.

San Miguel Beer has already made history in the PBA with its dominance of the All-Filipino Conference in the past half-decade.

PBA: SMB puts 'winning habit' at stake against Magnolia

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Sports

PBA: SMB puts 'winning habit' at stake against Magnolia

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 01, 2019 05:42 AM PHT

|

Updated May 01, 2019 05:44 AM PHT

Read More:

PBA

PBA Philippine Cup

San Miguel Beer

Magnolia Hotshots

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.