War is on: Austria swears TNT is livewire foe

San Miguel Beer guns for a reign extension against a TNT side looking for redemption in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Season 50 Philippine Cup finals rematch that’s sure to explode.

The second straight serving of the best-of-seven all-Filipino championship series between the two proud corporate giant franchises will begin Wednesday night at the Ynares Center-Antipolo.

Beermen head coach Leo Austria downplayed his star-studded team’s advantage in depth and firepower, knowing too well how capable the Tropang 5G are, considering the Chot Reyes-mentored squad is on its fourth straight finals stint.

“A lot of people are expecting us to dominate the game but for me, it's not that easy,” Austria said on Monday during the championship presser held at the Novotel Manila.

“After winning the championship, of course, other teams would want to take that championship away from us.”

San Miguel’s journey to a back-to-back finals appearance did not come easy. In fact, the Beermen had a scare in the semifinals against Barangay Ginebra.

Not only did San Miguel have a hard time shaking off the Kings, but the Beermen faced some anxious moments with nine-time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo playing with hurt shoulders.

The Beermen overcame Ginebra’s challenge in six games, preventing a repeat of last season’s showdown that went the full distance.

However, Austria acknowledged that taking on a much healthier and more determined TNT this time after spoiling its historic grand slam bid to end the previous conference is a tall task.

“They're playing really well, especially in their last series,” Austria said.

“And last time around, when we won the championship, I won’t say it because of our efforts alone but maybe because they have a lot of players that weren't able to play because of some injuries,” added the mentor as he touched on TNT missing key players Rey Nambatac, Poy Erram and Jayson Castro while RR Pogoy and Jordan Heading playing hurt in their last finals clash.  

Saved for Castro, who is still recovering from a knee injury, and Pogoy ruled day-to-day due to a hamstring injury, TNT has its big guns this time.

“But this time, I'm expecting a very tough opponent because, of course, if you lose a championship like that, you're thinking how to get back. But for our part, every game, every championship, we want to win. This series will be an exciting one and the crowd will be happy.”

On the other hand, Reyes and the rest of the Tropang 5G are not thinking about getting back at the Beermen. They want to approach the series as it is — a championship series that they want to win.

“I’ve always believed that 50 percent of success in life lies in showing up. When you show up it doesn’t automatically guarantee success, but the reverse is always true, if you do not show up, then you have no chance,” said Reyes, who looks to end TNT’s five-year Philippine Cup title drought.

“That's our approach in the finals. For us, 50 percent of the work is getting here. However, that doesn't automatically guarantee success,” he added.

“The other 50 percent still has to be done. And that 50 percent is represented by the other side. A very, very formidable team. San Miguel, we all know that they have dominated the All-Filipino Cup for the last decade, practically.”

A statement that rings true as the Beermen have won seven of the last to Philippine Cup crown including a five-peat under Austria from 2015 to 2019.

TNT advanced to the biggest stage after bringing down 2024 champion Meralco in five games, giving the squad extra days of rest and recovery.