Ginebra champion anew

June Mar Fajardo of San Miguel Beer tries to stop Greg Slaughter of Ginebra San Miguel from taking a shot during Game 6 of their best-of-seven Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup Championship Series at the MOA Arena. ROMAN PROSPERO

It was the crowd that announced Ginebra San Miguel’s victory, still plenty of minutes before the Kings demolished San Miguel Beer, 93-75, last night in Game Six of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup best-of-seven championship series at the MOA Arena.

And the Kings made sure their ever loyal and rabid fans will no longer need to travel for a one final game against the Beermen at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, where the league penciled for the Game Seven which will never be held.

The Kings finished off the Beermen, 4-2, behind their usual crew of gunners, with Justin Brownlee, LA Tenorio, Greg Slaughter and Scottie Thompson bombarding the Beermen with baskets that gave the Kings their biggest lead of 84-62 late in the fourth quarter.

The Kings knew a championship was coming, celebrating early with their fans when the outcome was already clear.

It was a dogfight like in Game 5 as expected in the first half as neither team loosening up from the opening quarter as both teams flashed their defensive teeth with the Beermen holding just a close 17-14 score.

But Balkman fired up San Miguel, which was eager to forge a rubber-match and threatened to rip the game wide open with a 14-4 blast that turned a slim 19-20 deficit to a huge 33-23 lead halfway through the second period.

But newly-crowned Best Import of the mid-season conference J Brownlee, along with sniper Jeff Chan of Ginebra, retaliated with a 12-5 answer to close out the half with just a 35-38 deficit.

Balkman was a man on mission there, with 18 points and nine rebounds before rushing to the dugout. He slipped and appeared hurt in the last 13.2 seconds of the second quarter but shook it off.

June Mar Fajardo, the Best Player of the Conference, was also a force early on with 13 points and five rebounds to support Balkman.