The quest for the coveted Philippine Cup title in the PBA's golden season has dwindled to four.
And what is left are the giants who have ruled the centerpiece competition by turns over the past five years.
On one hand, it is the San Miguel Beermen (SMB), the defending champion and also the winner in 2022, who is facing off against the kings of the 2020 All-Filipino, Barangay Ginebra.
On the other hand, it is TNT, the 2021 reigning champion and runner-up in Season 49, and Meralco, the 2023 titlist.
It's a pair of explosive best-of-seven affairs starting Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, pitting sister teams but fierce rivals from the MVP Group on one side and sibling rivals San Miguel Corp. on the other.
The Final Four also features a team that made the most of its win-once advantage in the quarterfinals against an opponent that pulled off two winless upsets to reach this stage – No. 1 SMB vs. No. 5 Ginebra and No. 3 TNT vs. No. 7 Meralco.
“We have TNT in front of us. You know they had great numbers last year, they've won two championships (Season 49 Governors Cup and Commissioner's Cup), very solid. It's going to be a battle for us,” said Bolts coach Luigi Trillo after setting up a date with Tropang 5G with a 98-89 win over No. 2 Rain or Shine in sudden death in the quarterfinals.
“And I think that's what they (players) want, they want to perform at their best. So.” Ngayon Endun 'Young TNT. And I think it's going to be a good series on the other side too, 'Young Ginebra-San Miguel,” he said.
The Kings took virtually the same path as the Bolts, beating No. 4 Converge 99-98 for the second time in overtime on Stephen Holt's buzzer-beating winner from beyond the three-point arc.
The 4-3 defeat to SMB at the same stage last season is still fresh, so revenge could prove to be a motivation for the visitors' favourites.
“We know them. They know us. And last time we took them to seven games. We're going to try to flip the script this time,” said Ginebra guard Tim Cone. , Olmin Leyba