The San Miguel Beermen will not be advancing to the PBA playoffs for the first time in ten years. The team, coached by Leo Austria, has been eliminated from quarterfinal contention in the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup following the NLEX Road Warriors’ decisive 94-76 victory over Hong Kong Eastern at the Araneta Coliseum.
This marks a significant moment for the Beermen, who previously missed the playoffs during the 2014-15 Commissioner’s Cup when they ended up in a three-way tie for ninth place with GlobalPort Batang Pier and Kia Carnival.
Interestingly, the coach behind NLEX’s win that sealed San Miguel’s fate is Jong Uichico, a former head coach of the Beermen. Uichico, who led San Miguel to six of his nine PBA championships during his tenure, downplayed his role in ending SMB’s playoff hopes. “Bahala na,” he remarked, focusing instead on his team’s pursuit of a quarterfinal spot.
Uichico’s last championship as head coach came in the same conference where San Miguel last failed to advance to the playoffs. He previously guided TNT KaTropa to victory in the 2014-15 Commissioner’s Cup after defeating Rain or Shine ElastoPainters in a thrilling seven-game series.
As for San Miguel, they will conclude this conference with a disappointing 5-7 record. Their season was marked by frequent changes in reinforcements, cycling through players such as Quincy Miller, Torren Jones, Jabari Narcis, and Malik Pope.
The last time San Miguel did not qualify for the playoffs was during Coach Austria’s second conference with the team, when they started with an 0-4 record under import Ronald Roberts. Arizona Reid later returned to lead them to a 4-3 record; however, their overall standing of 4-7 was insufficient for playoff contention.
Despite this setback, there is a glimmer of hope for San Miguel fans. Following their previous playoff absence in 2015, the Beermen went on to secure a championship in the subsequent conference—the Season 40 Governors’ Cup. As they regroup and plan for next season, all eyes will be on how they respond to this unprecedented challenge.
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