The 2015–16 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup finals was the best-of-7 championship series of the 2015–16 PBA Philippine Cup , and the conclusion of the conference's playoffs. The Alaska Aces and the San Miguel Beermen competed for the 38th All-Filipino championship and the 116th overall championship contested by the league.
59-704: 1979 Open 1982 Invitational 1987 Reinforced 1988 Open 1988 Reinforced 1989 Open 1989 All-Filipino 1989 Reinforced 1992 All-Filipino 1993 Governors' 1994 All-Filipino 1999 Commissioner's 1999 Governors' 2000 Commissioner's 2000 Governors' 2001 All-Filipino 2005 Fiesta 2009 Fiesta 2011 Governors' 2014–15 Philippine 2015 Governors' 2015–16 Philippine 2016–17 Philippine 2017 Commissioner's 2017–18 Philippine 2019 Philippine 2019 Commissioner's 2022 Philippine 2023–24 Commissioner's The San Miguel Beermen are
118-549: A 0–3 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series which they did during the 2015–16 Philippine Cup Finals . San Miguel had a basketball team in the pre- war Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association (MICAA). The commercial league was similar to the UAAP and the NCAA where basketball was one of the various sports. There was MICAA competition for baseball , volleyball , football , among others, but basketball became
177-469: A PBA finale. One of SMB's rookies, Marte Saldana, won Rookie of the year honors at the end of the season. Manotoc moved to Crispa in 1983 and replacing him in the Beermen bench is former national coach Nat Canson . The team was renamed as Gold Eagle Beermen for the 1984 season . The SMC ballclub had found a corporate rival with the entry of Asia Brewery's Beer Hausen Brewmasters , which had taken over
236-417: A crew made up of Visayan cagers like Yoyong Martirez, Marlowe Jacutin and Jess Migalbin, along with Tony Torrente, Rudy Lalota and Leonardo Paguntalan. When coach Tommy Manotoc , who won two previous PBA titles with U/Tex, replaced Ed Ocampo as the team's head coach beginning the 1981 season, the ball club, which finally used the old brand San Miguel Beer in the 1980 All-Filipino third conference, were back in
295-563: A grandslam by entering the finals of the Governors' Cup, only to lose to Alaska in a seven-game showdown. San Miguel's struggles would continue in 1996 , the team finished third in the All-Filipino while nabbing fourth in the season-ending Governors' Cup. Early in the year, San Miguel traded Ato Agustin to Sunkist for known-scorer Nelson Asaytono and traded Victor Pablo to Shell for Paul "Mr. Excitement" Alvarez. The third conference saw
354-649: A new MICAA team Toyota Comets. San Miguel was one of the nine companies which formed the first professional basketball league outside of the United States known as the Philippine Basketball Association in 1975. With the formation of the PBA, San Miguel retained its MICAA ballclub but their PBA team will carry the name Royal Tru Orange , then a soft drink brand owned by San Miguel. The Orangemen placed fourth in all three conferences of
413-509: A one-year contract. After a two-conference leave, the SMC franchise returned in the third conference and were known as Magnolia Cheese . The new lineup consisted of eight players from the former NCC team ; Hector Calma , Samboy Lim , Yves Dignadice , Franz Pumaren , Elmer Reyes , Alfie Almario , Pido Jarencio and Tonichi Yturri . Only Manny Paner was the only holdover from the previous Magnolia team. They also signed two players straight from
472-490: A professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots . It is the most successful franchise in the history of the PBA and the only remaining original franchise in the league. The Beermen have the most titles with 29 and
531-585: The 1998 season , San Miguel drafted Noy Castillo as the second overall pick in the draft. But, Castillo was quickly shipped to Shell in exchange for National University standout Danny Ildefonso . The Beermen made a strong showing in the All-Filipino Cup but lost to Alaska in the Finals in seven games. In the Commissioner's Cup, San Miguel brought back Strothers to replace Jeff Ward during
590-436: The 2000 All-Filipino Cup by finishing fourth in the tournament. The Beermen, however, defended the Commissioner's Cup trophy, with NBA veteran Stephen Howard on the lineup, defeating Sta. Lucia . In the Governors' Cup, with Strothers back, they defeated Purefoods in five games for their 15th PBA title. Danny Ildefonso won his first Most Valuable Player Award at the end of the season. In 2001 , they were favorites to win
649-585: The 2015–16 PBA Philippine Cup , the Alaska Aces and the San Miguel Beermen were the top 2 teams in the conference, both with a 9–2 record. In their head-to-head matchup in the elimination round, the Aces defeated San Miguel, 103–97 to clinch the top spot in the elimination round. The Beermen finished second. With the virtue of being the top two teams, the Aces and the Beermen qualified directly to
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#1732802155190708-652: The Philippine Amateur Basketball League (PABL) . Former import Norman Black returned to the squad and this time, he was not only their import but as the team's playing coach. The Ice Cream Makers made it to the Open Conference finals against powerhouse Great Taste Coffee Makers and lost in six games. In the Reinforced Conference, the team became known as Magnolia Quench Plus . The Thirst Quenchers were booted out of
767-558: The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the other semi-final series. The two teams last played a semifinals series against each other during the 2015 PBA Governors' Cup . The first game was won by San Miguel, coming back from a 20-point deficit, behind June Mar Fajardo 's double-double of 36 points and 18 rebounds and Ronald Tubid 's outside shooting heroics. Rain or Shine won Game 2, led by Jeff Chan 's 16 points, and Game 3, led by Paul Lee 's 18 points. The Elasto Painters were not able to win
826-552: The '97 campaign. The Beermen failed to enter the finals in the Commissioner's and Governors' Cups, respectively, losing in two do-or-die games against Gordon's Gin and Purefoods . Jeff Ward was the import during the second conference while Larry Robinson played for SMB in the third conference. Asaytono was a candidate to win the Most Valuable Player Award but lost to Purefoods' Alvin Patrimonio . For
885-477: The 1990 PBA season. During the third conference when four of their starters along with coach Norman Black missed the first few games due to their commitment in the all-pro national team. The team never recovered upon their return and San Miguel was eliminated for the first time in the semifinals since rejoining the league in 1986. It wasn't until 1992 when the Beermen would win another championship, defeating Purefoods TJ Hotdogs in another classic seven-game series for
944-539: The All-Filipino Conference (AFC became the first conference of the season), what with the deadly trio of Caidic, Samboy Lim and 1992 season MVP Ato Agustin. The Beermen went on to play their old rival Purefoods, renamed Coney Island Ice Cream Stars, for the All-Filipino title. Alvin Patrimonio, playing at his peak and aching to get back at their two-time All-Filipino tormentors, led the Stars to victory and
1003-572: The All-Filipino Cup and San Miguel did so to enter the finals against sister team Barangay Ginebra and prized rookie Mark Caguioa . After the series was tied at 2–2, SMB survived in overtime to win Game Five and blew out the Kings in Game Six to capture their first All-Filipino title in seven years. San Miguel was now favored to win the grand slam, but the young Batang Red Bull Thunder upset SMB in
1062-410: The All-Filipino crown. In the first conference that year, the Beermen made a return trip to the finals but were beaten by Shell Rimula X in five games. The 1993 season turned out to be another fruitful year for San Miguel. The 'triggerman' Allan Caidic from the disbanded Presto franchise was happy to rejoin some of his former NCC teammates at San Miguel and they were labeled anew as the team to beat in
1121-515: The All-Filipino, they finished first in Group A to qualify for the quarterfinals phase of the tournament. But the Beermen failed to enter the semis after finishing 1–2 in the single-round robin format. Their great finish in the All-Filipino helped the Beermen qualify for the Invitational tournament, but San Miguel failed to advance to the semis. 1979 PBA season The 1979 PBA season was
1180-563: The Beermen cruised into the Finals of the said tournament against Alaska. The Milkmen even led the series at 2–1 but San Miguel was able to win the last three games to win their second straight championship in six games. Seigle was named as the Rookie of the Year at season's end and also threatened to beat Paras for the MVP plum, but the "Tower of Power" won the 1999 MVP award. San Miguel failed to win
1239-419: The Beermen failed to either win the special Centennial Cup or the season-ending Governors' Cup. Ron Jacobs resigned after two seasons with the Beermen. His assistant coach and former NCC protégé Jong Uichico took over as head coach. New coach Jong Uichico began his first season with San Miguel in 1999 . As part of the PBA's new rule to allow each team one direct-hire Filipino-foreigner , San Miguel acquired
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#17328021551901298-561: The Beermen were outclassed in six games. San Miguel didn't go home empty-handed in 1993 as they capture the third conference crown, known as Governors Cup, at the expense of the Tony Harris-led Swift Mighty Meaties. The Beermen became the first back-to-back champions in the 1990s by regaining the All-Filipino title the following year in 1994, reversing the outcome against defending champion Coney Island, winning in six games. The title-victory earned San Miguel
1357-534: The Open Conference crown, defeating newcomer Purefoods Hotdogs, who were aiming for a cinderella finish, in a classic, seven-game series. After placing fourth in the All-Filipino Conference, the Beermen traded Abet Guidaben to Purefoods for Ramon Fernandez . The trade was executed in the height of a disagreement between Fernandez and the Purefoods management. The Beermen with Norman Black and Michael Phelps as their imports, won another championship and retains
1416-702: The PBA's first season. The team was bannered by center Manny Paner , forward Estoy Estrada and point guard Yoyong Martirez . Both Paner and Estrada made it to the Mythical Team in the league's inaugural season. Royal had its first best finish of third place in the 1976 second conference as they paraded the high-scoring Carl Bird as one of their imports. Bird was the league's first 70-point man as he scored 73 points in RTO's 165–129 win over N-Rich on October 12, 1976, only to be broken two weeks after by 7-Up's Harry Rogers. The Orangemen would suffer their worst seasons in
1475-412: The PBA. But, Jacobs remained coach of San Miguel for the league's 23rd season. With San Miguel in a sort of a rebuilding mode, Jacobs was able to mold young players like Olsen Racela who was acquired from Purefoods, Mike Mustre as well as veterans Asaytono, "Mr. Excitement" Bong Alvarez, Dignadice and Art dela Cruz into a strong team each conference. San Miguel won third place in all three conferences of
1534-576: The Phone Pals its first defeat after winning their first seven games. In the Commissioner's Cup, San Miguel tapped former Mobiline import Terquin Mott . Mott, a known temperamental player during his first stint in the league, molded well with his local teammates as San Miguel was able to make a strong showing in the elimination round. San Miguel also parted way with Asaytono, shipping him to Pop Cola for Nic Belasco and Dwight Lago . The Beermen upset
1593-591: The RP National team in the 2002 season . Meanwhile, San Miguel was left with only Dorian Peña and Boybits Victoria on the team. San Miguel fielded in Strothers and later former NBA veteran Mario Bennett for the Governors' Cup. After the Beermen finished eighth in the elimination round, SMB upset the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals in the quarterfinals but was eliminated by Alaska in the semi-finals and finished fourth in
1652-595: The Reinforced Conference title by defeating the Bobby Parks led- Shell Rimula-X in five games. Ramon Fernandez won his fourth Most Valuable Player Award at the end of the season. 1989 would be year the San Miguel Beermen would become one of the greatest teams in PBA history. The Beermen added two rookies in their lineup whom the team drafted during the pre-season, shooting-guard Renato Agustin and forward Bobby Jose. Picked by experts as heavy favorites in
1711-624: The amateur ranks; Alvin Teng and Jeffrey Graves. In 1987 , league pioneer Abet Guidaben was acquired by Magnolia, along with Ricky Cui from the disbanded Manila Beer . Playing-coach Norman Black was back in the helm for the Ice Cream Makers and led the team to third-place finishes in the first and second conferences. The team reverted to its old name San Miguel Beer in the 1987 Reinforced Conference. They wore green and white color instead of traditional red and white jerseys they used in
1770-573: The arrival of Lamont Strothers to the PBA. After the 1996 season, Norman Black left the team and became the head coach of Mobiline . Replacing him was former NCC coach Ron Jacobs . Before the 1997 season began, controversy surrounded the hiring of Ron Jacobs, due to objections by the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP). The BCAP believed that it endangered the chance of local coaches to enter
1829-478: The best local talents battling it out for All-Filipino supremacy. The Beermen will have former Purefoods playing coach Ramon Fernandez on their side this time going up against his former teammates Alvin Patrimonio, Jojo Lastimosa and Jerry Codinera. Another interesting match up is the duel of coaches Norman Black and the dean, Purefoods coach Baby Dalupan. San Miguel won in six games after being stunned in Game One of
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1888-402: The defending champion Alaska Milkmen in the semis to enter the Finals against All-Filipino winner Formula Shell with Benjie Paras and import John Best. San Miguel won the first two games of the series before Shell tied the series at 2–2. But the Beermen won the last two games to win their 12th PBA crown and their first in five years. In the Governors' Cup, San Miguel brought back Strothers as
1947-420: The disbanded Toyota franchise. Despite Gold Eagle acquiring the services of Toyota's top forward Abe King and signing two rookies; Joey Loyzaga and Dante Gonzalgo, the team placed second to last at the bottom of the cumulative team standings. In 1985 , the franchise carried another name as Magnolia Ice Cream (Magnolia was then a division of San Miguel Corporation), a name SMC first used with their team in
2006-496: The early 1980s. They got a goldmine of an import in Bobby Parks from Memphis State University. Parks led the Beermen to its third PBA title, defeating Hills Bros. Coffee Kings (formerly Alaska) in five games. Center Abet Guidaben won his second Most Valuable Player award San Miguel acquired Ricardo Brown from Great Taste through an offer sheet beginning the 1988 PBA season and they continued their winning ways by capturing
2065-471: The eliminations, Smart was replaced by Ennis Whatley. The Beermen defeated sister team Añejo Rum 65 that has a high-scoring import in Carlos Briggs, four games to one, in the Reinforced Conference finals as they completed a three-conference sweep, becoming the third team to capture the PBA grandslam. Entering the new decade, the San Miguel Beermen were dethroned and failed to defend all their titles in
2124-424: The fifth season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The muses for the participating teams are as follows: 1978 1978 This article related to a basketball competition is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about sports in Philippines is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . 2015%E2%80%9316 PBA Philippine Cup Finals This also serves as
2183-478: The final four since their title-conquest in 1979. The Beermen had former U/Tex imports James Robinson and Aaron James and placed fourth in the 1981 PBA Open. The following year in 1982, San Miguel had one of their best seasons with two finals trips. The Beermen acquired three players from the defunct CDCP quintet during the pre-season; Renato Lobo, Anthony Dasalla and the returning Manny Paner. The team also signed former Tefilin import Norman Black as their import for
2242-506: The finals of the Commissioner's Cup in six games while the Sta. Lucia Realtors , behind former SMB mentor Norman Black defeated his former club 4–2 in the season-ending Governors' Cup. Ildefonso, meanwhile won his second consecutive MVP in 2001. Some observers though believed that it was Danny Seigle who deserved to win the award. Ildefonso, Racela, newly acquired Dondon Hontiveros , Seigle and coach Jong Uichico concentrated their time with
2301-452: The first conference of the season, the team have lived up to the billing, sweeping the 10-game eliminations and they easily won the Open Conference crown with a repeat 4–1 series victory over Formula Shell that is built around the troika of best import awardee Bobby Parks, sophomore guard Ronnie Magsanoc and rookie center and top draft pick Benjie Paras. The All-Filipino Conference finals between San Miguel and Purefoods Hotdogs showcase perhaps
2360-458: The first quarter as both team scored 23 points a piece. Then at halftime, the Beermen hold a 4-point lead against the Aces. After the third quarter, the Beermen scored 33 points as they got a nine-point lead over the Aces. But in the 4th quarter, the Aces scored 34 points to comeback from a nine-point deficit in the 3rd quarter and won Game 1 of the series. In a controversial move, Alaska head coach Alex Compton called for three straight timeouts at
2419-560: The most all-time victories with more than 1,200 wins. In addition, it has won the Grand Slam in 1989 and the Perpetual Jun Bernardino Trophy after winning three straight PBA Philippine Cups from 2015 to 2017 . It is also the only team to have won at least one PBA title in each of the six numerical decades of the league's existence and was the first professional basketball team ever to come back from
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2478-575: The next games and the Beermen went on to win 3 straight games to win the series 4–2 and to book their ticket to the finals. However, June Mar Fajardo got injured with a twisted left knee during the game and was brought out of the Smart Araneta Coliseum , and was brought directly to the St. Lukes Medical Center in Taguig . * overtime In this game, the Beermen and the Aces were tied after
2537-480: The next two years with Manny Paner moving out upon becoming the first PBA player to be offered a lucrative contract by Presto Ice Cream and he signed with the team in the 1977 PBA season. Estoy Estrada left to join the Toyota Tamaraws in the following year in 1978. Olympian Edgardo Ocampo replaced coach Ignacio Ramos at the RTO bench at the start of the season. In 1979, Royal Tru-Orange finally made it to
2596-520: The popular sport. The San Miguel Braves (or the Greenshirts) never won a MICAA title but they did figure in the championship three times. In the 1970s, San Miguel won two National Seniors titles in 1973 and 1976. The 1973 champion team were composed of Manny Paner , David Regullano , Estoy Estrada , Yoyong Martirez and a gangling 6'4" rookie slotman out of University of San Carlos by the name of Ramon Fernandez , who would later that year joined
2655-421: The quarters, Red Bull eliminated them in the semis before finishing third. In the All-Filipino, San Miguel was decimated by Danny Seigle's injury with the national team. Racela, Ildefonso and Hontiveros returned for San Miguel but they were eliminated by Coca-Cola in the semis to finished third for the second-straight conference. San Miguel returned in the 2003 on a bright note. After the elimination round of
2714-569: The rematch for both teams, as they competed for the 2014–15 Philippine Cup and for the 2015 Governors' Cup , a year and a conference, respectively. The Alaska Aces won the first three games to go up 3–0, behind Vic Manuel 's outstanding performances. Since then, the San Miguel Beermen won Games 4, 5, and 6 to force a Game 7 and became the first team in PBA history to force a seventh game, after being down 0–3, behind excellent performances from Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos . Game 5 marked
2773-451: The return of June Mar Fajardo , who suffered a knee injury in Game 6 of their semifinals series against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters . San Miguel won against Alaska in seven games to capture their 22nd PBA championship and their 6th Philippine Cup. Dubbed as "BEERacle", San Miguel became the first team in professional basketball history to win a series coming from a 0–3 deficit . In
2832-474: The right to represent the country in the basketball competition in the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima, Japan. Injuries among the players hounded the team for the rest of the season. In 1995 , San Miguel was struggling to maintain its ranks as among the best teams in the league with Sunkist and Alaska dominating at the time. All superstars Allan Caidic , Samboy Lim , Ato Agustin were injured and to cover
2891-401: The scoring gap Alvin Teng was traded to Seven Up for Gido Babilonia and Victor Pablo after All Filipino Conference. Acquired Freddie Abuda from Purefoods, drafted Lou Regidor, Mike Mustre, Matt Makalintal, Gilbert Castillo and Bryant Punzalan. Though the beermen didn't prosper on first two conferences but in Governors' Conference with Kenny Travis back as import San Miguel broke Sunkist's dream of
2950-471: The season. San Miguel almost won the first conference crown as they led 3–2 in the best of seven title series against Toyota Super Corollas but lost in seven games. The Beermen bounce back a month later by winning the Asian Invitational championship, defeating Crispa Redmanizers, two games to one, in the best of three series. That team remains as the only squad the multi-titled Crispa never beat in
3009-514: The semi-finals of the conference. In the semifinals, Alaska faced the GlobalPort Batang Pier , who are making their first semifinals appearance in the history of their franchise. The first game was won by GlobalPort, led by Terrence Romeo 's career high 41 points. Since then, the Aces bounced back to win 4 straight games to win the series 4–1 with the held, and make their 10th Philippine Cup finals appearance. San Miguel faced
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#17328021551903068-503: The semifinals by Great Taste in a playoff game. The franchise filed for a leave of absence from the league after the 1985 season. In the aftermath of the People Power Revolution , San Miguel Corporation chairman Danding Cojuangco fled the country. At the start of the 1986 season , some Magnolia players were absorbed by different teams, newcomer Alaska Milkmen acquired three from Magnolia and signed Norman Black to
3127-504: The series 3–0 before Boston won the next three games to force a game 7. Unlike the Beermen, however, the Celtics lost the Game 7, rendering their comeback attempt as unsuccessful. Roster Roster The Philippine Cup Finals aired on TV5 with simulcasts on Hyper (both in standard and high definition) and Cignal TV channel 198 (in high definition). TV5 's radio arm, Radyo5 aired it as well. Fox Sports Asia airs
3186-446: The services of Danny Seigle , younger brother of then Mobiline center Andy Seigle , to bolster the team along with former Pop Cola guard Boybits Victoria . However, San Miguel struggled in the All-Filipino Cup and was eliminated in the quarterfinals by Formula Shell . One of their finest moments was during a match against Mobiline and star center Asi Taulava . San Miguel's 67–66 squeaker on Asaytono's two clutch free-throws handed
3245-582: The start of the game. By winning the game and the series, San Miguel became the first team in professional basketball history to comeback in a 3–0 deficit. This comeback is known as the "Beeracle". It was cited by The New York Times in a May 2023 article about a prelude to the Game 7 of the 2023 NBA Eastern Conference finals series between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat , where Miami led
3304-614: The title series. The Beermen clinch their first All-Filipino title on September 3, 1989, outscoring the Hotdogs in the final quarter, 43–32, in a 128–109 victory. The title-clinching win came three days after they lost Game five to the Hotdogs in a hard-fought overtime game. Only one conference was left to achieve the grandslam and San Miguel brought in Keith Smart as their import for the Third Conference. After five games in
3363-474: The top during the Open Conference. The team had two imports of unlimited height playing together – 6'9 Otto Moore and 6'7 Larry Pounds. They faced Toyota in the second conference finals and won the best of five title series in four games, becoming the second team after U/Tex Wranglers to break the Crispa-Toyota stranglehold as far as winning championships were concerned. Moore and Pounds were backstopped by
3422-524: The tournament. SMB made its return to the finals but was defeated by the Milkmen in the rematch of the All-Filipino Cup, this time in six games. After the conference, Racela was loaned to the PBA Centennial team . As incentive, all PBA teams were allowed to hire two imports in the Governors' Cup. Strothers and Robinson teamed up for San Miguel, but with their height disadvantage against other teams,
3481-415: The tournament. Strothers announced his retirement after the tournament. In the Commissioner's Cup, San Miguel took Shea Seals and Art Long as import. But the temperamental Long got into a dirty scuffle with Red Bull import Antonio Lang during a game despite San Miguel finishing fourth after the elimination phase. Terquin Mott replaced Long before the end of the eliminations. After eliminating Coca-Cola in
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