For the first time in a decade, the San Miguel Beermen fail to make PBA playoffs | ABS-CBN

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For the first time in a decade, the San Miguel Beermen fail to make PBA playoffs

For the first time in a decade, the San Miguel Beermen fail to make PBA playoffs

Rom Anzures,

ABS-CBN News

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San Miguel Beermen head coach Leo Austria in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup. Photo from PBA Images.San Miguel Beermen head coach Leo Austria in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup. Photo from PBA Images.MANILA — The San Miguel Beermen will not be advancing to the PBA Playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

The Leo Austria-mentored team is already out of quarterfinals contention in the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup, and this was after the NLEX Road Warriors’ 94-76 victory over Hong Kong Eastern on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

San Miguel previously missed out on the 2014-15 Com’s Cup playoffs as they settled for a triple tie with the GlobalPort Batang Pier and the Kia Carnival for the 9th to 11th playoff spot of that conference.

Coincidentally, the man behind the Road Warriors’ win which eliminated SMB is a familiar name to the league’s winningest franchise — former Beermen head coach Jong Uichico.

The nine-time PBA champion mentor won six of his total titles with San Miguel Beer during his seven-year tenure there.

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But Uichoco brushed off being the one to end the playoff hopes of SMB.
NLEX Road Warriors head coach Jong Uichico in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup. Photo from PBA Images.NLEX Road Warriors head coach Jong Uichico in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup. Photo from PBA Images.”Bahala na,” said Coach Jong, whose last title as a head coach even came in the same conference that the Beermen last failed to advance to. Uichco previously led the TNT KaTropa to a championship run in the 14-15 Com’s Cup after they defeated the Rain or Shine ElastoPainters in seven games.

The veteran mentor instead turned his focus on securing a spot in the quarterfinals as they are still awaiting their fate in the import-laden conference.

“I’ll always be glad to have a chance for the next round. How we get there, bahala na. Basta, I have that opportunity for the next round. If it’s outright, fine, if it’s playoff or knockout then sige,” he stressed.

On the other hand, San Miguel will exit the conference with their 5-7 record and a campaign that saw them change reinforcements from Quincy Miller, to Torren Jones, to Jabari Narcis, and finally, to Malik Pope.

The last time that they did not enter the playoffs, Austria just concluded his second conference with San Miguel, and this was after they started the Com’s Cup with a 0-4 record under import Ronald Roberts.

Arizona Reid then made his PBA return, this time with the Beermen, and he led them to a 4-3 record. Unfortunately, their 4-7 standing was only enough for ninth place.

However, if there is one thing that San Miguel can look forward to from this elimination, what followed their exit in the 2015 Com’s Cup was a championship in the following conference, the erstwhile-Season 40 ending Governors’ Cup.

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