Grand slam spoilers

TNT Tropang Giga are gunning for a historic PBA grand slam in the current 2025 Philippine Cup after winning the first two conferences of the season—the Governor's Cup and the Commissioners' Cup both at the expense of Barangay Ginebra, my favorite team.

So, it's a gimme that the crowd favorites are all bent to exact sweet revenge against their tormentors in the ongoing Philippine Cup.

The Gin Kings, incidentally, will make their debuts against traditional doormats Terrafirma Dyip tonight and ditto for the grand slam-seeking Tropang Giga—rechristened Tropang 5G—when they face sister team NLEX Road Warriors.

On paper, Ginebra and sister team San Miguel Beermen have the best chances to stymie the MVP Group's premier team's grand slam ambitions in the 2025 season.

As alluded to before the Commissioners' Cup finals by TNT coach Chot Reyes, Ginebra virtually has a Gilas Pilipinas roster in its starting five—Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, Jamie Malonzo, Troy Rosario, and naturalized Filipino Justine Brownlee.

Since Brownlee can't play in the all-Filipino (being naturalized doesn't count as Filipino under PBA rules), coach Tim Cone will just have to do with 80% of Gilas reinforcements in the Philippines Cup. However, Justine Noypi or nothing, the Barangay still has the likes of Stephen Holt, Maverick Ahanmisi, prized rookie RJ Abarrientos, and come-backing Jeremiah Gray and Isaac Go waiting in the wings.

The Beermen, meanwhile, was the last team not named TNT to win a championship in Asia's first pay-for-play league, having won the Philippine Cup in 2024 at the expense of TNT sister team Meralco Bolts. It has started the Philippine Cup with a 2-1 card.

Like in the past 13 years, the premier team of the SMC Group's chances start and end with six-time MVP Junemar Fajardo. Like Thompson of Ginebra, the 6'10" gentle giant is fresh from being named to the PBA 50 Greatest Players List and may use the current conference as further validation that he's indeed the GOAT, especially with no 6'9" imports to stop him.

But in no way is Fajardo the only marquee player in coach Leo Austria's squad as the Beermen also have the PBA's career leader in 3-pointers made Marcio Lassiter, bruising Jericho Cruz (who I covered when he was growing up on Saipan), one-man fastbreak CJ Perez, veterans Don Trollano and Moana Tautuaa, "elevated" Terrafirma players Juami Tiongson Andrew Cahilig, and newly acquired JM Calma.

The third cog in the SMC Group's teams in the PBA, Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, can also spoil TNT's grand slam hopes. In fact, the absurdly long-named team is currently ahead in the standings of the Philippine Cup with an immaculate 3-0 win-loss record.

So far leading the former Purefoods franchise's charge are former UP Fighting Maroon Zavier Lucero and cat-quick point guard Mark Barroca. Also backstopping coach Chito Victolero's team are tried-and-tested vets Paul Lee, Ian Sangalang and Calvin Abueva and fiery rookie Jerom Lastimosa.

Due to them being sister teams, I'm not going to count Meralco and NLEX, currently 2-2 and 2-1, respectively in the standings, as spoilers in TNT's grand slam quest (unless their coaches and management want the guillotine). Perhaps independent teams Converge FiberXers (2-2) and Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (2-1) stand more of a chance in playing that role.

At this point, the Arvin Tolentino-led Northport Batang Pier could be a better bet in ending TNT's championship run in the Philippines Cup compared to its sister teams.

Converge has quietly amassed a potent lineup to battle the best the PBA can offer. Aside from the two Justins—Araña and Baltazar, the FiberXers also has lead guard Alex Stockton, former Gilas shooters Jordan Heading and Rey Suerte, and bouncy Schonny Winston.

Rain or Shine, meanwhile, boasts a mix of hard-nosed veteran and newbie players like Gabe Norwood, Leonard Santillan, Adrian Nocum, Caelan Tiongson, and Gian Mamuyac. They all march under the drum of fellow hard-nosed coach Yeng Guiao, so they'll always be in the fight no matter what.

Aside from the aforementioned Tolentino, Northport can also count on Joshua Munzon, William Navarro, Allyn Bulanadi, and Jio Jalalon to give the PBA's super teams a run for their money and hopefully rid themselves of the farm team label.

How about Terrafirma Dyip, Phoenix Fuel Masters, and Blackwater Bossing? Well...they're already spoiled.