Reversal of fortune: NorthPort nails No. 1 seed, San Miguel misses playoffs for 1st time in 10 years

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NorthPort nails No. 1 seed, San Miguel misses playoffs for 1st time in 10 years

DRIVE. Arvin Tolentino in action for the NorthPort Batang Pier in the 2024-25 PBA Commissioner's Cup.

PBA Images

NorthPort and San Miguel find themselves in unfamiliar territory, with the Batang Pier clinching the No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history and the Beermen failing to make the playoffs for the first time in a decade

MANILA, Philippines – There’s an established pecking order among PBA teams, but the Commissioner’s Cup have been full of surprises.

In a stunning reversal of fortune, NorthPort and San Miguel found themselves in unfamiliar territory, with the Batang Pier clinching the No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history and the Beermen failing to make the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

Unexpected exit

San Miguel reached the playoffs of the last 22 conferences, a stretch that saw it win nine championships, including the Commissioner’s Cup last season, and make the finals 11 times.

That streak, though, ended as the Beermen will finish no higher than ninth place this conference with a 5-7 record, marking the first time that they will not be in the quarterfinals since the 2015 Commissioner’s Cup.

In a tournament where San Miguel underwent multiple personnel changes following a string of import switches and even a coaching shuffle, the pieces just did not fall into place.

The Beermen struggled to settle with an import as they played with four different foreign players — Quincy Miller, Torren Jones, Jabari Narcis, and Malik Pope. The other 12 teams fielded no more than two imports.

Pope came in at a time when San Miguel still had full control of its playoff fate, but the Beermen went 1-3 during his tenure, which saw him average 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds.

The conference also marked a disappointing return for Leo Austria, who took over the head coaching reins from Jorge Gallent after San Miguel dropped two of its first three games.

Austria steered the Beermen to consecutive wins in his first two games back as head coach, only to witness the defending champion lose five of its last seven games.

With San Miguel eliminated, it became the first team to miss the quarterfinals of a conference it ruled the previous season since Barangay Ginebra failed to make the cut in the 2005 Fiesta Conference.

Sustained rise

While the Beermen endured a rocky campaign, NorthPort enjoyed a stellar run from start to finish in the elimination round.

The Batang Pier won their first five games and dropped only three matches as they compiled a 9-3 record to nail the top seed.

Led by Arvin Tolentino, Joshua Munzon, and import Kadeem Jack, NorthPort beat the likes of powerhouses TNT, San Miguel, and Barangay Ginebra, which have alternated title wins for the past 12 conferences.

Armed with a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals, the Batang Pier are only a win away from advancing to the semifinals for just the third time in franchise history and the first since the 2019 Governors’ Cup.