TNT, SMB battle for PBA crown

The TNT Tropang Giga and San Miguel Beermen are set to clash in the PBA Philippine Cup finals, a best-of-seven series commencing Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

San Miguel head coach Leo Austria clarified that the Beermen's primary goal is to win the championship and secure a record-extending 30th PBA title, rather than solely to prevent TNT from achieving a Grand Slam.

TNT aims for the final leg of a Grand Slam, having already won the Governors' Cup and Commissioner's Cup.

San Miguel is focused on redeeming lost pride after a disappointing previous conference where they failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

PBA Chairman Ricky Vargas has lauded the finals matchup as a display of 'basketball at its finest' between two premier franchises.

Both teams navigated challenging semifinal series to reach this stage, with TNT contending with injury setbacks.

The Beermen hold the key to getting the San Miguel Corporation back in the groove, with Meralco and TNT of rival MVP Group winning the last three titles.