San Miguel Beermen and TNT Tropang 5G during the PBA Philippine Cup Finals press conference. –PBA IMAGES
MANILA, Philippines—There’s no doubt in San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria’s mind that they have a daunting task ahead in the PBA Philippine Finals, even with a shorthanded TNT squad standing in the way.
During the Finals press conference in Pasig on Friday, Austria gave credit to the Tropang Giga before their best-of-seven clash for the all-Filipino crown.
SCHEDULE: PBA Philippine Cup Finals – San Miguel vs TNT
“We know everybody’s thinking that San Miguel is really a mighty team. I’ve heard that always among the commentators but the other team is equally talented,” said Austria.
“They are really strong, especially Talk N’ Text. They won two championships in the last two conferences,” he added.
San Miguel Beermen guard Leo Austria during the PBA Philippine Cup Finals press conference with TNT Tropang 5G. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
TNT, despite all its mishaps and injuries, cruised past Rain or Shine in the semifinals in six games and kept its Grand Slam bid alive.
The Finals, however, will be a much tougher challenge for the Tropang 5G, who have a number of players on the injured/reserve list.
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That’s not how Austria sees it, though.
“Regarding their situation, there are so many injured players and that’s not really a question for me because the mere fact that they are in the finals in spite of those adversaries shows they are really competitive.”
“Knowing that team, they’ve been together for a while in the last two conferences, that’s enough experience for them to play well.”
San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria leaves no doubt.
Despite a shorthanded TNT team, Austria knows how dangerous the Tropang 5G will be in the #PBAFinals. pic.twitter.com/zjvTI8CsE8
— Rommel Fuertes Jr. (@MeloFuertesINQ) July 11, 2025
TNT started its conference on a sour note, losing three straight games and Rey Nambatac due to injury in the process.
In an effort to get some more firepower in the backcourt, the Tropang 5G traded the rights to Mikey Williams for Converge guard Jordan Heading.
Even after a decent showing in the eliminations, the setbacks continued. The Tropang Giga played the conference without Jayson Castro, and during their series with the Elasto Painters, missed Roger Pogoy (hamstring) in Game 2 and Kelly Williams (ankle) in Game 4.
Both Pogoy and Williams are listed as day-to-day and are questionable for Game 1 on Sunday at Araneta Coliseum.
Austria made it clear that while they’re aware of TNT’s pursuit of history, the Beermen are focused on their own mission.
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Simply put, the Beermen are here to win.
“We’re not here to stop their ambition. We’re here to win games and eventually win the championship,” said the veteran tactician.
