Head-to-head: Defending champ San Miguel takes on TNT in semis

MANILA, Philippines – On their way to defending their crown, the San Miguel Beermen will first have to get through a champion team in TNT KaTropa.

One of those teams will try to draw first blood in game 1 of the 2017 PBA Philippine Cup best-of-7 semifinals on Wednesday, February 8, 7 pm at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. (SCHEDULE: 2017 PBA Philippine Cup semifinals)

The Beermen, the league’s dominant team in the last 3 years, had another one of their imposing elimination round runs with a 10-1 finish to handily secure the top seed.

Reigning 3-time MVP June Mar Fajardo will remain the focal point of this team with the solid support of veteran wingmen in Arwind Santos, Chris Ross, Alex Cabagnot, and Marcio Lassiter.

San Miguel is looking to win its third straight all-Filipino crown.

Meanwhile, TNT, winner of a Philippine Cup triple crown from 2011 to 2013, will bank on go-to guys Jayson Castro and Ranidel de Ocampo. But the KaTropa will also have much-needed assistance from their youthful bench that includes Troy Rosario, Mo Tautuaa, RR Pogoy, and Matt Ganuelas-Rosser.

Take a look at the teams’ head-to-head match-up and follow Rappler’s coverage of Game 1 of the series here.

– Rappler.com