Grand slam. Triple Crown. Season sweep.
Or old kingdom reestablished.
What is written in the stars?
TNT and San Miguel Beer chase their respective goals, starting a blockbuster title showdown with the opener of their PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven championship series at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
After a short "call-out" ceremony in the dark with the spotlight on the players being called one by one, the lights will be turned on, signaling the kickoff of what is expected to be a slam-bang series with a precious prize on the line.
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It would be the final gem to complete a grand slam for coach Chot Reyes and his Tropang 5G. Or it would be a glorious return to throne for the old dominant all-Filipino champs in June Mar Fajardo and Co.
There's surely no turning back for the Tropa, having gone this far even with aches here and pains there, and all the tough challenges they faced from a struggling start in the elims and tough fights endured in the playoffs.
The Beermen, meanwhile, are just bent on marching on and moving forward after getting themselves in this position to redeem themselves after sorry downfalls in the last three conferences.
"We know napakalakas ng kalaban namin, and with all of our injuries as well. But we will just do what we've been doing the whole conference - keep fighting and just trying to give ourselves a chance," said the TNT coach.
The Tropa are fired-up following a conquest of twice-to-beat opponent Magnolia in the quarterfinals then a disposal of rah-rah-rah Rain or Shine in the semis. They endured these battles and emerged victorious even minus Jayson Castro and Rey Nambatac, joined in the sidelines later by Kelly Williams and RR Pogoy.
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Outdoing themselves are Calvin Oftana, Poy Erram, Jordan Heading, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and the rest of the TNT gang. And they're raring to fight on.
"We have a team that genuinely cares for each other. It's a team without a second team; it's just a group of players who are ready to give their all and perform at their best," noted team governor Ricky Vargas, also the league chairman.
Vargas is realistic, though, they're up for a tougher task now versus San Miguel.
"We're up against the No. 1 all-Filipino team in San Miguel Beer, and we'll take it a game at a time," he said.
The Beermen said it's not about stopping TNT's grand slam aspiration but a pursuit of realizing their own dream.
The overarching goal for SMB is to reestablished lost glory, tradition and legacy.
"First thing, we're not up here just to stop their (TNT's grand slam) quest but we're here to win another championship," said SMB coach Leo Austria said after earning the right to face reigning Governors' Cup and Commissioner's Cup king TNT with a 100-93 Game 7 win over Barangay Ginebra.
"In our last six (Philippine Cup) championships, we never lost in the championship (series).
And I think that's the legacy we want to keep and it's enough motivation for us," Austria stressed. (SB)
