1998 San Miguel Beermen season
| 1998 San Miguel Beermen season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Ron Jacobs |
| Owner(s) | San Miguel Corporation |
| All-Filipino Cup results | |
| Record | 18–10 (64.3%) |
| Place | 2nd |
| Playoff finish | 2 |
| Commissioner's Cup results | |
| Record | 12–9 (57.1%) |
| Place | 2nd |
| Playoff finish | 2 |
| Centennial/Governors Cup results | |
| Record | 13–12 (52%) |
| Place | 4th |
| Playoff finish | 4 |
| San Miguel Beermen seasons | |
The 1998 San Miguel Beermen season was the 24th season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Draft picks
| PBA Draft |
|---|
| Noy Castillo (2nd overall pick) Draft rights acquired from Pop Cola during the Asaytono-Agustin trade in 1996 |
| William Antonio (Chosen #5 in the 1st round) |
Off-season transactions
| TRANSACTIONS |
|---|
| William Antonio Drafted Rookie |
| Danny Ildefonso Top draft pick acquired from Shell when they traded Noy Castillo |
| Joey Santamaria Signed via free agency |
| Steven Smith Drafted Rookie; originally pick by Gordon's Gin, acquired by San Miguel when they traded Paul Alvarez |
| Elpidio Villamin Signed via free agency |
Summary
The San Miguel Beermen rout Pop Cola, 86-67, in the opening game of the season on February 1, [1] the Beermen placed second behind Alaska Milk in the eliminations at 7 wins and 4 loss, [2] won eight games in the semifinals for the league-best 15-6 won-loss record in the All-Filipino Cup, played the Alaska Milkmen in the best-of-seven finals. In the battle between two American coaches, the Beermen blew a 3-2 series advantage, lost Game 6 by a big margin and in the deciding seventh game on May 8, the San Miguel Beermen folded up to the pressure as the game reaches its climax, losing by nine points to the Milkmen, 63-72, before a jampacked crowd at the Araneta Coliseum.
In the Commissioner's Cup, the Beermen bring back last year's best import Jeff Ward, who was good for only six games when coach Ron Jacobs gambled on a smaller import in the returning Lamont Strothers, the Beermen scored a 3-0 sweep over Pop Cola in the best-of-five semifinal series and went on to play the Alaska Milkmen in a championship rematch, the Milkmen paraded a taller import Devin Davis, and jump off to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven finals, the Beermen were able to tie the series at two games apiece by winning Games 3 and 4, but Alaska came back with a victory in Game 5 and finish off the Beermen in six games.
San Miguel had the pair of Lamont Strothers and Larry Robinson, their import last year who won best import honors, for the Centennial Cup and Governor's Cup, the Beermen advances in the semifinal round of the Governor's Cup, but their bid for a third straight finals appearance in the season was halted by Formula Shell, which beat the Beermen, 87-83, in their do-or-die playoff game on November 22.
Roster
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