PBA FINALS: TNT Draws First Blood from SMB in Controversial Game 1

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The TNT Tropang 5G escaped a massive come-from-behind effort from the San Miguel Beermen, 99-96, to take an early 1-0 lead in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup grand finals on July 13, 2025, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

However, it was a chaotic Game 1 ending clouded by accusations of a huge miss call that nullified Moala Tautuaa’s dunk. From a two-point basket, the official game referees waived it off and called a basketball interference violation.

It was an unfortunate sequence of events for the Beermen, after Tautuaa’s dunk gave them a 98-97 lead. The referees took a second look during the dead-ball situation after Chris Ross and Jordan Heading were bound for a jump ball off a loose scramble.

After a long time of review, the referees’ judgement was a basketball interference violation, and they deducted the two points from SMB’s scoreboard. From a 98-97 lead, the call put TNT back in the driver’s seat, 97-96.

What was worse was that Heading won the jump ball, giving the Tropang 5G an extra possession resulting in free throws that sealed the deal.

Immediately after the game, a huge SMB crowd led by its management stormed to the table, clamoring about the sudden change in the officiating call.

For the Beermen’s front office, they felt like the referees decided the game, not the players. Body language quickly turned from energetic to disoriented during the final six seconds of the ball game.

Several PBA analysts disagreed with the call, while there were some who defended the stand of the technical committee.

With the outcome of Game 1, PBA fans will surely be receiving an intense series between two storied franchises. TNT led by as much as 24 points in the game, but the Beermen showed flashes of their Game 7 semifinal comeback when they mauled the Tropang 5G in the fourth frame.

It was all Tropang 5G in the first three quarters as the MVP-backed squad hosted a splash party from downtown, courtesy of the waxing hot hands from RR Pogoy, Heading, and Calvin Oftana.

The trio alone nearly outscored the whole Beermen team in the first half, but the veteran-laden San Miguel answered back with a two-way stand for the ages.

In the last 11 minutes of the ball game, San Miguel had TNT’s numbers after completing a 19-2 run, led by no other than Ross who was inserted to inject the energy that the team needed.

Ross anchored San Miguel’s defensive schemes during their last push and knocked down crucial shots to turn the affair into a mano-a-mano duel.

Despite letting their lead slip away, TNT found a new lease on life after Pogoy and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser connived to perk up their team in the last two minutes of the fourth.

Unfortunately for the Beermen, the overturned dunk call forced them to change strategies in the clutch, and the Tropang 5G just took advantage of the moment with Oftana sinking the two most important free throws for TNT in the end game.

Pogoy steered the Tropang 5G to an early finals lead after dropping 23 points built from an efficient 7/11 shooting from the field. Despite missing the last two games of the semifinals due to an injury, the veteran shooter delivered when his team needed him the most.

Heading supplied the help as he backstopped Pogoy with an all-around outing of 19 markers, six assists, and three rebounds.