Reliving the Top 10 Moments from the PBA All Filipino Cup 2018 Championship

I still get chills thinking about that electrifying Game 4 of the 2018 PBA All Filipino Cup Championship. As someone who's followed Philippine basketball for over a decade, I've rarely witnessed such a perfectly executed team performance under championship pressure. What made San Miguel's victory particularly memorable wasn't just the win itself, but how they achieved it - through what I'd call the most impressive display of collective firepower I've seen in recent PBA history.

Let me paint you that crucial Game 4 picture. While June Mar Fajardo and CJay Perez were expected to carry the scoring load, what truly stunned me was Jericho Cruz's explosive performance. The man dropped 23 points when his team needed him most. I remember watching him sink those clutch baskets thinking, "This is what championship teams are made of." But here's what really impressed me - it wasn't just about one player stepping up. The supporting cast delivered in spades. Don Trollano, Marcio Lassiter, and Juami Tiongson combined for 33 points in what I consider the most underrated statistical story of that game. That's 56 points coming from what many would consider secondary options. As an analyst, when I see numbers like that, I know we're witnessing something special.

What struck me most about that championship run was how San Miguel redefined team basketball. We often talk about star players carrying teams, but here was a case where the entire roster understood their moment. I've always believed that championships are won by teams finding unexpected heroes, and the 2018 All Filipino Cup was the perfect example. When you have multiple players capable of scoring in bunches, it creates nightmares for any defense. TNT learned this the hard way. I recall watching their coaching staff trying to adjust, but how do you defend against a team where any player can explode on any given night?

The beauty of that San Miguel team was their understanding of situational basketball. They didn't force shots to their stars when others had better looks. This unselfish approach created what I like to call "scoring avalanches" - those stretches where points come from everywhere. As a basketball purist, there's nothing more beautiful than watching a team execute this way under championship pressure. The 33-point combination from Trollano, Lassiter, and Tiongson wasn't just additional scoring - it was strategic depth that broke TNT's defensive schemes.

Looking back at that championship, what stands out in my memory is how San Miguel maintained this offensive balance throughout the series. It wasn't a one-game wonder. The trend of multiple players contributing significant numbers became their championship identity. From my perspective, this is what separates good teams from great ones. When your opponent can't key in on one or two players because five or six can hurt them, you've created the ultimate competitive advantage.

I've analyzed countless PBA championships, but the 2018 All Filipino Cup holds a special place because it demonstrated perfect team basketball. The way San Miguel shared the scoring load reminded me of why I fell in love with this sport. It wasn't about individual brilliance but collective execution. That Game 4 performance, with Cruz leading the supporting cast while Fajardo and Perez drew defensive attention, was basketball poetry in motion.

The legacy of that championship extends beyond the trophy. It set a blueprint for how modern PBA teams should approach roster construction and offensive systems. When I talk to coaches and players today, many still reference that San Miguel team as the gold standard for balanced offensive execution. The numbers tell part of the story - 23 points from Cruz, 33 from the trio of role players - but the real story was in how these contributions came at precisely the right moments.

As I reflect on that championship run years later, what stays with me is the lesson in team basketball. In an era where we often glorify individual statistics, the 2018 All Filipino Cup reminded us that championships are won by teams, not just collections of talented individuals. The way San Miguel's role players embraced their moments, the unselfish ball movement, the strategic utilization of different scoring options - these elements created one of the most memorable championship performances in recent PBA history. For any basketball enthusiast or analyst, that series remains a masterclass in how to build and execute a championship-level offensive system.