1988 San Miguel Beermen season
| 1988 San Miguel Beermen season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Norman Black |
| Owner(s) | San Miguel Corporation |
| Open Conference results | |
| Record | 16–9 (.640) |
| Place | 1st |
| Playoff finish | Finals |
| All-Filipino Conference results | |
| Record | 13–11 (.542) |
| Place | 4th |
| Playoff finish | Semifinals |
| Reinforced Conference results | |
| Record | 17–6 (.739) |
| Place | 1st |
| Playoff finish | Finals |
|
Stats @ PBA-Online.net |
|
| San Miguel Beermen seasons | |
The 1988 San Miguel Beermen season was the 14th season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
During the off-season, San Miguel Beer got a prized catch as they were able to lure 1985 MVP Ricardo Brown to join the team after five years of playing for the Gokongwei franchise, other than Brown, no other changes were made as the core of the championship squad remained intact with only Alfredo Jarencio, who left and moved to Great Taste to fill the void left by Brown.
When Purefoods center Ramon Fernandez was benched in game two of the All-Filipino Conference finals and subsequently banished for the rest of the series, San Miguel began to ponder the possibilities. On September 15, San Miguel Beer representative Jose "Nono" Ibazeta reportedly called Purefoods chairman and president Rene Buhain on a possible swap between Ramon Fernandez and their center, two-time MVP Abet Guidaben; the next morning, a deal was sealed sending Guidaben to the Purefoods Hotdogs and a homecoming for Ramon Fernandez, who first played with San Miguel in the early 1970s, the trade between the two league pioneers was a repeat of a similar swapped that took place in 1985.
For only the second time in PBA history, the best-of-seven finals went into a full route. San Miguel Beermen came back from a 2-3 deficit and won the final series against Purefoods, denying the Hotdogs a championship in their first try. The Beermen won back-to-back titles and duplicated the feat achieved by the famed Toyota Super Corollas back in 1982, by winning the last two games of the seven-game series.
With a new ruling of one-old, one-new import for the Third Conference, disallowing playing-coach Norman Black to teamed up with last year's reinforcement and best import Bobby Parks. Black opted for former Seattle Supersonic and Los Angeles Clipper Michael Phelps as his partner. San Miguel had an easier time winning the championship in the season-ending conference, defeating Shell Rimula-X, led by imports Bobby Parks and Derrick Rowland, 4 games to 1, to retain the title they won last season.
March 20: San Miguel Beer spoiled the debut of newcomer Purefoods Hotdogs in the main game of the league's 14th season opening, leading by as many as 30 points in the fourth quarter and coast to an easy 119-104 victory. Norman Black scored 33 points and Abet Guidaben added 28 points.
April 12: San Miguel repeat over Purefoods at the start of the second round of eliminations, winning 115-112 over the Hotdogs.
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