VALENTINE’S Day celebrations will have to wait for San Miguel Beer and Magnolia Chicken Timplados.

San Miguel Beer hopes to capture their 29th championship, while Magnolia looks to stay alive in Game 6 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Riding the momentum of their smashing 108-98 victory in Game 5 which propelled them to a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven championship series, the Beermen hope to make the most of the opportunity to finish off the Hotshots and clinch the title in the 7:30 p.m. encounter.

A victory by the Beermen over the Hotshots will secure their 29th championship and underscore their billing as the league’s winningest team.

San Miguel currently leads with the most number of PBA titles at 28.

The last Commissioner’s Cup won by the Beermen was in 2019 against TNT, with a 4-2 series victory.

Winning the championship in six games will also give seven-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo and Best Player of the Conference awardee CJ Perez enough time to rest before they join Gilas Pilipinas in its preparations for the February window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.

In this upcoming series, the PBA supported Filipinos will face Hong Kong in an away game and Chinese Taipei at home in the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.

Jericho Cruz, who exploded for 30 points in San Miguells victory 108-98 last Sunday, is also excited for the opportunity to lift the coveted Commissioner’s Cup.

“We can’t just let guys go off for 30. We got to respect everybody on their team,” said Magnolia import Tyler Bey, referring to Cruz.

“Cruz got off eight treys. He had a great game; he did what he had to do. For us, I felt like we just didn’t adjust quickly enough. We took him lightly and that’s our problem. We didn’t respect him enough and we paid for it.”

However, closing out a series is always challenging even for the Beermen, who expect to face a resilient Magnolia team as they aim to accomplish this mission.

“Positive pa rin kami na makabalik kami,” said Magnolia guard Mark Barroca

“I feel good. We came down from 0-2 (to tie it). We could do it again. We could win two more games, why not?”said Bey.

.“We’re a great team. I don’t feel like our backs are against the wall. We’re down one and they got one more game to go. But I believe in this team, I believe in the coaching staff and I believe in myself as well so (I’m) pretty confident,” Bey added.

Revenge is now foremost on the minds of the Hotshots on St. Valentine’s Day.

Game Wednesday:

(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
7:30 p.m.– Magnolia vs. San Miguel

The results:

Game 1 — San Miguel def. Magnolia, 103-95.
Game 2 — San Miguel def. Magnolia, 109-85.
Game 3 — Magnolia def. San Miguel, 88-80.
Game 4– Magnolia def. San Miguel, 96-85.
Game 5 — San Miguel def. Magnolia, 108- 98.
(San Miguel leads series, 3-2)