There’s no longer such a thing as the ‘Death Five.’
San Miguel head coach Jorge Gallent is distancing his team from the famed, star-studded five that brought immense success to the PBA’s winningest franchise.
As a collective unit, he emphasizes, “It’s the Death 15,” expressing this sentiment during the postgame press conference following their 106-96 Game 2 victory over Barangay Ginebra in the Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup semifinals on Friday evening at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The ‘Death Five’ had long been synonymous with the Beermen, especially during their dominant run from 2014-2019 under coach Leo Austria. During this period, the team secured nine titles primarily with a lineup featuring June Mar Fajardo, Arwind Santos, Marcio Lassiter, Alex Cabagnot, and Chris Ross.
However, this successful lineup ceased to exist when Santos and Cabagnot were traded to different teams in separate deals a few years ago.
San Miguel’s current era has clinched one title, but a new ‘Death Five’ was suggested by Kings head coach Tim Cone before the semifinals, with import Bennie Boatwright assuming the role previously played by Santos.
Nevertheless, Gallent is not a supporter of this notion. He aims to credit the entire team, which is now just one win away from securing its first trip to the Commissioner’s Cup Finals since 2019.
Gallent shared his perspective when discussing Jeron Teng, who delivered quality minutes in Game 2, contributing seven points, a rebound, two assists, and a steal in the eight minutes and 45 seconds he played off the bench.
“Everybody is capable. There’s no Death Five here. It’s Death 15. Everybody’s good here. They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t good,” he asserted.
This confidence extends to their chances of closing out the series in Game 3 on Sunday, providing an opportunity to achieve their first playoff series sweep since the 2003 Reinforced Conference, according to league stats chief Fidel Mangonon III.
“As I said in Game 1, when Ginebra made that run, our players were very composed. They know how to win. They know how to do things, especially in the endgame. Players are good, hats off to them,” said Gallent.
“They know how to win, this Death 15.”
