(PBA image)
Simply dominant—no other way to put it.
That word keeps circling back whenever June Mar Fajardo steps on the floor, and it is once again ringing loud in the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals showdown between defending champion San Miguel Beermen and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
The league’s first and only nine-time MVP is in full wrecking-ball mode, stringing together back-to-back 20-20 games to anchor San Miguel’s response in the best-of-seven series.
The 6-foot-10 Cebuano was an absolute force in Game 2, pouring in 21 points and hauling down 23 rebounds to power the Beermen to a 93-84 bounce-back win that evened the series at 1-1 on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It was a thunderous follow-up to his monster outing in the opener, where Fajardo delivered 27 points and 23 boards despite San Miguel’s 99-90 setback. Win or lose, the big man’s imprint on the series has been unmistakable.
In the process, Fajardo etched his name deeper into PBA lore. According to league statistician Fidel Mangonon III, he became the first player in 27 years to record consecutive 20-20 games, a feat last accomplished by Eric Menk during his rookie season with Tanduay Rhum Masters in the 1999 All-Filipino Cup.
Dig a little further and the numbers get even crazier. Dating back to the quarterfinals, the 35-year-old center has now posted three straight 20-20 performances, including a 26-point, 23-rebound demolition of NLEX Road Warriors on Christmas Day—making him the first local player in league history to pull off such a stretch.
Through two semifinal games, Fajardo is averaging an absurd 24.0 points and 23.0 rebounds while leading the race for Best Player of the Conference honors.
The only real question now: can anyone slow him down?
That mystery heads into Game 3 on Friday, once again at the Big Dome, where San Miguel will try to ride its unstoppable giant and tilt the series firmly in its favor.