San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra clash in a veritable duel of titans and both brace for a cutthroat battle in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-seven title showdown set to begin Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

With his eyes zeroed in on leading San Miguel Beer to another finals stint, June Mar Fajardo flashed his MVP form in the playoffs to capture his second Cignal-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week award in the Commissioner’s Cup.

An official report on Romeo’s status has yet to be revealed. Curiously, his name was dragged into a celebrated PBA trade.

Critics, both rightful and bashers, never really gave Gilas Pilipinas a chance against China. Most believed that without Andray Blatche and June Mar Fajardo, it was a lost cause.

Gilas Pilipinas is facing tall odds at the FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon, sorely lacking in size. Andray Blatche passed for safety reasons while June Mar Fajardo is nursing an injury.

Only the champion will advance to the qualifying tournament for the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup, which will be held in Lebanon this August.