The postseason is a time full of surprises and the Terrafirma Dyip may be on the verge of pulling off the biggest surprise of PBA Season 48.
Known for being a league cellar-dweller, the Dyip scored a 106-95 upset victory over the top-seeded San Miguel Beermen thanks to a combined 76-point effort from Juami Tiongson, Stephen Holt, and Isaac Go.
Not only was this a win for Terrafirma, but this was also a victory for those looking for parity in the PBA. Losing players has been associated with the Dyip more than winning games so it’s a very welcome breath of fresh air to see that they’ve put more focus on the latter.
Terrafirma finished the elimination round of the 2024 Honda PBA Philippine Cup with a 6-5 record and beat the NorthPort Batang Pier in a playoff to earn the right to face the Beermen. Now, they’re one win from pulling off what was once unthinkable.
Tiongson has been with the Dyip through the bad times and now the good ones. It’s no surprise then that he was the leading scorer in a leading effort and he deserves all the love for it.
But of course, this also wouldn’t be possible without Holt.
Holt was the first overall pick in the 2024 PBA Draft and in 23 games with Terrafirma, not only has he averaged 17.0 points (on 45.2/34.1/81.5 shooting splits), 6.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.9 steals, but he also provided the stability the Dyip sorely needed.
When he was selected by Terrafirma, he promised to bring a winning culture to the long-suffering Dyip. Slowly but surely, he’s followed through on that.
SMB will come back with a vengeance on Wednesday and Terrafirma must find a way to sustain their efforts from Game 1. The Dyip have a young and capable roster that can outgun the older and wiser San Miguel squad, but the key to beating the Beermen will lie in playing smarter. A young squad will be prone to errors and the 18 miscues Terrafirma finished won’t cut it when they take on SMB. It’s highly unlikely we’ll get another strong shooting performance from Go, so San Miguel will try to force both Tiongson and Holt to make ill-advised decisions.
If their season ends on Wednesday, the Dyip shouldn’t fret. This is easily their best finish in recent memory and while they may not have their usual first overall pick, they still have a high selection that they can use to further solidify their roster. Unless of course, they revert back to their old habits and trade that away.
Do the Terrafirma Dyip have a chance to topple the San Miguel Beermen? They’ll always have a chance, so long as they seize it and fight for it just like they did in Game 1.
