San Miguel Friday night engaged Derby Ace in a shootout to remember before hammering out an 88-83 victory in their playoff for the second semifinal slot of the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

And instead of talking in a celebratory tone, the taciturn coach, for all practical intents and purposes, is saying that they have so far achieved nothing.

“I wouldn’t call it destiny,” Tanquingcen said when reminded that the strong lineup that he has merits nothing less than a seat in the top two. “I thank God that we got here (semifinals).

“But we are going to be judged at what happens at the end of the conference.”

Gabriel Freeman fired 20 points and had 19 boards, clearly dominating his matchup with Derby Ace import Cliff Brown to give the Beermen a solid presence on both ends.

James Yap, despite his highly public marital troubles with actress and presidential sister Kris Aquino, played with all his heart and almost saw the Llamados through, finishing with 28 points built around six conversions from beyond three-point range.

While Freeman played superbly while being backed by San Miguel’s loaded local lineup, Yap got very little help from Brown, who finished with just nine points and 10 rebounds as the Llamados dropped into the quarterfinals.

It would also be safe to say that with a rest of one week before they plunge back into action, the Llamados could use the time to find a suitable replacement just in time for the quarterfinals where they meet the winner of the wildcard phase.

Jay Washington contributed 19 points and eight rebounds and Alex Cabagnot finished with 14 and six assists as they more than made up for the lukewarm offensive game turned in by Arwind Santos, who finished with just six markers.

Yap tried carrying the Llamados on his shoulders, leading a scorching third quarter effort that had Derby Ace pulling level at 52 after trailing by as many as 15 points early in the second period.

That was a performance for the books by Yap, who on Thursday issued a statement about his breakup with Aquino.

The actress had announced on national television last Sunday that her marriage to Yap was over, with Yap moving out of their One Roxas condominium unit in Makati to a borrowed unit after Aquino refused to go home with him there.

It was a laudable effort to say the least, but Brown’s sub-par performance threw it all away for Derby Ace, which finished the elimination round tied with the Beermen with a 13-5 record that necessitated this playoff.

Earlier, Barangay Ginebra booked the final automatic quarterfinal seat after running roughshod over Rain or Shine, 115-88, where the Gin Kings got a lift from new import Chris Daniels.

But coach Jong Uichico refused to say that Daniels would be their last reinforcement for the tournament. After trying three before, Uichico is keeping his options open.

Daniels didn’t do badly at all, shooting 19 points that went with 19 rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks. But the way the Kings won the game certainly didn’t test Daniels as Rain or Shine was out of it as early as the third period.

The Elasto Painters thus slipped down to the wildcard phase where they will clash with Air21 and Leroy Hickerson.

If they survive that, the Painters will advance opposite the winner of the Coca-Cola vs Sta. Lucia pairing into another KO game for the right to face Derby Ace in a best-of-five quarterfinal series.

Ginebra and Alaska will battle it out in the other series, with the Kings itching for payback after the Aces had swept them in the semifinals of the Philippine Cup earlier in the year.