However, this did not stop Jacobs' wards in their drive for the championship. Having topped the semifinals round, they earned the first seat in the finals and waited for the winner of the Manila Beer-Ginebra series. They dethroned Great Taste Coffee in the semifinals. Jacobs secretly longed to have Manila Beer in the finals, knowing fully well how difficult to go up against a Ginebra team with the crowd behind them. Similarly, Jacobs had difficulty finding an antidote to Michael Hackett, unlike Manila Beer's Francois Wise who Still can dominate one-on-one. Manila Beer beat Ginebra in sudden death to barge into the finals. It was a rout - Jacobs led a 4-0 sweep, including a 32-point victory in the last game, 138-106 - regarded as the most lopsided finals ever in PBA history.