After winning the Philippine Cup, starters Caguioa, Helterbrand, and Menk were all loaned to play for the Philippine national team competing in the FIBA Asia Championship. They also lost Hatfield early in the first round due to personal problems, but their import Rod Nealy provided the scoring for the Kings. Despite a depleted lineup, they still managed to finish 12–6 as 3rd seed and earned an outright quarterfinals berth, mainly due to the strong play of Egay Echavez, Mark Macapagal and Gec Chia who shined in the absence of the starters. In the quarterfinals, they faced San Miguel, but ended the series differently. This time the Kings took Game 1 with a 113–87 victory but San Miguel took Game 2 and won an overtime thriller 117–114 in Game 3, thwarting the Kings' chance to win a second pair of back-to-back titles.
