PBA CCF Game 7: Looking for answers

Tensai idea: Pingris on Castro. 

So after an exciting playoffs that was marred/ made beautiful by physicality, great scoring bursts, emotional plays and near fisticuffs, we've come down to a winner-take-all Game 7 of the PBA Commissioner's Cup. In one corner stands the league's standard bearers for the last two years and a half-- the Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters bannered by the SMART Gilas 2 Men's National Basketball team, and the rising BMeg Llamados on the other.

Going into Game 7, we've seen coaches calling out players, end-of-the-bench guys making headlines with dirty plays, certain comparisons with an early 90s anime that didn't really reward fans with a fitting ending (other than the All Star pick-up game which was nice but blah) and so on. But there are other compelling storylines that haven't grabbed national focus just yet, and we'd like to think that we've got some listed below (because hey, we have no lives other than the games):




For the BMeg Llamados:

1. Can PJ Simon ever be consistently relied upon? When he's on, he tends to outshine even the best player for both teams. When he's not, he wanders off at the corners and just watches his superstar teammates (James Yap, Denzel Bowles) get theirs.

2. Is James Yap shooting too much? Hey, they won Game 5, while the offense stagnated in Game 6. The thing that didn't work for the Llamados in Game 6 is that Yap was taking too many shots and was controlling the ball early as opposed to in Game 5 when he got his points within the offense-- via moving without the ball, playing the screen-and-roll game with his bigs and so on. Last night saw Yap at both his best and worst. He dominates games with his scoring prowess, but at the same time, dominates too much of the offense early that it often reduces his teammates to bystanders. Still, you have to hand it to the guy for rediscovering his touch and being more aggressive than before.

3. Marc Pingris needs to play. The Llamados have won 3 games in this series so far not by their stellar offense-- it has been unimaginative at best, but by their defense. Something you'd never expect from a Tim Cone-coached squad (the blah offense part). Blame it on nerves (being watched by his great father in law for the first time), or that left finger injury (which should be a non-factor at this point because, well, Pingris doesn't shoot with it to begin with and we've seen players tape broken fingers to the next digit/s-- oh, and the Texters' Jayson Castro is playing with TWO broken ankles). Whatever it was that made Pingris disappear in Game 6, shouldn't be taken against this guy. He plays with all heart and energy, and is the anchor of the Llamados' defense. Sitting him in favor of Joe DeVance was a big mistake that ultimately cost the Llamados the game. JDV wasn't challenging or chasing Ranidel de Ocampo, and wasn't even making his shots. Don't blame Pingris for RDO scoring 15 points tonight after averaging a measly 5 the last few games now. RDO will always get his. In Game 7 though, if the Llamados want to win it all, they need their best defender on the floor and not on the bench sulking.

4. Improved point guard play. Josh Urbiztondo is a shooter and he'll always play like one. He'll look to score and maybe make some nice passes here and there. PJ Simon is a point guard who is pretty much a slashing version of what Urbiztondo brings to the table. Rookie Mark Barroca has shown flashes, but his defense remains suspect at times. Jonas Villanueva needs more minutes to get back into any groove or rhythm. While the Llamados' PGs have been outplaying the Texters Jimmy Alapag by a mile, it should be noted that when they weren't hitting their shots in Game 6, they were practically useless the whole night. Not one of them set the floor or tone for their team, and they all stood idly by and let Bowles and Yap do all the heavy-lifting.

5. More Yancy de Ocampo + Bowles. Okay, if Pingris isn't playing, then big brother Yancy should be paired some more with Bowles. Rebounding will take an obvious hit (YDO isn't half the rebounder younger bro RDO is-- and that's a lot considering RDO averages about under 5 rebounds a game), but the size might deter the Texters' mighty Jayson Castro from attacking the rim at will (which he did in the end game of Game 6). The duo will cover more ground and YDO isn't exactly a big softie when it comes to committing fouls.

6. Pingris on Castro. He's done it before-- with great success. Locking down L.A. Tenorio a few years back. Putting Mac Cardona in the doghouse in the PBA CC Semis. You know Marc Pingris will bring it no matter what Coach Tim Cone asks him to do. He's been keeping RDO on lock in this series, and it's not surprising that RDO's best game came with Pingris spending half the game riding the Llamados' bench. If Pingris slides over to guard Castro, then the Llamados will have to go big and play PJ Simon as their PG and Yap at SG to ensure offensive continuity. YDO or JDV could come in and play the 4 spot and play keepaway versus RDO, so it could work. Unless of course, Castro proves to be too superhuman even for the Pinoy Sakuragi and blitz his way into the lane time and time again.

For the Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters:

1. Jimmy out, Jayson in. Until Alapag decides to attack Urbiztondo, then he should play back-up minutes to The Blur. Blame it on fatigue, injuries or the Llamados' rotating PG defenders, Alapag is obviously not playing up to par and shouldn't be rewarded for it any further. The Texters play faster when Castro mans the PG spot, and they are able to match-up better since Ryan Reyes slides to his natural SG spot, Jarred Dillinger plays SF, RDO at PF and import Harvey Carey Donnel Harvey at the center spot.

2. RDO and Alapag are not the only guys on vacation. Whatever happened to Kelly Williams? You'd think Williams, a former PBA MVP, would have his chance at the spotlight with RDO struggling on the floor against Pingris' defense but so far, he's been a non-factor for the Texters. No highlight worthy dunks, no rebounds, no offense-- nothing. Did RDO hit the nail on the head by hinting that he, Alapag and Williams are starting to run out of gas from playing straight last season, the FIBA tourney and Jones Cup all the way to the Philippine Cup and CC Finals? Could be. But this is the championship, and everyone needs to suck it up and just ball. If Williams turns it on for Game 7, then the Texters will march on to another successful title defense.

3. Leave Ryan Reyes on James Yap. They've danced in the Finals before, and yes, RR has a title over Yap. The Energizer has the body, speed and smarts to take Yap out of his comfort zone regardless if Yap's making big shots the last two games. He's being forced to work harder-- which means Yap is being forced to dominate the ball longer than he should to find scoring opportunities for himself. The Texters will take it since it has translated to stagnation on the other Llamados' part (Simon being the prime culprit).

4. Let Ranidel shoot. He'll miss some, but he'll also make at least a third of what he chucks up. Basketball, on the highest level, is all about confidence. The greatest players were always technically flawed, but they made up for it by being ballsy and by never waning in trusting in themselves and their specific skillsets. Against the stingy defense of Pingris, RDO is struggling receiving the basketball in the paint. But against JDV and even big brother Yancy, RDO's approach turns from the post to the outside where he knows he has at least a step or two advantage over his defenders. We've always said that RDO seems to play better whenever he gets force-fed early, and Game 6 was a prime example of that.

5. Unleash the Jayson Castro. More high screens. More picks. More brush screens. Keep feeding Castro the basketball and ensure that the bigs are ready to set sturdy screens and keep their lightning-fast superstar guard out of the Llamados' defenders reach. The way he's playing right now, Castro by his lonesome is on a level never before seen from PBA guards. He's almost like a hybrid young Mark Caguioa and Johnny Abarrientos rolled into one. He can dart into the paint, he can spot the open guy even through traffic and has a pet three point shot just to mix things up. There's no telling just how much pain this guy is playing in, but you'd have to give him credit for all he's done to keep the Texters afloat in a series that they've suddenly found themselves on equal ground with their opponents.

What else do you think should the Llamados/ Texters consider for Game 7 in order to win it all?