Play to win

Regardless of the conclusion of the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals later on today, we've been treated to two conference's worth of prime time, premium basketball action. The players are literally leaving everything out on the floor and the fans, in turn, are responding to it by filling the venues, watching online and missing out on their favorite tele-novelas.

Both the BMeg Llamados and Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters have been fighting tooth and nail thus far, and the Finals MVP will surely be given to the individual who deserves it most (unlike some instances regarding the Season MVP wherein guys win via media votes and not by what they have done the whole season). That being said, here are the frontrunners (and maybe darkhorses) when it comes to the Finals MVP award.

And yes, KKS only recognizes locals and not the imports no matter how Godly they are on the floor. They don't need the added publicity or write-ups anyway right?

The nominees:





B-Meg

NOW you may call him Big Game James

1. James Yap
Other than sharing some of the spotlight to hotshot teammate PJ Simon early in the series, Yap has now fully emerged and embraced his role as team leader. He's no longer just shooting the basketball and looking pretty for photos, he's also willing to do some of the dirty work and hustle for rebounds like never before. Yes, his improved defensive work took a hit when his guy, Jarred Dillinger, broke out mid-series, but overall he's been looking like the complete superstar player we haven't really seen since, well, no one (most of our legit, high-scoring PBA superstars are one-way guys who score a lot and not really bother to rebound or play honest defense).

2. Marc Pingris
If there's any other guy who should be praised in this series for the Llamados, then look no further than the Pinoy Sakuragi (and not Simon). Yes, in six games, Simon and Yap have scored more points than Pingris will ever have in a whole conference, but that's not where Pingris' presence was felt. Playing key defense on the Texters' Ranidel de Ocampo, Pingris was able to allow his team the leeway to concentrate on keeping the Texters' guards from going hard to the rim. With RDO out in a funk, the Texters lost a multiple-threat on the floor who could shoot threes and even post-up. This forced the Texters to be more creative on offense (which they did quite successfully), but never against Pingris' solid D.

Darkhorse pick: Jonas Villanueva
He's not putting up the numbers, he's the third point guard on Coach Tim Cone's rotation, but whenever he's on the floor the Llamados look more balanced, more relaxed. KKS' pick as the Llamados' X-factor of the series, Villanueva has been proving us right all along-- this guy is too good to be playing behind a non-traditional PG like Josh Urbiztondo and even a still raw Andy Barocca. The only thing keeping him glued to Cone's bench is his lack of shot creativity and consistency but other than that, he keeps the Llamados in control whenever he's on the floor.

Talk 'n' Text

Peek gave Texters needed muscle in this series

1. Jayson Castro
The heart, the fight, the grit, the speed, the three balls-- what else do you want from a guy who's pretty much supplanted teammate and future Hall of Famer Jimmy Alapag as the premier PG not only of Talk 'n' Text, but of the PBA as a whole?

2. Ryan Reyes
If you're looking for consistency, then Reyes is your guy. All throughout this series, RR has been asked to try and keep a body on Llamados superstar James Yap and he has done just that while also hitting his fair share of shots. Yes, Yap is still putting up huge numbers, but those were always contested by RR. Always playing with energy, hustling for the basketball and pushing the tempo, RR is proving time and again why he is the best defensive guard in the game today after inheriting the throne from Wyne Arboleda a year (or two) ago.

Darkhorse pick: Ali Peek
KKS is all about the underdogs, the guys who don't necessarily get enough credits from the media or in layman's terms, the approval of Quinito Henson and the multiple superlatives courtesy of Mico Halili. Peek isn't putting up the numbers, he isn't even getting touches in the paint-- but once he suited up for the Texters, the Llamados were forced to alter their game plan. First, Llamados' import Denzel Bowles had to adjust from merely throwing his weight around the paint to taking jumpers and facing up Amare Stoudemire style. Then, there's Marc Pingris who was dominating the boards in favor of the Llamados-- that changed the minute Peek came in and pretty much bullied his way inside. Make no mistake about it, Peek did a lot more damage in this series than RDO or any other Texters' frontliner by simple being a presence down low.