PBA GovCup Finals: A Review

Nawala ung laro ni Sakuragi

Now that the dust has settled a bit and some of the euphoria has faded into the rainy evening, let's look back at some of the things we learned from the highly competitive PBA GovCup Finals that opened a lot of eyes.

First, there's the fact that the champions-- the Rain or Shine Elastopainters, managed to win big the old fashioned way: "Built not bought." The title was six years in the making, took some retooling and a more aggressive stance (thanks to Coach Yeng Guiao who took over for the meek Caloy Garcia) but it was arguably a breath of fresh air in a league dominated by powerhouse teams with endless financial exploits.

So without further adieu...

Whatever happened to Marc Pingris

Let’s start with the easiest one since no other player disappeared in the Finals as much as Pingris did. This writer isn’t claiming that the Llamados could’ve won Game 7 had Pingris been effective, but merely pointing out that he was taken off his element by the unforgiving, bruising, Elastopainters. 

In case you haven’t played against a fat man before, or don’t play the sport at all, think of it as you trying to get through a fat, fat, FAAAAT man who’s blocking the door to the toilet. 

Not so easy huh? Rafi Reavis was brought in and was pretty effective simply because he was taller and had a longer wingspan/ reach than Pingris. 

Why didn’t Coach Tim Cone go with Jonas Villanueva 

This is what bothers me the most. Josh Urbiztondo wasn’t getting the job done, so was Mark Barroca. Every time Cone went with Villanueva, the good more than outweighed whatever error he did on the court. He had the size, smarts and shooting to keep Norwood honest on defense—and yet Cone asked him to play SG most of the time as Yap and Simon’s chief reliever. It was okay at first since Norwood wasn’t doing so much damage in the first six games—but come Game 7, the minute Norwood went up for that mid range jumper right at Urbiztondo’s grill, Villanueva should’ve been brought into the game ASAP. 

It’s not like Urbiztondo, or Barroca were doing so great on either offense and defense anyway. 

Really now, the guy’s a former Finals MVP for a reason. 

Did Joe DeVance’s absence really hurt the team 

This writer says yes and no. Offensively, JDV could’ve added some more firepower and knocked down his patented Js. But Yancy de Ocampo was doing that AND battling underneath which you simply cannot say for JDV who is an even bigger finesse player than the former many time National team (amateurs) player. Though we admit that JDV's ball-handling skills could’ve forced either Belga, JR Quinahan or even import Cornley outside which could’ve made a big difference in the battle for rebounds. 

How about JC Intal’s 

Until Intal rediscovers his old, Ateneo Blue Eagle superstar self, he would’ve been owned by either Jireh Ibanes or Ryan Arana—both stellar defensive guys who can also make baskets when need be. Intal can score, but he has yet to learn how to play effective, grounded defense (hindi yung puro talon lang gaya ni Japeth Aguilar). 

How different would the series be had Paul Lee been at 100% 

It would’ve been ugly. Lee would’ve dissected the Llamados’ defense, this series could’ve been over in five and the Llamados still wouldn’t know what hit them. 

Seriously though. Lee is the one guy who makes Jeff Chan even better by always having him at the corner of his eye for kickout threes. Once Lee makes his move to the basket, the defense is sucked in (a natural occurrence in the sport of basketball, any guard who drives hard to the rim is bound to draw in a crowd) and, well, BAAAAAhhhnnngg! 

You all saw how Lee pretty much owned Urbiztondo AND Barroca in Game 1 right? All that with a bad shoulder. Bangis pare. 

Marqus Blakely vs Jamelle Cornley 

While Blakely has the stats and the support of the BMeg Planet, Cornley was just what the doctor ordered for the Elastopainters. Everything clicked. He was the aggressor, the muscle, he can rebound, post-up, shoot jumpers and even drill in a three from time to time when left open. While Blakely was looking NBA-esque out there with spectacular full-extension slam dunks, Cornley was busy throwing his guns around down low and making fun of Reavis, Pingris, de Ocampo and whoever wanted a piece. 

When it was clear that the Elastopainters saw that the key to the series was the battle inside, the Llamados couldn’t match-up because their best player—the import, was a wingman by trade. A position that they already feature two of the best of (Yap and Simon). 

He was Vin Diesel in Fast and Furious. He was a bad mofo. He was, is, the rightful and deserving Best Import of the Conference. 

Physical or dirty 

So was the series physical? Hell yes. Were the Elastopaitners physical? It was the only way they could win. Was it dirty? No. Not as consciously as Pingris headbutting Arana, Yap throwing a sneak punch or Blakely trying to trip-kick Belga on a fastbreak. 

The Elastopainters played bruising defense (and offense) by forcing the action at all times. They didn’t take pretty jumpers outside of designated gunner Chan and wannabe Ronjay Buenafe. Their M.O. was to get to the rim, get to the rim and get to the rim. 

The Llamados? Once they felt that the calls weren’t going their way (which wasn’t the case even) they either sat and whined or took jumpers. Other than Yap’s late Game 7 heroics which almost won them the game, they weren’t driving as hard to the rim. They only drove when they were open, which is what people should do, but not against crowds like a bull off its restraints. 

Was Beau Belga out of line in this series with all his fouls and extra motions? 

Could be. But that’s from a viewer’s perspective which isn’t always the case with how the officiating goes. It’s not Belga or the Elastopainters fault that the Llamados didn’t have a bruiser in the same weight division (I was going to mention Ken Bono, but he’s more of a finesse big). For all the muscles that reserve Jerwin Gaco has and the length that the Sampayan Brigade enjoy, they were just outmatched by Extra Rice, Inc. 

Wala pa nga yung paborito kong Kargador Corps (Jervy Cruz, Ronnie Matias and Larry Rodriguez) nyan e! 

Truly, while Cone was busy arguing, begging the referees to call it like they do in today’s era of basketball—the Elastopainters just kept on playing true to their colors. Had the calls been made tigheter, the series would’ve easily shifted over to the Llamados favor with guys from the Elastopainters’ side sure to foul out before the 4th quarter. 

Yap, Simon (who was the biggest victim of them all, endlessly hounded by Arana who is the dirtiest defender this side of Wyne Arboleda and Ryan Reyes) and Blakely waited for calls that never came. Yap, to his credit, elevated his game to another level but the rest just didn’t follow his lead and couldn’t get “where’s the whistle” off their minds. 

Gabe Norwood is not a point guard 

He has legit, point guard level handles. Is crazy athletic, long and quick on his feet. But this series more than exposed Norwood, only being able to hold himself because he was going up against smaller competition. Truly, had a bigger point guard been used by the Llamados- either Villanueva or Simon, Norwood would've been taken out of the equation easily. Switch him back to small forward, where all his activity is put into good use-- there he can rebound, score on putbacks and gimmes and so on.

The Finals MVP should have been... 

Even if they lost, James Yap should've been crowned Finals MVP. You just can't take away from his performance, the way he pretty much took control for his team the last three games and even tried to valiantly win Game 7 all by himself before being stopped dead on his tracks by Elastopainters import Cornley. But since the PBA isn't a big fan of drama, it went to Jeff Chan. A safe bet, since he's had a stellar season and is just a couple of "me-first" plays away from being a borderline PBA superstar. He disappeared some nights, but because of his deadeye three pointers, still averaged a decent 12 points a game. 

The real Finals MVP for the Elastopainters' side is none other than Coach Yeng Guiao. Trusting his players through and through, even when shots weren't falling and they were looking like asses on the court (as is the case of Norwood). He never pulled them out unless they were hurting or in foul trouble. Even when the whole world seems to have cast his team as a dirty lot, he stood by them. He deflected all the Finals pressure from his young team. He absorbed all of the heat. He made a bold prediction and stood by it and in the end, his team gutted out the win for the fiery Cabalen mentor.

What else did you learn/ observe from the highly physical yet very entertaining series?

P.S.

Sa lahat po ng nagbasa at nagtyaga sa mga typos, senseless rants at kahit ung medyo biased na pagsusulat sa PBA season na ito-- maraming salamat!