PBA Commish Cup semis: Aces score 1st win over Cone

Dozier's making Bowles look old

After nine failed attempts over the course of a season and a half, Luigi Trillo and the Alaska Aces were finally able to beat former coach Tim Cone and the San Mig Coffee Mixers with a convincing 86-67 victory at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Just when it seemed that beating the Mixers was a gargantuan task that the Aces would never be able to accomplish, the Red and Black came out with a different mindset and game plan altogether: attack the rim. In Game 1, the Aces appeared to be at ease with trading jumpshots with the Mixers as they were playing exceptional defense on each other. Tonight, despite another strong effort on the defensive end by the Mixers early in the first, the Aces were just relentless.

PBA Commish Cup semis: Proud Texters fight back

Before RDO's clutch 4th quarter and Castro's blurry ways,
Alapag was there to save the day for TNT

For the first three quarters, it appeared as though the resurgent Barangay Ginebra San Miguel were well on their way to having one foot placed at the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals' doorstep. They were cohesive on the floor, scoring from all angles and getting major contribution from just about anyone and everyone that Ginebra head coach Alfrancis Chua brought in.

Then came the 4th quarter.

That's when the battle-tested (or should we say "weary") Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters, down 0-1 in the Best-of-Five and already at the brink of suffering yet another defeat, took a gallant stand. At the forefront was future PBA Hall-of-Famer Jimmy Alapag, our bet to make the save, finishing with 17 points and 8 assists while playing a team second-best 35 minutes. Jayson Castro also showed up, appearing to have realized that while LA Tenorio is a passable defender, Castro has a few inches and pounds over his Ginebra counterpart. That, plus noone would ever confuse Tenorio's backup, Josh Urbiztondo, with a young Wyne Arboleda.

Can the Aces really win over the Mixers?

Who's yo daddy?

Another San Mig Coffee Mixers game for the Alaska Aces, another painful loss that appears to know no end.

What is it with these two teams-- the way they cancel each other out and pretty much play at an equal footing not 'til the closing moments where the Mixers' veteran leadership and overall court savvy comes in to play? The victory was there for the taking for the hard-fighting Aces. They took every jab, straight and hook from the mighty Mixers and were unnerved by it all.

But when it mattered most, the Mixers stuck to who they were under coach Tim Cone, while the Aces faltered-- revealing their own coach's, Luigi Trillo's, lack of composure at the end. Why did Trillo opt to sit star guard Cyrus Baguio for majority of the 4th quarter when they needed some scoring to possibly break away?

Revival

Remember when RDO, today's best Pinoy big man,
was left off the national team years back?
It's because of Kerby. And Kerby's reminding us why.

There's something in the air...

... it stands tall amidst the deafening chants of over 14,000 strong, most of which wear red, black and white proudly as colors. It is enough to rejuvenate tired old bones, wounded and almost forgotten army generals who once stood proud at the forefront of several conquests.

Out of the ashes the forgotten arose, defying the hands of time, ignorant of the way of the basketball. This is a new era, where athletes come in droves taller, bigger, faster and highly trained with new knowledge shared faster and more simpler. The old guards are supposed to stand aside, they're supposed to know their place as they have already paid their dues and paved the way for the next generation as those before them.

But not these soldiers, or at the very least, not yet.

PBA Commish Cup semis: Ginebra makes a statement

"WTF Jerome? I had centers
in college that play D better than you."

What in the blue mfkng hell was that?

The favored Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters suffered a humiliating and near-devastating 81-104 blowout at the hands of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel to kickstart their PBA Commisioner's Cup semifinals showdown. This, after appearing to have recovered mid-conference and looking as poised as ever to march on to their nth PBA Finals

Well, don't tell Ginebra that.

PBA Commish Cup semis: Alaska vs San Mig Coffee

P*tangina banggaan to!

Trust that you've read our "emo" piece on the Alaska Aces and the San Mig Coffee Mixers going into their PBA Commissioner's Cup semifinals match-up. Now, we're breaking down the match-ups and as always, going out on a limb to test our credibility (what?) and pick a winner.

PG JVee Casio/ RJ Jazul vs  Mark Barroca/ Joe DeVance
We've seen JDV being given the freedom by Mixers coach Tim Cone to run the point as an out-of-this-country sized point guard lately, and we are banking on even more ball-time for JDV. Casio and Jazul, though great offensively, are not as established defensively as Meralco's Chris Ross which allows JDV to dribble whenever and wherever he wants. This is going to be a problem for the Aces because JDV will undoubtedly set up shop down low and pretty much punish his pint-sized counterparts. If you're holding out for a Casio vs Barroca showdown, they'll cancel each other out. And as far as we've known Cone, he's not the type who's content with guys canceling one another. He wants the advantage-- and his name is JDV.
Adv. Mixers

Case of the Ex

Cone's superstars take on Aces' hustlers

Remember that ex-girlfriend/boyfriend of yours back in the day who you thought was the one you'd end up marrying someday? The one you'd spend crazy times with, experiment on (we'll leave this up to your imagination) and sincerely, at the bottom of your heart, feel will be the one who'd always be there for you as you would for them?

"The one that got away."

Well, we doubt that San Mig Coffee Mixers head coach Tim Cone feels the same for his former team of so many years, the Alaska Aces-- but there's undeniable history and a touch of bitterness there. Though they "broke up" in good terms and both parties have nothing but commendations, praises and the like for one another, the fact of the matter is that Cone left the Aces because he felt like they couldn't win anymore. They were (obviously) no match for the "richer" teams that would just treat independent ones as "farm teams," plucking superstars left and right even if they're offered the same amount of money (on paper anyway)

PBA Commish Cup semis: Talk 'n' Text vs Ginebra

Best PG in the PBA
might be decided in this series

What a funny coincidence, having two low-seeded teams going at it for the right to advance to the 2013 PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals. On one side you have the 6th seeded Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters which thoroughly man-handled the (reeling) 3rd seeded Petron Blaze Boosters. On the other, you have the 7th seeded Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, arguably playing their best basketball under Coach Alfrancis Chua, overcoming the odds and winning over 2nd seeded Rain or Shine Elastopainters.

And though we love and appreciate Ginebra's mighty run, there's no denying that from the looks of things, they are about to hit a brick wall which will effectively end their heroic and magical run.

See, the Elastopainters were supposed to win. They were complete, they were healthy and they have bigs in just about every position. Unfortunately, they took Ginebra lightly and didn't seem to have the right mentality going into the Playoffs and that's what cost them the series (with the defiant Ginebra veterans taking full advantage).

Ginebra: Started from the bottom, now they're here

Urbiztondo gets a ride to the semis;
thanks BaRajko

What a series!

Forget about the rankings for a minute (because the great sports writers of this generation would undoubtedly, unabashedly and shamefully milk the whole "7th seed upsetting a 2nd seed dry" anyway), this PBA Commissioner's Cup Playoffs between the Rain or Shine Elastopainters and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel should go down as a classic.

Anytime Ginebra goes up against a Yeng Guiao-coached team, we find ourselves rather torn. We're loyal to old school basketball, which what the name "Ginebra" is all about, we love Mark Caguioa and think that he is the best Filipino basketball player ever second only to the great 4x PBA MVP Ramon Fernandez (with another 4x PBA MVP Alvin Patrimonio as 3rd best) but we just love the gritty stand that Guiao teams always play with.

What if Choke-gate never happened?

What if Balkman kept his hands to himself?

Would the Petron Blaze Boosters be enjoying a nice, comfy seat in the semifinals waiting for the Ginebra-Rain or Shine winner instead of Talk 'n' Text? Would everything that has gone wrong for the Boosters the last one and a half conference be forgotten and dismissed as mere "growing pains"-- justified and vindicated by the team's success?

And finally, was the ouster of Renaldo Balkman really that big of a deal considering their opponent, TNT, changed imports just as much as they did?

From a team chemistry standpoint, on the floor at least, yes. Balkman was that versatile four that Arwind Santos forgot to play like and Jay Washington never was. He brought intensity and hustle that allowed his teammates to just feed off it. Rookie center JuneMar Fajardo was left to fend for himself (with much success) as the team's anchor at the five spot guarding imports his size or bigger. Balkman was not an established scorer ala Air21's Mike Dunnigan or Meralco's Eric Dawson, but he sure as hell brought it night in and night out with tremendous energy and passion for the game.

PBA should "Go5"

Imagine Kidlat's new foes:
Calvin Abueva, Ronald Tubid
and Beau Belga

We ask all our readers to bear with us as we write about a topic probably as PBA-related as a Kris Aquino-James Yap story or a "who's he sleeping with" piece if only because it doesn't directly review/ criticize a certain player or game.

Today we want to discuss AKTV (and TV5) chair Manny V. Pangilinan's decision to not renew their block time (think Eat Bulaga's owning company- TAPE's relation with GMA 7) agreement with IBC 13 once it expires this May 2013. As of press time, AKTV has officially sought the PBA Board's approval in airing the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals on the "mother ship" TV5 much like they did for the NCAA just a few months back.

To that, we say "do it."

PBA Commish Cup Playoffs: 1-0

What we've learned so far in the PBA Playoffs:
Cabagnot is still Alapag's b*tch.

Alaska Aces (1) vs Air21 Express (8): Aces advance to next round
That's all she wrote for the Express. Aces' went with a zone to take out Express import Mike Dunigan and dared anyone not named Nino Canaleta to beat them from deep. JVee Casio has risen from rookie teammate's magnetising shadow to stand out as the Aces' true leader on the floor with his steady and heady point guard plays. This guys is just amazing to watch, doesn't force shots (almost to a fault) and never, EVER, gives up his dribble until he finds an open man or a good look. Just sound team basketball for the Aces anchored on them having arguably some of the league's best players at each position save for power forward (which isn't much of a big deal given that center Sonny Thoss is doing just fine there playing alongside import Rob Dozier).

Rain or Shine (2) vs Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (7): Ginebra forces do-or-die Monday
The game was theirs for the taking but in true Elastopainters fashion, they started to become stagnant and predictable and almost ignorantly and bullishly kept going inside to Sundov in the 3rd quarter when  Ginebra made the necessary adjustment to send three guys over each and every time. Referees had an impact in the third quarter, but the Elastopainters were still in it so no excuses there. Bad game for Gabe Norwood, who was fighting tooth and nail in that "meaningless" Meralco game to avoid this match with Ginebra (and now we know why). He did absolutely nothing tonight, guarding pint-sized guards LA Tenorio and Josh Urbiztondo and failing miserably. Beau Belga and JayR Quinahan need to be called out as well, the Elastopainters need to make use of their advantage in depth (specially on the block) to the hilt on Monday's do-or-die game or just concede the series to Ginebra.

Into the PBA Commish Cup Playoffs (Part 2.2)

Ibalik ang bangis!

San Mig Coffee Mixers (4) vs Meralco Bolts (5)
No other playoff match-up could be as 50-50 as this one not only because of their "too close to call" rankings but also because one team is rising steadily while the other is suffering from a malady of injuries and off-court issues. As a basketball fan, we're quite pleased that the Mixers are back in the hunt to defend their title after a slow star and that the Bolts, dismissed as a team that's clearly tanking to get a better seeding at next year's PBA draft after the lopsided Sol Mercado trade, are back in the Playoffs.

PG Mark Barocca vs Chris Ross
It's going to be speed versus speed, with a slight edge to Ross for his defensive tenacity and rebounding. Barocca's not too shabby either and for the Mixers to win they'll need the former FEU stalwart to deliver offensively and defensively. It's going to be interesting on how these two will guard each other. Ross can't give Barocca too much daylight as the latter has shown an improvement from the outside. Barocca can't stick too closely to Ross because the Fil-Am will just blitz his way to the rim for the finish or a kickout to his shooters. Ross can guard Barocca straight up, but Barocca will have to watch out for Ross' outside passes so the entire Mixers will have to chip in to play safety at all times.

Adv. Meralco

Into the PBA Commish Cup Playoffs (Part 2.1)

All eyes on Fajardo

Petron Blaze Boosters (3) vs Talk n Text Tropang Texters (6) vs 
To dismiss this Playoff match-up as just another "game on the schedule" would be a disservice-- borderline criminal even. We know the on-court rivalry which is shadowed moreso by what's going on off-court. What we have previously coined as "The Silent War" lives on; albeit toned down somewhat for the sake of Philippine basketball. But make no mistake about it, once the ball is in the air bodies will start getting thrown with reckless abandon and the bonus checks and other perks will be handed the winning team despite this not being for all the marbles just yet.

PG Jimmy Alapag/ Jayson Castro vs Denok Miranda/ Alex Cabagnot
The yardstick of all Filipino pointguards and his bull-strong, cat-quick understudy versus the guy who crashed the "Best PG discussion" a season ago (only to fall back down to earth) and a defensive-minded pitbull. Yep, this series will be ultimately decided by whichever backcourt will be able to dictate their team's tempo. We all know that Petron is a better team on the run while TNT (under coach Norman Black) prefers the old school, halfcourt grind-it-out approach. Castro vs Miranda will be interesting since it will push Miranda to the hilt and test his reputation as being one of the league's premier defensive guards. We know he has the body to match with Castro, we're not so sure if the same can be said about his speed. Alapag versus Cabagnot would be a masterful lecture on "Clutch 101"-- Cabagnot's been under a lot of heat for his hero-balling ways, but what do you call Alapag's ballsy long treys? Aren't those "hero ball" plays as well? Difference of course is that Alapag makes them. Cabagnot, after 15 seconds of dribbling the air out of the ball, just jacks and prays.

Adv. TNT

Into the PBA Commish Cup Playoffs (part 1)

God Mode?
Don't they know I invented "COOL?"

Alaska Aces (1) vs Air21 Express (8)
Make no mistake about it, no matter how promising the players on the court are this match-up will be decided on the coaching end. It's going to be the Aces' upstart Luigi Trillo versus tried-and-tested collegiate coach Franz Pumaren for Air21. At first glance, you're already looking at a highly entertaining series with the following match-ups:

PG JVee Casio vs Mike Cortez
It's going to be the guy that was embraced and loved by the Green-and-White going up against the one that was controversially disowned/disgraced/disavowed (before time healed all the old wounds). Both guys are coming off injury concerns, but of the two, it's going to be Cortez who will prove to be more invaluable to his team rather than Casio. Though Casio is continuing to learn and excel as a PBA-level point guard, he has the luxury of having RJ Jazul and even rookie Raffy Reyes to spell him and steer the Aces' offense. Cortez on the other hand, will have no reprieve in this one and is the one true catalyst should Air21 ever hope of stealing a game. Casio needs to look for his shots to keep Cortez honest, while the latter needs to use his height and heft to the hilt and keep on attacking the rim like the Cool Cat of old.

Adv. Air21

Another day, another L for Batang Pier

Tough luck for Sol
and his "Most Improved" campaign

When was the last time the pre-Commissioner's Cup favourites GlobalPort Batang Pier won a game?

That was on February 15, a masterful 89-80 victory over the then still clueless Barangay Ginebra San Miguel led by an even more clueless Herbert Hill. After that, the Batang Pier would go on one of the ugliest, nay, horrendous losing streaks in all of Philippine basketball by dropping all 11 of their next assignments mostly in blowout fashion.

Weren't they supposed to be the dark horses? Actually, with the souped-up line-up featuring Gary David, 2x PBA MVP Willie Miller, Japeth Aguilar and Sol Mercado plus promising rookies Jason Deutchman and AJ Mandani and a solid bench-- they were more than just dark horses. Hell, they were playoff picks by just about every one who knows their basketball.

PBA 2012 Draft: More busts than stars?

Is "The Muscle" too small to dominate the PBA?

While this year's PBA Draft will go down in history as the Year of the Fajardo/Abueva (depending on which camp you happen to be cheering for), it should be noted that of the 39 players selected (in an eye-popping 6 round draft thanks to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel's binge shopping for point guards), only a handful are still in the league and about five to six of them to actually be relevant.

On top are Petron's Junemar Fajardo, the first overall pick, inconsistent but very mobile and impressive for a guy his size and Alaska's Calvin Abueva, a sure lock for the year's top Rookie prize given his impact on his team and how he is able to carry his "beastly" game over to the pros with relative ease (and how he's managed to get in the heads of a lot of veterans when it's supposed to be the other way around).

After those guys, it's really a toss up on who else is going to be a star or at the very least-- "useful" for his team in the long run.

Ginebra wins minus MVP

Tenorio's takeover

Despite not having reigning PBA Most Valuable Player Mark Caguioa in the fold the last couple of games, the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel have stormed into 4th place of the ongoing Commissioner's Cup thanks to a fiery six-game winning streak.

The victories, all via an average lead of about "only" 5.3 points, have been brought about by the obvious chemistry between prized acquisition L.A. Tenorio and replacement import Vernon Macklin (who took over for the ineffective Herbert Hill). From lobs to gimmes, the two have been a joy to watch with Tenorio enjoying his best string of games so far wearing Ginebra's red, white and black colors (averaging around 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists a game).

Also coming to Tenorio's aide are Kerby Raymundo (6 points, 4 rebounds in only 13 minutes), Mac Baracael and Rob Labagala.

Why Beau Belga is an All Star

2x PBA MVP and.. the All Star

When was the last time that you really found it in your heart to cheer for the bad guy?

Denzel Washington in Training Day? Wreck-it-Ralph before he turned over a new leaf? Cruela DeVille or that villainess from The Devil Wears Prada (for our female readers)? How about in the Philippine Basketball Association-- have you ever really cheered for the bruisers, the enforcer: the guy who's brought into the game to dish out fouls faster than a  food attendant on a McDonald's freebie breakfast burger day?

For the record, the Rain or Shine Elastopainters' beefy center Beau Belga has logged in career averages of 6 points and 5 rebounds in almost 21 minutes of burn since being drafted 7th overall by Purefoods in 2008. He's never averaged in double figures and would probably be the last guy most PBA Fantasy Team owners would want to take into their rosters.

Coca Cola kicks-off Youngstars Program Year 2

Atty. Adel Tamano, Vice-President for Public Affairs and Communications for Coca-Cola Philippines (right) with PBA Commissioner Atty. Angelico “Chito” Salud (left) during the second year kick-off of the Coca-Cola PBA Youngstars Basketball League

MANILA, Philippines — Coca-Cola Philippines recently reaffirmed its commitment to promote healthy and active living during the second year kick-off of the Coca-Cola PBA Youngstars Basketball League.

Coca-Cola PBA Youngstars is a nationwide grassroots program, which aims to reach out to more than 7,000 aspiring basketball stars aged 13 to 16 across different cities, provinces, and municipalities in the country.

“We have partnered with the Philippine Basketball Association for this program because leading an active healthy lifestyle has a positive impact on health and wellbeing, delivering a range of physical, mental and social benefits especially for young people,” says Atty. Adel Tamano, Vice-President for Public Affairs and Communications for Coca-Cola Philippines.

Alaska breaks tie with Rain or Shine

Should the two teams meet in the Finals,
the theme should be
LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR

The legend of the Cebuano Hotshot lives on.

Sinking seven of 10 three point attempts, Alaska Aces' veteran leader Dondon Hontiveros carried the fight when all seemed lost after his team fell by as much as 22 points versus the Rain or Shine Elastopainters.

Prior to the 4th quarter and overtime barrage, the Aces appeared to be out of sync and couldn't make any of their attempts. The Elastopainters on the other hand, were firing from all cylinders and making the most of mismatches on the floor starting with 7"3 import Bruno Sundov, big guard Paul Lee and the usual bench mob suspects (just pick your poison from game to game, tonight it was a little of TY Tang, Jireh Ybanes and Jervy Cruz).

Then midway of the third happened.

Apostle's Creed

Batman and Robin?
No, more like Batman and Green Lantern

While 2x PBA Most Valuable Player James Yap continues to hog the limelight for the San Mig Coffee Mixers both on and off the court, this season has been about the continued rise to prominence of Yap's "sidekick," scorer Peter June Simon.

But based on what we've seen so far, Simon is anything BUT a sidekick to Yap. In the Ryan Gregorio years perhaps, but Simon has blossomed into a complete player under Gregorio's replacement, head coach Tim Cone. Cone has done a marvelous job in honing Simon's all-around offensive skills, forcing the Davao City native to play facilitator and even off the ball instead of just waiting his turn on the isolation sets.

It's official: PBA names Anti-Gilas

Can the two Cabalens
co-exist to defeat Gilas?

After much online speculation and the PBA's official tallying of the votes for this year's All Star Game to be held at Digos, here's the official line-up of the team that will test the mettle of the SMART Gilas Pilipinas team coached by Chot Reyes.

PG: Alex Cabagnot, JVee Casio; SG: James Yap, reigning PBA MVP Mark Caguioa, Cyrus Baguio; SF: Calvin Abueva, Chris Ellis, Marcio Lassiter; PF: Nino Canaleta, Arwind Santos, Jay Washington; C: Beau Belga

Missing are breakout stars Sol Mercado (he's part of another All Star select team but is a lock to replace the hurting Casio) and Chris Ross, and maybe even guys like Mike Cortez (who's having a stellar season after being reunited with college coach Franz Pumaren) and reigning PBA Rookie of the Year Paul Lee.

The Prototype

The Prototype

There was a time when PBA commentators would readily hand out monikers to just about anyone and everyone-- stars or not. Some of which became legendary thanks to that player's on-court skills, others stuck because it was simply the humorous thing to do.

It has always fascinated us how noone really came up with a moniker for one Gabby Espinas. We're not talking about the Espinas of today who has proven to be a solid contributor for the Alaska Aces, or the Espinas that was drafted by the San Miguel Beermen (now Petron Blaze Boosters) and buried on the bench behind a bunch of frontline veterans. We're talking about the Philippine Christian University-era Gabby Espinas, the man who won Rookie of the Year-Most Valuable Player in the NCAA (which was tarnished the year after when the league opted to give the same ROY-MVP double award to FOREIGNER Sam Ekwe) and was posting crazy, Calvin "The Beast" Abueva numbers even before The Beast came into the scene.

Powerhouse cast to form Anti-Gilas

If the voting for the PBA All Stars "Anti-Gilas" selection were to end today, then we are looking at a legit, tough opponent for Coach Chot Reyes et. al. that could ultimately decide the fate of Philippine basketball.

See, it's no secret that "The Silent War" is still alive and kicking. And to simply appease some circles, San Miguel gave in and lent their players but not before sticking to the "one player per team" dictum of PBA Commissioner Chito Salud. They lent Junemar Fajardo, Marc Pingris and L.A. Tenorio to the national cause, yes, but they were sure to leave out other stellar names by "hiding" behind that quote from good old Kume.

At the moment, rounding out the starting five are: James Yap, Mark Caguioa, PJ Simon, Arwind Santos  and Calvin Abueva.