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



SG Ryan Reyes vs Chris Lutz/ Ronald Tubid/ Joseph Yeo  
How healthy are Reyes and Lutz going in? Reyes is a huge threat because of his knack for drilling in corner pocket threes when he's not looking to slash to the hoop. He's also an elite level defender so that's going to make life tough for Lutz who prefers catching the ball rather than going iso and just knocking down midrange Js. Yeo needs to come in and attack early, he can't settle for treys because TNT will just give that to him all day. Still, after Reyes there's Aaron Aban who's more defender than scorer so we'll have to give the nod to Petron on this one. Tubid's going to get on someone's nerves, but Reyes is as blue collar as they come. A Tubid-Fonacier match-up would be fun to watch though.

Adv. Petron

SF Jarred Dillinger/ Larry Fonacier vs Marcio Lassiter/ Arwind Santos
We're sorry. We're still under the impression that Petron is Arwind Santos' team but apparently, it's not Marcio Lassiter's. Owing to his fiery approach to the game, Lassiter has won over a lot of Petron fans who actually don't mind seeing less of Santos (or Jay Washington) more and more. It's going to be Fonacier's craftiness going up against Lassiter's swagger-licious exploits and owing to the Fil-Am's athletic frame, we're going to have to go with the Petron guard on this match-up. Dillinger vs Santos will be nice, only if Dillinger gets going early and if Santos goes back to the basics and locks people up defensively (now that Petron doesn't need him to force shots or grab double digit rebounds).

Adv. Tied

PF Ranidel de Ocampo/ Ali Peek vs JuneMar Fajardo/ Jay Washington
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair once said: "To be the Man *whooooo* you've got to beat the man! *whooooooooo*" If Petron's promising 6"9 giant Fajardo is ever to ascend to the throne of elite local-bred big men then he'll have to take the throne from the guy who has held on to it for the last three-four years: De Ocampo. As mobile as Fajardo is, the 6"7 De Ocampo is going to play this one smart and use his range to the hilt. If RDO starts hitting from the outside, then Fajardo will be taken off the game in favor of Washington who is athletic and could stay with RDO, but will get buried in a mirage of low post moves once the pride of the St. Francis of Assisi Doves starts going to work. Unlike in yesterday's game wherein Fajardo looked dominant, the Playoffs are of a different matter. RDO, Peek and Carey won't take the giant as lightly, and elbows will be thrown. This will not be for the weak of heart.

Adv. TNT

C Jerome Jordan vs Henry Sims
Sims looks pretty solid, but we find Jordan intriguing. He's a cool customer who looks to be very comfortable as early as his first game with TNT in passing the basketball and just waiting for opportunities. He's almost like an alter ego of Alaska's Rob Dozier in a way, except that the wiry seven-footer seems to have both hands up on every defensive play. He's not as flashy, but he's crazy efficient and has solid foot work and tendencies on the floor. We'll see how he bounces back from last night's slow showing.

Adv. TNT

Overall, we pray that this series goes to the hilt and that neither team gets blown out. This is a PBA Finals all to itself with all the storylines and behind-the-scenes drama. TNT's bench doesn't have the same starpower as Petron, but they play better together both on offense and defense. Also, this is going to be a sharp learning curve for neophyte Petron coach Olsen Racela as he goes up against TNT counterpart Norman Black and the "better Racela" as far as coaching is concerned, Nash (who's actually won a pro-title in the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association).