PBA Commish Cup Finals: Didn't you get the memo?

The Boss' D won it for the Aces in Game 1

Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the PBA Commissioner's Cup Best-of-Five Finals between the first seed Alaska Aces and the seventh seed Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

Why we opted to open this entry with that statement should be a no brainer for those of you who were able to witness the Wednesday night massacre of a hapless Ginebra side. Did they celebrate too early as  one of our favorite PBA legends-turned-TV's most Povedan-sounding analyst Jojo Lastimosa hint during their semifinals conquest of the badly-depleted Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters?

It sure seemed like it.

How else could you possibly explain this evening's 87-70 beating that was even as high as 30 points at one point? Ginebra didn't get the memo. They foolishly thought that what brought them to the dance, against Rain or Shine and the Texters were enough. They forgot that they were going up against a team that ran right through the competition early, and were even able to overcome their long time tormentors (the San Mig Coffee Mixers) in their own semifinals assignment.

We mentioned how Aces' point guard JVee Casio should go into the Finals with guns unholstered and with an attack personality reminiscent of his collegiate days. Well, he did. Casio buried a triple and a deuce to kickstart the Aces' offense and his teammates took it from there erecting a huge 14-0 lead and ending the first quarter with a dominating 28-6 score.

The Aces would run their sets, move the ball (they are running more motion offense than the triangle these days) and just put up shots that are in rhythm. They rarely take forced shots (only Cyrus Baguio and Calvin Abueva appear to have licenses to create on isolations) and are just a joy to watch in terms of overall fluidity and chemistry.

But more than offense, it was on the defensive end wherein the Aces really put the hurting to Ginebra.

Ginebra wanted to run, with star point guard L.A. Tenorio (14 points) at the forefront and the rest feeding off him. Import Vernon Macklin (16) positioning himself in the paint, ready for rim-shaking jams (the kind which we will now fondly refer to as INAMOKA SLAMS). Kerby Raymundo (9) had that bounce in his step like it were 2008. Yes, Ginebra was ready to put on a show.

Only, the Aces wouldn't allow it.

Sonny Thoss, the man we call as this series X-factor (as well as Cyrus Baguio) kept Macklin at bay. The 6"7 Fil-Swiss impressed us with his post defense, now allowing Macklin to get into any sort of scoring position in the paint. Then there's also the famed Tenorio to Macklin lobs which the Aces also scouted quite well, with their import Robert Dozier providing the front-side help to disrupt any and all passes going to Macklin.

On the weakside, Raymundo also had trouble getting into any sort of groove reminiscent of his Playoffs performances due to the cross match with Dozier. Unlike in the Rain or Shine series wherein he was guarded by slow-footed bigs and in the Texters series wherein he fought Ranidel de Ocampo to a draw, this time it was the Aces' agile 6"9 import guarding the pride of Bataan. And as good as revitalized a 6"6 finess post player as Raymundo is, Dozier is just long, crazy athletic and has great defensive instincts..

But perhaps the biggest and most telling factor why the Aces triumphed was how they guarded against Tenorio. The catalyst for many Ginebra rallies and attacks, Tenorio was on the receiving end of overly aggressive exploits from both the Aces' Casio (10 points) and RJ Jazul (16). Pushed on the defensive end, you could say that Tenorio was working both ends of the court as he also had to organize the chaotic Ginebra offense.

Tenorio was trapped, double and even triple teamed to submission every time he touched the ball. Whenever he'd sneak into the middle of the lane for his textbook teardrops, the Aces would swarm and challenge him to put up a contested shot. Though Tenorio got his points, he failed to get his teammates involved and that's why they were on the wrong end of a middle-of-the-week beating.

What to expect in Game Two?

We doubt that Ginebra would be blown out of the water for the second straight game. There were some shots early on that they simply missed and could've gone either way as well. Honestly, Ginebra head coach Alfrancis Chua's ploy to bring in the still and clearly hobbling Mark Caguioa was more of a Willis Reed-type of move to inspire his teammates more than anything. Tenorio will figure out a way to overcome the Aces' twin-headed point guard monster known as CaZul.

Plus, we need to see more of Macklin's INAMOKA slams.

P.S.

It should be noted that when Chua dared to send in Caguioa, Aces' coach Luigi Trillo trumped it by sending the feisty rookie Calvin Abueva (who was used sparingly tonight) over to the reigning PBA MVP. That's a big and bold move that sends a clear message: the Aces aren't fukking around on this one. If you're going to send in a guy who's probably running at 70% efficiency at best, they're going to go at him with their most tenacious bad mofo right from the get go.

Be afraid Ginebra, be very afraid.