PBA GovCup Finals: San Mig Coffee aching for redemption

Ilang panalo na lang at mahahagkan ng muli
ni Barroca si Erika Padilla
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

The San Mig Coffee Mixers are back in the PBA Governor’s Cup Finals after disposing of a gutsy Meralco Bolts squad in their Best-of-Five affair, going 3-1. 

This time around, the Mixers were led by do-it-all import Marqus Blakely, a re-calibrated 2x PBA MVP James Yap, Joe DeVance, steady Mark Barroca and rookie Alex Mallari. Those five did enough for the team that the sub par performances of usually dependable stat-sheet stuffing stalwarts PJ Simon and Marc Pingris.

What’s next for the Mixers? Well, if they can have it their way, a Governor’s Cup championship trophy at season’s end.

See, this is not the same Mixers as the one that was thoroughly outclassed, outplayed and out-everything-ed by defending champion (and currently injury-plagued/ near the brink of elimination in their own semifinals series Rain or Shine). Head coach Tim Cone was exposed (and ridiculed/ critiqued) in that series for not digging deep into his bench and pretty much burning out his eight-man rotation (at times even seven).

This time he has a boat load of young and hungry guys like Leo Najorda, Val Acuna and Jewel Ponferada plus veterans Rafi Reavis and Yancy de Ocampo.

Granted, last season’s bench was just as formidable—it was more of Coach Tim not feeling as comfortable with them as he is with the lot he has today. First, they played more minutes (still in spots/ spurts, but considerably more than the Mixers’ bench of 2012 did). Second, had another mid/late season acquisition Allein Maliksi not fallen to injury, would have had a potent scorer and ball handler in Mallari as maybe their6th or 7th go-to-guy.

The more Coach Tim plays his bench, the more his starters are able to rest and regroup. Yap is no longer misfiring and looking extremely gassed out by the end quarters. Pingris is able to play all out because whenever he starts to tire, someone reliable comes in (Reavis, Ponferrada). The slashers—Barroca and Simon can go hard because Mallari is coming off the bench to spell them.

Whoever wins in the Petron-Rain or Shine series will have their hands full in dealing with the retooled Mixers who are poised to begin another multi-title run.