Instant classic

Pampanga's, no, the PBA's BEST.
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

Kindly excuse us for this rather late reaction to what has turned out to be an amazing, "instant classic" PBA Philippine Cup Finals between the eventual champs San Miguel Beermen and hard-fighting Alaska Aces.

To be quite frank, we were simply left in awe about how the Best-of-Seven series (which went the full distance) captured the magic of true Filipino basketball. Nothing fancy, no shootouts or one team trying to showboat over the other, but just quality, grind-it-out, matira matibay basketball. What was first being sold as a "vintage" match-up between two of the most dominant teams in the mid 1990s, quickly became a series of its own with the Aces' inspiring run to the top behind a battlecry that preaches #wenotme and the Beermen's quest to quash any #larongmayaman tags and to exorcise whatever demons and drama it has had to deal with the last two or three years.

For the champions, the Beermen, Arwind Santos stood tall when his young fellow PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo was under attack. He set the tone early in the series by not letting the Aces' and its star Calvin Abueva get into any of his teammates' heads by way of physicality. Santos let his game do the talking, even when he wasn't exactly taking the lead role on offense. He battled like the Arwind Santos of old. He was probably pushed into going back to his old self by the challenge that is the young Abueva. We were all reminded, in a span of seven games, why every one thought of Santos as a one of a kind talent in the whole Philippine basketball world. At the same breath, we were also left to rue what could have been, had this Santos showed up the previous years, and maybe joined Gilas Pilipinas as arguably the best and most versatile wing/high post defender in the land.

The 2015 PBA Philippine Cup Finals so far

Win or lose, the Aces' loyal fans
are starting to grow in number with each day
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

If only we could extend this 2015 PBA Philippine Cup series from a Best-of-Seven to maybe a Best-of-Eleven or Thirteen or Fifteen or... then we'd be constantly be treated to hard-fought, instant classics akin to the same competitive fire of yesteryears (when players weren't multi-millionaire franchises scared of being called out on social media and played all out if only to make a name for themselves). Oh yes, the PBA Finals that has the San Miguel Beermen ahead 3-2 against the Alaska Aces have drawn in so much interest that even fans of other basketball teams have gone on to either 1) watch the games on television or live or 2) wish that their own teams played with the same intensity and desire.

Here's what we know: the Beermen are an invincible unit when their "Fab 5" are on the court: that's reigning PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo, former PBA MVP Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot, Chris Lutz and Marcio Lassiter. These five guys are absolute beasts and could easily be the starting core for Gilas 3.0 (barring any politicking and drama).

Larong Pinoy

Patay kung patay basketball.
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

Sa kasagsagan at kasikatan ng Alaska Aces ngayon dala ng kanilang kakaibang laro sa PBA Philippine Cup Finals kontra San Miguel Beermen, marami ang nagsasabi na dapat isama si Calvin "The Beast" Abueva sa susunod na Gilas Pilipinas. Marami ang nagsasabi, at ipinaglalaban, na ang kanyang stilo-- na minsan ay parang barumbado sa mata ng iba,ay ang tunay na uri ng basketball sa Pilipinas at siyang dapat dalhin sa FIBA maging sa Asya o buong mundo kung papalarin.

Yung buong pusong lumalaban, hindi nag aalinlangan, hindi takot masaktan o matamaan, hindi iniisip yung susunod na kontrata, posibleng endorsements o kahit na ano pa. Yung naroroon sila bilang basketbolista, bilang manlalaro, para manalo at hindi para magpasikat.

Pero gagana ba talaga ang mga tulad ni Abueva sa FIBA? Ngayon pa lang, marami nagsasabi na mapapaaway ang Pilipinas. Na posible tayong mapahiya. Na "hindi basketball" ang laro natin mga Pilipino kung hindi "basket-brawl."

Resbak

There is a wise old saying that goes something like: "you will never know who your true friends are, not until you are in the face of adversity."

If you have been paying attention to the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup Best-of-Seven Finals between the Alaska Aces and San Miguel Beermen, "adversity" would be putting what the Beermen are going through a bit too kindly.

See, this is a team whose core has been together for maybe a good two or three years now but has always fallen short-- be it to injuries, drama or personal agendas by certain players. This season however, they have bought into a more "team oriented" philosophy and are actually going out of their own way in standing up and stepping up for a fallen comrade. Now you can see them laughing at one another, with one another. Now they just keep playing when someone takes a bad shot or, like Chris Lutz in Game 1, makes a giant booboo. They are there for one another, there is an obvious bond nowadays that was not always as transparent in recent memory.

O Captain! My Captain!

#ThankYouJimmy

"O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people are all exalting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring,"

Write no sad poetry as Walt Whitman for one Jimmy Alapag-- the man who has brought glory to the Philippines through the sport of basketball despite standing 5"9 in a sport dominated by 6"0 point guards and above. Yesterday he announced his retirement in near quiet fashion, being given a press conference in the middle of an action-packed PBA Finals, when his resume would demand at least an hour-long sit down interview with daresay the most popular talk show host today Vice Ganda, erm, Boy Abunda.

We still remember the young Alapag, back when he was brought in for a tryout by now Talk'n'Text head coach Jong Uichico for the national team in 2002. He injured his hand before he could even make an impact with the training pool, so we had to wait another year to see just how good he really was at the time. His stock dropped so bad, that he went 10th in the 2003 PBA Draft wherein a bunch of now long established role/ bit players and forgotten names went ahead of him.

The Expendable

From near-franchise player
to rumored trade bait
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

What started as just another Holiday story from polarizing sports writer Snow Badua to pass the time has suddenly spread like wildfire on social media, with many still trying to make sense of the whole situation. Apparently, the Talk'n'Text Tropang Texters are looking at trading the recognized, still-in-his-prime, Best Point Guard in FIBA Asia, Jayson Castro to Kia Motors for a possible top pick in the coming 2015 PBA Draft.

Just in case you haven't heard yet, already jockeying for the Top Pick honors are 6"7 Fil-Tonggan Moala Tautuaa, 6"4, 2x UAAP Most Valuable Player Bobby Parks, Jr., Ateneo high flyer Chris Newsome (possibly) and even Ateneo ace, reigning UAAP MVP Keifer Ravena.

So what the reports are saying, if there's any truth to it, is that the Texters are looking to use Castro as live bait if only to land one of those three to four high profile names right away. It seems a bit off however, considering Castro is arguably the best combo guard in the PBA today (when healthy) and is looking like he's starting to slowly inherit the team from veteran Jimmy Alapag.

PBA Philippine Cup Finals: San Miguel vs Alaska

Pampanga's Best
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

Welcome to the PBA Philippine Cup Best-of-Seven Finals wherein arguably the two most complete basketball teams, San Miguel and Alaska, square off to decide which proud franchise brings home the coveted Jun Bernardino Trophy.

On one side is powerhouse San Miguel Beer, now seemingly exorcised of all its demons and drama, which is looking to win its first All-Filipino championship since the glory days of the now exiled Danny Ildefonso and Danny Seigle in 2001. On the other side are the Alaska Aces, a team that has slowly rebuilt its basketball program to fit the modern era and its new core of mostly blue collar talent.

Here we try to look at the match-ups, where the strengths lie for each team and who can turn the tides when need be. Based on the names on the roster, it's easy to give San Miguel the advantage but then you realize that the Aces feature guys who are just as good yet have managed to fly under the radar owing to their #wenotme battlecry.