PBACC The Quarterfinals: Purefoods vs Alaska

"Siya na naman?!"
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

Do you believe in fate?

It seems that it cannot be helped. Purefoods head coach Tim Cone will never, truly be rid of his Alaska ties (we doubt he'd want to anyway), and now he finds himself squaring off with the very same team in the 2015 PBA Commissioner's Cup Quarterfinals if only to win another championship.

Coach Tim has done a marevelous job in adding substance to what was once simply a "glamour" team. He taught every one from James Yap to Jerwin Gaco how to play the right way, how to read and react to offenses and defenses, and to basically how to keep winning.

On the other side of the fence, Coach Alex Compton inherited a team of hungry young rascals and veterans, shaped them into something of a more cohesive unit who enjoy playing together. Now, JVee Casio and RJ Jazul don't shun away Calvin Abueva whenever he pesters them for the basketball. Now, Abueva knows where he's supposed to be and how he can help. Yes, the antics are still there, but finally, they have allowed "Abueva to be Abueva."

Which means all hell is going to break loose when Abueva crosses paths with Yap.

For Purefoods to win, they will need Denzel Bowles to be at his best since he will be under constant attack from the likes of the Aces' Sonny Thoss, import Damien James, Vic Manuel and Abueva. Marc Pingris and Joe DeVance need to make sure that they are also active, if only to expose the Aces' weakened frontline with the departure of Gabby Espinas.

The second unit of Justin Melton, Alex Mallari and Allein Maliksi will also prove to be crucial, since this will be the Hotshots' biggest advantage over the Aces who have only the likes of pass-first Chris Banchero and shoot-first-second-and-last RJ Jazul. Eric Menk's minutes have taken a hit this conference (age, injury) which is rather unfortunate, since that leaves the Aces with only Thoss and Manuel as legit back to the basket options. As good as Pingris is, he's not strong enough to guard a hihgly-skilled, muscled veteran like Menk.

Joe DeVance is also going to be a beast out there, since the Aces have no one to cover him. If they put Tony de la Cruz on him, it won't end well in the paint. If it's Baclao, well, it's over. Abueva? He'll be baited into giving up fouls like they were candy on Trick or Treat night.

For the Aces to win, they need to be the aggressor. Which is a daunting task considering how laid back Casio, Cyrus Baguio and Sonny Thoss are.

Abueva needs to start like he did versus Ginebra. They need Casio to wake up and stop slipping on the court like Bambi on ice. Manuel needs to throw his weight down low and use his footwork against Pingris should they be matched-up, and specially against DeVance who is not a big fan of physicality.

Wait. Allein Maliksi is healthy? SMH for Alaska.

Fearless forecast: Purefoods in 2 or 3 hard-fought, PBA Finals-worthy games