PBA GC SF: (2) San Miguel vs (3) Rain or Shine

JMF and AZ are going to be
tough to handle in the paint for RoS
(Photo credit to Sports5.Ph)

In-season na ba magtanim ng strawberries?

Here's the deal: Rain or Shine lost to San Miguel, 91-104, in the eliminations despite having awesome performances from Wendel McKines (19 points, 10 rebounds), Jericho Cruz (11 p), Gabe Norwood (12 p) JR Quinahan (12 p) AND Paul Lee (17 p 6 r 3 assists). How did the Beermen do it? Arizona Reid (36 p 11), Junemar Fajardo (22 p 18 r) and a little bit of everything from everyone else.

That was in the Eliminations. When Marcio Lassiter was being hounded by trade rumors and wasn't at his very best. Now? We just saw Lassiter mercilessly drill three ball after three ball to bury the Meralco Bolts and lead the team into this very same Semifinals match that we're trying to break down.

Sure, RoS has Jeffrei Chan back. But what and who is a three-point specialist like Chan when compared to a two-way player like Lassiter (IMHO arguably the best today)?

As an RoS fan, please let us speak in a more honest tone for this "analysis."

Wala kaming pang tapat kay Fajardo. Tatagain ni Belga at Quinahan, sige. Pero hindi naman nila mapigilan. Kahit kelan. Almazan? He'll fight. But it wouldn't even take a full JMF arm extension chicken wing to get Almazan out of the Cebuano giant's way inside the post.

The plan is to draw JMF out with our bigs. Okay. This could work. Our bigs has the range. And our advantage would be McKines, who is the biggest post player in this series outside JMF. But then again, SMB still has Gabby Espinas and that other Semerad kid to at least challenge our import down low. And Arwind Santos is always tricky good when it comes to low post, weak side/ help defense.

So does RoS take a chance, use their bigs as extra shooters and let McKines take care of the paint exclusively?

Well, if RoS weren't a good/ decent rebounding team before... what more when you take away an extra body down low?

Lassiter and Ronald Tubid will simply take turns cancelling out Chan, Ryan Arana and maybe even Jericho Cruz. Another ace up SMB's sleeve is of course some random dude on the bench named Chris Lutz. If that guy plays his game, then it's over.

The burden will once again fall on Paul Lee.

Lee can score on anybody. ANYBODY.

But Chris Ross is as pesky as they come. And Alex Cabagnot only needs to run through xx amount of screens before Lee simply says "tangina this, I'm done" on defense, which will then translate/ overlap on offense.

Do you slide Lee to SG and have Chris Tiu, Jonathan Uyloan and TY Tang take care of the ball handling?

That's too easy for Ross. Even for an average defender like Cabagnot.

Plus, if you slide Lee to SG-- he'll fall right up against Tubid/ Lassiter. Which is dangerous because those guys can shut him down/ light him up just the same.

And lastly, there's AZ Reid.

We can't put McKines on him, because Reid's dribble game is so much better than folks give him credit for. Plus, he'll just pull him out and there goes RoS' only hope down low.

Gabe Norwood? Sure. FIBA Gabe. But then all Reid needs to do is set up shop down low and work Norwood's storied average/ weak upper body.

Fajardo. Reid. Lassiter.

In that order.

Then Santos, playing the X factor: automatic match-up nightmare vs RoS' frontline.

RoS will fight, and probably keep it competitive, but SMB is SMB.

Prediction: Beermen