PBAPC QF2: 4 Ginebra vs 5 GlobalPort

All eyes are on Romeo, but they should
really be on this man
(Photo credit to PBA.Inquirer.net)

Well that didn't take too long, now did it?

After getting through their respective Quarterfinals Phase 1 assignments, the PBA Philippine Cup's 4th (Barangay Ginebra) and 5th (Global Port) seeds are set to meet in a knockout Phase 2 match-up to decide who will face the Alaska Aces in one side of the conference semifinals.

Pretty safe to throw away the stats now, since by now everyone should be familiar with who can be counted on for both sides. For Ginebra, the offense will always start with Greg Slaughter, followed by Japeth Aguilar, Mark Caguioa and L.A. Tenorio. Usually in that same order. For Global Port, it is Stanley Pringle (because he logs close to 40 minutes a game!), Terrence Romeo (hot or cold) and whoever wishes to contribute on offense (lately, Jay Washington has been putting together a bunch of solid, double-double games).


You cannot really dismiss this as an old vs young team. You cannot even say that Ginebra is more experienced, because if you took out old guards Caguioa, Tenorio and Jayjay Helterbrand, they are actually younger collectively than the highlighter green wearing Batang Pier squad. Pringle, Romeo and Roi Sumang are young, sure, Keith Jensen too, but then you are looking at a battle-tested frontline of Washington, Doug Kramer, Billy Mamaril and Dorian Pena.

Okay, we will even show Rico Maierhofer some love and add him to the mix.

On paper, if you are rooting for Coach Pido Jarencio and his Batang Pier squad, you are hoping for a few things:

1. Romeo to wax hot early
2. Pringle to dominate whoever tries to guard him (Sol Mercado is the best bet here, since we expect Tenorio to slide over to Romeo. Thompson is nice, but he'll be eaten alive by the well-traveled Pringle. Maybe Jordan Pippen?)
3. The frontline to be able to flex their muscle

Ginebra's weakness is actually Global Port's strength: the physicality of its frontline.

But that would depend entirely on how the referees are going to call it. If they call it tight, to the point wherein Slaughter and Aguilar are "James Yap untouchable," well, it is going to be a short night for all of us.

If they let Global Port to push, shove and grab, well, Ginebra is going to be in trouble and might need to call on Dave Marcelo and Jervy Cruz a bit more.

Also, and #4, if Washington can get back to that level of SMB play, Aguilar is going to have his hands full as they mirror each other quite well (athletic, tall, with legit guard/small forward moves and range).

But that is a whole lot of IFs. Global Port needs to play their A game to survive this one.

For Ginebra, even if they are still working out some on-court chemistry issues, the talent level is just undeniable. Coach Tim Cone has the team under control now, as shown by their 7-1 win loss record in their last 8 matches. That's a crazy stat that has surprisingly gone under the radar (the only loss being to Rain or Shine).

Should Ginebra play halfcourt, they might run into some trouble versus the Global Port frontline. But ultimately, Slaughter should be able to wear his counterparts down either with fouls or just basically shooting over them.

If they try to run, that would take Slaughter out of the equation quick and that is something that Ginebra (and management) has clearly made a point of not doing. Also, they risk engaging Romeo into a shootout which isn't always a good idea. Silver lining here is, Caguioa has been energized as of late and we are pretty sure that if there is room for him to engage Romeo in a duel, his OG swag/ pride will take over which is usually a good thing.

Like we said, there are just too many IFs (or conditions) for Global Port to win over Ginebra. And for as long as we have been watching Washington, we know that it is always wise to NOT bet on him to deliver in the clutch, which is just sad since he's the one guy who can turn this match-up around (Kramer can handle Slaughter for a few touches, but who will check Aguilar).

We are also going to keep an eye on Mercado, whose confidence should be through the roof after struggling to fit in the Triangle Offense early. He has all the tools to guard Pringle, more than Tenorio or Thompson. Jordan Pippen? Not so sure about this possible cross-match, as he might have his ankles broken for the 2nd straight game (James Yap did him nasty yesterday).

On a parting note, remember when Aguilar and Maierhofer were considered "rivals" in the UAAP that ONE year? No? Okay.

Prediction: Ginebra