On jammed signals and Beeracles

It has been a couple of days since we last saw both the San Miguel Beermen and TNT Katropa strutting their stuff in the 2016 PBA Governor's Cup which has yet to be concluded. This comes as a bit of a surprise to everyone, since both teams were the wise man's bets to make the season-ending Finals based on how they dominated the elimination round.

TNT simply crashed and burned in the semifinals, while the Beermen just couldn't "switch it on" like they thought they could after going on "cruise control" most of the way.

Let us start with Coach Jong Uichico's TNT first, shall we?

We have to apologize to the Katropa fans out there for basically raving about how their team was killing it this conference and that they were already assured of a seat in the Finals. As it turns out, the team nearly swept (10-1) through the Eliminations owing to their solid rotation but once they reached the playoffs and the core guys started going down, well, you know the rest.

Next season, we hope that Coach Jong would continue to develop and trust his younger players: Moala Tautuaa, Troy Rosario, Matt Rosser and Kris Rosales. Of the four, only Rosario played consistent minutes because his style of play easily fit into what TNT was already running. As for the rest, Coach Jong pretty much left Tautuaa exposed, Rosser in the doghouse and Rosales, well, he only joined the team this conference so the jury is still out on him.

Also, adding a shooting guard would do the team some good. Castro has been carrying much of the scoring load and while Ranidel de Ocampo is just as solid, having a 3rd guy who they can depend on would be nice. Ryan Reyes is that guy at the moment, but he just cannot seem to finish a whole season without getting hurt.

Why couldn't they just trade for Gary David when Meralco waived him? Or maybe ask about Mac Cardona? Hey, there are a few good shooting guards on the PBA expansion teams so...

Now on to the Beermen.

Was this conference really a disappointment?

Well, not really. Regardless of who wins in the 2016 PBA Governor's Cup Finals, this season will forever be known as the "Beeracle Year." Coming back from a 0-3 deficit, winning four games straight? That's just something extra ordinary and the Beermen deserve a "pass" for not "winning" any more titles this season.

But if you still want to nitpick, then we will grant your request.

In the two conferences that followed after their Beeracle, the Beermen looked like they were on "cruise control." They were waiting for guys-- 2x PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo/ or the import mostly, to simply take over while the rest just do enough to fill up the stat sheets.

Next season, we expect to see the same dominant Beermen. There is still no one out there who could stop Fajardo one-on-one, Lassiter is still the best shooter in the land, and though Alex Cabagnot and Arwind Santos are no longer the team's 1a and 1b, they can still get it done when called upon.

Plus, they have a 1st round pick in the coming 2016 PBA Draft which should boost their already loaded bench.

How did you find TNT and SMB's season? @kilikilishot