PBA PhC QF: 2 Alaska vs 7 Ginebra

NGANGA
(Photo credit: Sports5)

No Quit Squad v Never Say Die.

Ginebra is not the team you'd want to face in the Playoffs, despite their low seeding. However, Alaska is also not the team that you'd want to face on the same stage, unless you're San Miguel and pretty much own their asses until proven otherwise.

So here is what we know: Alaska beat Ginebra 101-86 in a game wherein Japeth Aguilar, who is having a great conference so far, had some drama which resulted in him being disciplined by Coach Tim Cone by way of coming off the bench. This move backfired somewhat, because Aguilar dutifuly responded by scoring 12 points on 10 shots with ZERO rebounds in 23 minutes.
ZERO rebounds for a 6"9 guy who is unmatched by the other team.

Some things never change. Lol.

PG Ping Exciminiano/ RJ Jazul v L.A. Tenorio/ Sol MercadoIn the Eliminations, L.A. Tenorio went scoreless and was outshined by JVee Casio in all facets of the game. We doubt that this will happen again, though we expect to see Exciminiano pulling out all the stops to limit Ginebra's floor general. Mercado could be the key here, since Alaska does not have Chris Banchero (injured) to match his size and speed.
Adv. Ginebra

SG JVee Casio v Scottie ThompsonAs good as Thompson is all-around, Casio is even better on offense. The former King DLSU Archer has been shooting the basketball a lot as of late, which is a return to the old, cold-blooded killer feared by all.
Adv. Alaska

SF Calvin Abueva/ Kevin Racal v Aljon Mariano/ Kevin FerrerThis will be an acid test for the UST Tigers duo, since Abueva will most likely bring the pain while Racal will most likely use his size and smarts to take advantage of Ferrer and Chris Ellis. To be fair, Mariano (who has added a lot of muscle) has shown a willingness to get chippy with Abueva, though we're pretty sure that the Beast has more tricks in his bag.
Adv. Alaska

PF Vic Manuel/ Carl Cruz v Joe DeVance/ Jervy CruzThe only way to neutralize Manuel, is to attack his defense just the same because outside of 3x PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo, there is no one more dominant in the post. Good thing Ginebra has JDV in tow, as the 6"8 big man can pull Manuel out of his comfort zone and force him to guard him from the perimeter.
Adv. Tied

C Sonny Thoss v Japeth Aguilar/ Dave MarceloHopefully, Aguilar doesn't have any drama this time around and just balls out. Thoss looks to be working his way back into game shape, but not enough to keep in step with Aguilar.
Adv. Ginebra

X-Factor: Sol Mercado for Ginebra, Dondon Hontiveros for Alaska.

Prediction: Alaska, Ginebra has been largely inconsistent this conference (maybe it's the schedule)