PBA PhC QF: 3 Star v 6 Phoenix

Hotshot.
(Photo credit: purefoodsbasketball.com)

Which team will shine brighter: the Star Hotshots or the Phoenix Fuel Masters?

If take a quick look at the elimination round of the PBA Philippine Cup, it doesn't look too good for Phoenix Coach Ariel Vanguardia and his wards. The Hotshots beat the Fuel Masters 123-79, early in the conference, when Coach Chito Victolero was still tinkering with his line-up and they were trying to establish a new culture.

Today we are looking at a rather dominant Hotshots team that not only scores the basketball, but also plays sound, aggressive defense.

Uh-oh.

PG Justin Melton/ Jio Jalalon v Simon Enciso/ Gelo Alolino
Enciso has done a great job in being a solid point guard, though he is more scorer than playmaker. After being traded by NLEX to Phoenix, Enciso has made the most out of the trust given him by Coach Ariel. His back-up Alolino, and veteran Chico Lanete, are just as solid though they are not always present/ consistent in games. On the flip side, Melton has had a blast playing beside Paul Lee who is actually more of the team's facilitator while Melton is allowed to freelance on offense. To Melton's credit, he has shown tremendous improvement in knocking down open shots which makes him a great option for Lee to pass to. Jalalon is also another stud, and he pretty much dismantled the Fuel Masters' second unit in their earlier meeting.
Adv. Tied

SG Paul Lee v Cyrus Baguio
What we would give to see Baguio-prime go up against this skinny, healthy, Paul Lee. Being long-time Lee fans, we have always wondered how good Lee could be if he simply chose to lose the baby fat which we felt kept him from running full throttle the way Terrence Romeo and Jayson Castro do. Nowadays, we are seeing a quicker Lee, still equipped with the wisdom and clutch gene, just picking his spots and, when needed (not really) bailing out the Hotshots in the 4th quarter. Coach Ariel just doesn't have the tools to keep Lee in check, unless he opts to send Alolino here, even maybe Wright on a cross match.
Adv. Star

SF Allein Maliksi v Matthew Wright/ JC Intal
What a fun shootout this should be. Since this is a best-of-three affair, we hope that both teams could accommodate our simple-minded request and just let these two guys jack up threes. Lol. Seriously though, Wright will have to put in a lot of effort for the Fuel Masters to win, which tells us that he shouldn't be asked to simply engage Maliksi in a shootout. The pressure will be on Intal, if he can deliver the goods, then Wright can take care of the offense while shadowing Maliksi somewhat but not to the point that he tires himself out. Best case scenario for Coach Ariel is to have both Wright and Intal on the floor at the same time, given their length and abilities, to keep the Hotshots' Lee, PJ Simon and Maliksi from going off.
Adv. Phoenix

PF Marc Pingris/ Aldrech Ramos v Willy Wilson/ Mark Borboran
Don't you just love this match-up? Two blue-collar veterans and two soft, jump shooting bigs? Pingris will be a key factor as always for the Hotshots, but Wilson is not new to guarding power forwards or centers. Also, Wilson has shown that he has the ability to grab 20 rebounds when needed. Pingris v Wilson is like, Goldberg v Lesnar while Ramos vs Borboran is... The Miz v The Miz.
Adv. Star

C Rafi Reavis/ Ian Sangalang v Norbet Torres/ Prince Caperal
It's not surprising that the Hotshots' defensive identity started to really come together when Reavis' minutes started to go up. He's back and paired with Pingris on most nights, which pretty much means that there is no chance in hell that opponents are getting easy baskets around the rim. Caperal has been quite solid, but not stellar. Gilas boy Torres is... well... school's in session.
Adv. Star

X-Factor: Jio Jalalon for Star, JC Intal for Phoenix
Intal is a starter, but he's also the X-factor for Phoenix. If he can be effective, make shots and just play solid defense, then Enciso and Wright can handle the offense. If Intal doesn't perform, then it puts a lot of pressure on the rookie Wright to score and create for others, while also losing a defender on the other end of the court. Jalalon's point guard genius coming off the bench will be on full display versus Alolino and Lanete.

Prediction: Star