All Ineligible/ Anti-Gilas

#whatif Anti-Gilas
(Photo credit Sports5.ph)

While we await the official announcement of Coach Chot Reyes’ Gilas 24-man pool (with the 12 former Gilas cadets already shoo-ins), here is an interesting thought: why not create a “practice team” of “FIBA ineligible” PBA players who are also, mostly, Gilas-caliber?

We are not trying to create any drama here, just that we feel that these guys could readily give Gilas a run for its money considering their overall talent and global experience pre-PBA.  Just to make it even more interesting, we would want maybe Coach Norman Black or Tim Cone to handle this roster:

Alex Cabagnot
Chris Ross
Stanley Pringle
Chris Newsome
Chris Banchero

2016 PBA GC QF: 3 Ginebra vs 6 Alaska

It's Japeth's time
(Photo credits to the owner)

Paki taas lang po ng kamay yung mga Alaska fans na nakahinga ng maluwag na hindi San Miguel ang napares sa kanila sa Quarterfinals. Seriously, we wouldn’t blame the Gatas Republic if they have developed some sort of Beermen-trauma by now.

That being said, it should be rather entertaining to see the “Never Say Die” heirs squaring off with the “No Quit Squad” with much of the focus squarely on Calvin Abueva. It is no secret that Abueva loves to play against Ginebra (and their legion of fans); and that since he has been inserted into the starting unit the Aces have been on a roll in the PBA Governor’s Cup.

Here is how we see the match-ups playing out:

What now, Alaska?

DEFIANT
(Photo credit: Spin.ph)

Following yesterday’s PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals Game 6 defeat at the hands of the Rain or Shine Elastopainters, a friend of ours over at Twitter said that this latest predicament does not hurt as much for the Alaska Aces’ #GatasRepublik .

She even joked about how they have lost so many times on that stage that they have grown apathetic and numb to the sensation of losing, disappointment, and pain in general.

But what is there to be sad about, really?

More than just Racal

RAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH
(Photo credit: PBA.Inquirer.net)

Do not get us wrong, the Alaska Aces' rookie small forward Kevin Racal has been downright awesome in their last two victories in the ongoing PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals. From not being able to get any floor time to averaging 27 minutes in the two games that he as played, Racal has filled a much-needed role for the Aces in their championship bout versus the Rain or Shine Elastopainters.

But it is not just Racal.

It is the entire team that has put in the work. Sure, newly-crowned Best Player of the Conference Calvin Abueva's numbers have risen (his rebounding numbers have grown in the last three games of the Finals), but it is the Aces' overall tenacity and commitment to playing with energy and focus that has helped them to force a 3-2 count in the Best of Seven series.

The question now is, can they force a 3-3- tie?

PBA CC SF: 2 Meralco vs 3 Alaska

This is why he's here
(Photo credit: PBA.Inquirer.net)

Just a couple of entries ago, we remember mentioning how the Meralco Bolts and the Alaska Aces are arguably the only PBA teams that would remind you of how college ball is played: all grit, hustle, frenetic pace, some ugly offense here and there but more or less players running their respective systems to a perfect "T."

Now, we will be able to see which team runs the better set/s and who will advance to the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals.

There are also other interesting back stories here; such as how former Aces coach Luigi Trillo is now part of the Bolts' team. For those who are new here, Trillo is the man behind the Aces' resurgence post-Tim Cone. He is the guy who drafted Calvin Abueva and changed a then dated culture/ philosophy. He is also the guy who brought in another current Aces' star: Vic Manuel. Good or bad, he has a lot of inside track on the Aces' core players.

Sige na nga, count na natin yung Ryan Buenafe potential "look at me now" revenge game.

Babyfat Assassin FTW 

Life goes on

Front and center: The Beast
(Photo credit: PBA.Inquirer.net)

Proving to one and all that there is more to life than being sweeped in a Finals and historically overturned in the next, the Alaska Aces are back in the hunt this PBA Commissioner's Cup with a 6 wins and 3 losses record. The Aces even has a chance to make the top spot, if they can salvage their last two games versus the league-leading Meralco Bolts and NLEX Road Warriors.

Leading the charge is import Shane Edwards (37mp 23ppg 13rpg 3apg) who appears to be here to stay after replacing Rob Dozier, Jr. early this conference. He is followed by Calvin Abueva (27mpg 17ppg 8rpg 3apg), Vic Manuel (22mpg 14ppg 5rpg 1apg), Sonny Thoss (24mpg 10ppg 4rpg), Chris Banchero (26mpg 9ppg 3rpg 4apg) and RJ Jazul (24mpg 10ppg). Save for old hand Thoss, the Aces are going with a new approach it seems as we no longer see heavy minutes given to the likes of Cyrus Baguio, Tony dela Cruz and Dondon Hontiveros. Starting point guard JVee Casio is still on the sidelines nursing an injury, if we remember correctly.

Now here is the question in everyone's minds: do the Aces have enough to challenge their grandslam-seeking tormentors, the San Miguel Beermen?

Dreaming with a broken heart

Photo credit to PBA.Inquirer.net

When you're dreaming with a broken heart/ The waking up is the hardest part/ 
You roll outta bed and down on your knees/ And for a moment, you can hardly breathe/

- J. Mayer, 2009

Is it safe to come out yet? Is the sun not going to burn a hole in my heart?

What is left of it, anyway.

We have been very honest about the Alaska Aces being our 2nd favorite PBA team (next only to the Rain or Shine Elastopainters, mostly for their similarities from style of play to overall team values), and it pains us to see them on the losing end of what will go down as THE most historic PBA Philippine Cup Finals (or any PBA Finals at that) versus the eventual champions San Miguel Beermen. How can you not feel sorry for Coach Alex Compton and his wards; after going up 3-0 against a 2x PBA MVP-less Junemar Fajardo bunch, they squander Game 4 then 5, 6 and finally, 7, all in heartbreaking fashion.

What is next for the Aces? How can you rebuild from this?

PBA Finals Preview: Alaska vs San Miguel

#smcbetterworld #grandslamdreams
(Photo credit to PBA.Inquirer.net)

In the end, it was all but a matter of time for these two great PBA franchises to once again lock horns in the PBA Finals.

On one side are the Alaska Aces, the very epitome of selfless team play and current proof that you do not always need to have the best players in the league to win big (though it sure as hell helps to make life a lot easier).  The Aces are banking mostly on Vic Manuel (24mpg 16ppg 8rpg 1apg), Calvin Abueva (21mpg 13ppg 9rpg 2apg) and Sonny Thoss (24mpg 11ppg 6rpg 2apg) while maximizing whatever they can get from JVee Casio, Cyrus Baguio, Chris Banchero and the rest.

On the other are the powerhouse San Miguel Beermen, armed to the teeth with arguably some of the best at their respective positions today. They are led by the reigning, defending 2x PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo (36mpg 23ppg 14rpg 2apg), 1x PBA MVP Arwind Santos (34mpg 16ppg 7rpg 2apg), Alex Cabagnot (32mpg 15ppg 4rpg 5apg) and Marcio Lassiter (24mpg 10ppg 4rpg 2apg) while getting ample support from Chris Ross (21mpg 5ppg 3rpg 4apg 1spg), Ronald Tubid and Ryan Arana to name a few.

Built versus bought. Good versus evil. Stars versus super-duper stars.

The story and plotlines are endless.

That being said, let’s get to the numbers and match-ups:

Alaska
101ppg (3), 49rpg, 45% from 2 (2), 39% from 3 (1), 21 apg (2), 7spg

*(ranking this conference)

San Miguel
97ppg, 50rpg,  43% from 2, 31% from 3, 20apg, 7.3spg

PG Casio/ Jazul/ Exciminiano vs Cabagnot/ Ross
This one is going to be tricky for the Aces, since they will need to keep rotating at the PG spot in hopes of neutralizing Cabagnot who is SMB’s linchpin on offense. We wouldn’t be too surprised if Banchero or Exciminiano get more daylight in this series. Ross will make Casio irrelevant.
Adv. SMB

SG Baguio/ Banchero vs Lassiter
How do you stop Lassiter when he’s in rhythm? Pressure.  Lots of it. Fight through whatever screens and stick to him. This basically means that the Aces will have to rotate their guards more actively in this series than the one versus Globalport.  Or, they could just hope and pray that Lassiter goes through one of his notorious funks—you know, the times when he plays so many minutes but does not appear to be interested in playing at all (has happened a few times, once in the RoS series even).
Adv. SMB

SF Abueva/ Hontiveros vs Tubid/ Lutz 
Abueva’s antics will not work on Tubid. Not when they are out in the perimeter. Out there, it is going to be a surefire flop-fest between these two gentlemen. Abueva’s advantage lies when he switches to help down low, where his Cabalen rival Arwind Santos awaits. Hontiveros might make a few shots, maybe they can play him at the 2 spot in stretches to play alongside Abueva.
Adv. AA

PF Manuel vs Santos/ Espinas
The Beermen came prepared. Santos vs Abueva is the dream match-up of course, but we just do not see Manuel switching to 5 and being forced to guard Fajardo (that would be a massacre and waste of Manuel’s contributions). As good as Manuel has been this conference, Santos is even better guarding traditional and not so heavy power forwards. Why? The 4 spot is Santos’ natural defensive position. And if you just so happen to be about the same size and height, he has no problem proving yet again how he built his reputation over the years. Should Coach Leo Austria move Santos to check Abueva, Espinas vs Manuel should be very entertaining; with the advantage going to Manuel.
Adv. SMB

C Thoss vs Fajardo
Is Fajardo hurt or was he just caught with a stinger? As of this writing, Team SMC has been saying that there is no real, serious injury and that they are just waiting for the MRI results. Still, if Fajardo isn't 100%, then Thoss will be able to hold his own against him. If he sits the series out entirely, then that's a different story since SMB will be forced to rely on JayR Reyes and Yancy de Ocampo at the slot. Solid, but not half the threat as Fajardo (unless of course someone dangles a huge bonus in front of Yancy's eyes).
Adv. SMB IF JMF is healthy, tied if not

How SMB wins
If they simply listen to Coach Leo and follow their game plan by moving the ball first instead of dumping it into Fajardo (who still does not know how to kick the ball out) and watching his greatness, this team is near unbeatable. No, they do not need to balance everyone’s minutes out and have their core group play 25 minutes tops. That is not their style. They are a throwback team in the sense that the first five plays a third of the game while the rest play ¼. It’s the same even in the late 90s and early 00s with Olsen, Dondon, Danny S and Danny I. They had solid players off the bench, but the stars are the stars for a reason.

How Alaska wins
Relentless pressure. This is an intelligent team that follows their gameplan to a “T.” They do not enjoy half the firepower of SMB, but because they are a disciplined unit, they are able to make up for each other’s weaknesses by playing together. They have enough bigs to not over-react to anything Fajardo does in the paint, no matter how dominant he looks (yes, we are expecting a borderline 50-20 game somewhere in this PBA Finals). There is no need to double Fajardo, but there is a great need to zero in on Cabagnot, Lassiter and Santos. One failed pick and roll/pop switch, the defense crumbles and the Beermen either finish with an easy Fajardo 2 or an open Lassiter/ Santos 3. 

And also, if Fajardo doesn't play, advantage goes Alaska. If he plays at 50-70%, Thoss can take him. 

X-factors
SMB: Gabby Espinas, Ronald Tubid and Ryan Arana
The Aces will try to get rough and physical at some point, it’s up to SMB’s enforcers to respond in kind

AA:  Chris Banchero
Either versus Cabagnot or Lassiter, Banchero’s under-rated defense will be put to the test in this series

Prediction: SMB if Fajardo is 100%, Aces if Fajardo sits the series out.

Who do you think wins? @kilikilishot on Twitter

Never Quit Squad

Remember that Ludacris song...
(Photo credit to the owner)

Perhaps there is no more arduous a task than to find entertainment in a full 48-minute basketball game that does not feature your favorite PBA team.

Unless of course Head Coach Alex Compton and his Alaska Aces are playing. Now THAT's must see TV.

Hailed as the “new comeback kids” of the sport (or as per Aces’ big boss Wilfred Uytengsu puts it the “Never Quit Squad”), the Aces are actually off to an impressive start this PBA Philippine Cup despite last night’s loss to Ginebra. Currently with a 3 wins 1 loss slate, the Aces are winning games in all kinds of fashion: come from behind, blowouts, grit-and-grind and even shootouts.

You name it and the Aces can play it—and then some.

A puncher's chance

Show them who's Boss
(Photo credit to the owner)

Dear Alaska Aces fans, welcome to Rain or Shine Elastopainters territory.

Before you start telling us off about how different our teams our, just hear this RoS fan for a minute. We rose to the top somewhere in 2012, when we beat a champions-in-the-making STAR Hotshots side and continued to reach the Finals the next two to three years only to fail time and again to some established powerhouse. Your team? Well after the Cone Era, you beat Ginebra in the Finals, regrouped with a new coach but the same gung-ho style (although much freer), and reached the Finals again (twice) just last season only to fall to San Miguel.

Welcome to basketball bridesmaid purgatory.

PBA GC Finals: (1) Alaska vs (2) San Miguel

Will the Muscle Man
be as effective vs SMB?
(Photo credit: Sports5.Ph)

This is starting to become more than just a rivalry between two stellar Cabalen basketball prodigies.

Welcome to the PBA Governor's Cup Best-of-Seven Finals between the conference's number one ranked Alaska Aces and their Philippine Cup Finals nemesis and champion, second-seeded San Miguel Beermen.

It wasn't a walk in the park then for the Beermen en route to the title, we don't see it being any different now in the season-ending championship series.

This series goes beyond Calvin Abueva and Arwind Santos fighting for the title of Pampanga's Best.

PBA GC QF: (1) Alaska vs (8) Ginebra

Whichever team controls the paint,
controls the series
(Photo credits to Sports5)

This is not going to be pretty.

For the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel faithful, there's no harm in entertaining thoughts of an upset. Basketball is a fair and just sport-- the ball is round, shots can go in or out, players can get sick/ hurt/ cause drama on any given day. There is always a chance of winning.

But in this series? Versus a healthy and well-oiled Alaska Aces squad that quietly snuck its way atop the PBA Governor's Cup standings with arguably the most low-profile, no, under-rated import in Romeo Travis leading the way?

Slim to none. The chances are slim. To. None.

Aces Full

Nung nagsabog ang Diyos
ng kagwapuhan sa mundo,
ganito din katindi box out ni Banchero
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

It is quite astonishing how the Alaska Aces, now with a 5 wins and 2 losses slate, are managing to stay under the radar while we are all busy celebrating the Ginebra castaways over at Barako Bull, the "revived" San Miguel Beermen and the whole "Sanchir-drama" over at Ginebra.

Don't be surprised if you find Alaska making another deep Playoff run despite having a rather low-key yet ultra-efficient import in Travis Romeo (35 mpg 27 ppg 13 rpg 3 apg). Calvin Abueva (15 mpg 7 ppg 6 rpg 1 apg)? He flirted with a near triple-double last night versus Kia Carnival, but this PBA Governor's Cup campaign for the Aces has been more about their excellent guard play than Abueva's "somewhat controlled" high-octane reputation and performance.

5 wins and 2 losses?

Credit the Aces' guard play.

What's wrong with Alaska?

The struggle is real for Baguio and co.
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

For all the heat that the PBA Philippine Cup champions San Miguel Beermen are getting for their current pitiful PBA Commissioner's Cup campaign, the team that they beat-- the Alaska Aces, are not doing so well either. The team has been under-performing and uncharacteristically not "fighting" in games that many are starting to buy into the rumors and ask if this team is really going to be sold soon thus their players' lackadaisical approach.

Well, blame it on the import that they started the conference with. After that, blame it on the players simply being tired from that grueling, balls-out of a PBA Finals that was one of the best any Filipino basketball fan has seen in years. Blame it on head coach Alex Compton for failing to better prepare his team this conference. And then, only then, yes, maybe blame it on that ugly rumor that keeps lingering around.

The Aces opted to start the 2nd conference with a defensive-minded import in the 6"9 DJ Covington who played four games and averaged somewhere around 22 ppg and 9 rpg in 29 minutes which resulted in a 2 wins-2 losses record. The knock on Covington was that he wasn't much of a "go-to-guy" for the Aces, but then again he was already long established as a guy who plays defense first, offense second. Basically, he's built for Coach Compton's #wenotme style as another rock solid role player. Plus, 22 and 9 doesn't seem all that bad if you look at the number of minutes he plays versus other imports who go almost without rest.

PBA Philippine Cup Finals: San Miguel vs Alaska

Pampanga's Best
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

Welcome to the PBA Philippine Cup Best-of-Seven Finals wherein arguably the two most complete basketball teams, San Miguel and Alaska, square off to decide which proud franchise brings home the coveted Jun Bernardino Trophy.

On one side is powerhouse San Miguel Beer, now seemingly exorcised of all its demons and drama, which is looking to win its first All-Filipino championship since the glory days of the now exiled Danny Ildefonso and Danny Seigle in 2001. On the other side are the Alaska Aces, a team that has slowly rebuilt its basketball program to fit the modern era and its new core of mostly blue collar talent.

Here we try to look at the match-ups, where the strengths lie for each team and who can turn the tides when need be. Based on the names on the roster, it's easy to give San Miguel the advantage but then you realize that the Aces feature guys who are just as good yet have managed to fly under the radar owing to their #wenotme battlecry.

PBA Semifinals Predictions: Rain or Shine vs Alaska

98-95.

Matira matibay basketball
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

That's how close the initial and only meeting between PBA Philippine Cup Semifinalists, the Rain or Shine Elastopainters and the Alaska Aces, was which basically decided which team will get a bye to the Semis and which will fall into the Knockout Phase.

After taking care of business against the hapless NLEX Road Warriors and the overwhelmed Meralco Bolts, the Aces are looking to continue building on their success with head coach Alex Compton. It seems like all the patience and trust is finally paying off for the once conservative franchise, with 3rd year pro Calvin Abueva putting up career numbers while also toning down all the crazy antics and flopping. It wouldn't be that much of a stretch to conclude that Abueva's increase in minutes is probably a product of his "good behavior" on the floor.

On the other side, the Elastopainters are off to prove two things: 1) they can finally win the Philippine Cup (All Filipino title) that has seemingly eluded head coach Yeng Guiao and 2) that the Gilas-topainters foursome of Beau Belga, Paul Lee, Gabe Norwood and Jeffrei Chan have all reached that legitimate "higher level" in terms of basketball skill and IQ.

So here we are, in a seven-game series featuring the league's most credible "independent" teams.

Matira matibay.

PBA KO Phase Round 2 Predictions: RoS Bracket

Expect fireworks.
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

Well look what we have here: for the first time in a very long while, one of the teams that will advance to the PBA Finals will not be the Purefoods franchise. This, after a heart-breaking loss to a balanced Meralco Bolts franchise that didn't even have a superstar game from main man Gary David (where did that perfect game from James Sena come from?!).

Now, in a rather odd ball of a set-up, two teams will slug it out for the right to face the waiting PBA Philippine Cup 2nd seed Rain or Shine Elastopainters. On one side there's the Alaska Aces, a team that could've easily finished 1 or 2 if not for some lapses and the other, the Bolts.

3 Alaska Aces vs 6 Meralco Bolts
The first and only time that these two teams met in the elimination round, the Aces put on a 105-64 ass whooping of a clinic on the hapless Bolts. The Bolts were never really in the game, with Vic Manuel, Dondon Hontiveros, Calvin Abueva and rookie Chris Banchero all takings turns just scoring at will and the Bolts clearly out of form with Gary David going 2/10 from the field.

2014 PBA Draft 1st Round Rookie Report Card (Part 2)

Born Ready: Kevin Alas
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

On part 2 of our Rookie Report Card, we take a closer look at the Top 5 picks of the 2014 PBA Draft, where they are and where they want/ need to be. Is the race for this season's PBA Rookie of the Year really over? Or are we being led astray because of the discrepancy in minutes per game, the number of touches and other factors?

All statistics gathered from pba-online.net, because pba.inquirer.net doesn't carry the full stats (only the leaders) which is depressing really in this day and age. (Come on guys, you have ONE job.)

5. Chris Banchero, PG, Alaska - B+
18.44mpg 6.11ppg 2.89rpg 1.89apg
Banchero is slowly coming into his own as a PBA player and could arguably be the best, traditional point guard of the whole 2014 PBA Draft class. His size allows for the Aces to play him at SG (even SF) at times with the more offensively-gifted yet forced to share the wealth JVee Casio. Defensively, Banchero has shown tendencies of being a hard-nosed runt despite his White Collar Neil Caffrey, 50 Shades of Grey worthy looks which has obviously won the hearts of his more blue collar teammates Calvin Abueva et. al. At the moment, Banchero's mature game and court vision reminds me a lot of the Lakers era Derek Fisher, maybe minus the lefty three point bombing.

2014 PBA Draft 1st Round Rookie Report Card (Part 1)

And your 2014 PBA Rookie of the Year is...
(Photo courtesy of Sports 5)

With the PBA Philippine Cup elimination round near its end (and some teams already, clearly, out of contention) Kilikilishot.blogspot.com pays the 1st round picks of the 2014 PBA Draft a nice visit stats-wise to see how well they're doing so far. While some people are already proclaiming number one pick Stanley Pringle of the GlobalPort Batang Pier as the runaway winner for the prestigious PBA Rookie of the Year, we feel that he still has some legitimate competition in what is proving to be a rather deep and serviceable first round.

But before we proceed, we cannot help but give a special shout out to BlackWater Elite's Brian Heruela, formerly known as the DLSU Mike Cortez to the reigning PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo's Don Allado over at the University of Cebu. Picked in the 3rd round (!), Heruela has fought for his spot on the Elite's rotation and is now averaging a sweet 25.50mpg 9.25ppg 4.75rpg 5apg which is pretty solid for an unheralded rookie point guard. We're calling it right now, he's our sleeper pick to be either a breakout star for the Elite OR traded to whichever money franchise is looking for a backup point guard.

Now on to the first round picks:

12. Juami Tiongson, PG, Blackwater - C
12.22mpg 4.11ppg 1.33rpg 0.78apg
Here's an honest question: if Tiongson didn't play for Ateneo in the UAAP and won all those titles, would you pick him 12th overall when there's still talent like Rome dela Rosa, Harold Arboleda and even teammate and above mentioned Heruela around? We're not hating on Tiongson (what's there to hate? Dude seems like a stand-up guy), but there's a reason why he went from playing 19 minutes his first game, and 5 his last (against Talk'n'Text). He's not the same firebrand of a scorer as peer Eman Monfort, he's not a specialist on the defensive end either. He's solid, but there are a lot of areas that he can improve on if he is to have a meaningful PBA career.

2015 Philippine Cup Preview: Alaska Aces

Will Coach Alex #LetAbuevaBeAbueva ?
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

Head coach: Alex Compton
Players: Samigue Eman, Chris Banchero, Cyrus Baguio, Calvin Abueva, Sonny Thoss, Ping Exciminiano, Paolo Bugia, Vic Manuel, Eric Menk, Dondon Hontiveros, RJ Jazul, JVee Casio, Tony de la Cruz, Gabby Espinas, Josh Vanlandingham, Rome de la Rosa (R)

After an unexpected divorce with its (now former)  head coach, the Aces look to win anew under head coach Alex Compton who is reportedly shying away from the Triangle Offense. This approach is going to prove to be rather interesting, since it wasn't THAT long ago wherein the Aces sacked another former head coach for doing just that-- dumping  the team's patented, tried-and-tested offensive philosophy of XX years instilled by now San Mig Coffee Mixers' grand slam coach Tim Cone.

Looking at the roster, the Aces were able to add a few pieces who have that right balance of being an exceptional basketball athlete (which is quite big with the franchise when you look at most of their acquisitions over the years) and quality locker room guy (with Abueva and maybe buddy Espinas being the only firebrands). Veterans Menk and Vanlandingham will address certain needs on the floor-- a quality backup for franchise cornerstone Thoss on the block and a wing defender/ shooter to spell veteran wings Hontiveros and De La Cruz.