Gilas Pilipinas: The Specialist

Photo courtesy of interaksyon.com

Name one basketball skill and chances are Larry Fonacier's probably performed it in one of the many stops in his decorated and multi-titled basketball career.

Shoot from the outside? Hit clutch baskets? Jumpshot? Layup left hand? Layup right hand? Use the glass? Stop and pop? Pick and roll? Pick and pop? Teardrop?

Check.

It's official: Gilas Pilipinas names final 12

Photo credits: pba.inquirer.net

Ladies and gentlemen, mga kababayan, here is your Gilas Pilipinas:

Jimmy Alapag, PG

Lewis Alfred Tenorio, PG

Jayson Castro, PG/SG

Jeffrei Chan, SG

Gary David, SG

Larry Fonacier, SF

Gabe Norwood, SF

Marc Pingris, PF

Ranidel de Ocampo, PF

Japeth Aguilar, PF

Marcus Douthit, C

Junemar Fajardo, C

We will breakdown each player in our succeeding entries, stay tuned.

KKS final, final, FINAL Gilas Pilipinas’ 12

Break glass in case of emergency.

We're halfway done with June which could only mean that August a.k.a. "FIBA in Manila" season is just around the corner. With that, we present to you our final, final, pinaaaaaaaaaaaka-FINAL (last na to pramis) Gilas Pilipinas 12-man roster:

First Five: PG LA Tenorio/ SG Jeffrei Chan/ SF Gabe Norwood/ PF Sonny Thoss/ C Marcus Douthit

There are a lot of cases in basketball, be it local or foreign, wherein talent is enough to win games. We’ve seen it time and again, when a n actual team with a balanced roster is defeated by a rag-tag selection led by a prodigy (we don’t even have to look that far, with names such as the NBA’s Cleveland days LeBron James, pre-Big Three/ post-Shaq Dwyane Wade and pre-muscle memory injury Derrick Rose and in the Pinoy hoops scene- Meralco/GlobalPort’s Sol Mercado who was going all HAM before a trade, injury and a questionable coach derailed his Most Improved Player 2012 campaign).

Ginebra: Started from the bottom, now they're here

Urbiztondo gets a ride to the semis;
thanks BaRajko

What a series!

Forget about the rankings for a minute (because the great sports writers of this generation would undoubtedly, unabashedly and shamefully milk the whole "7th seed upsetting a 2nd seed dry" anyway), this PBA Commissioner's Cup Playoffs between the Rain or Shine Elastopainters and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel should go down as a classic.

Anytime Ginebra goes up against a Yeng Guiao-coached team, we find ourselves rather torn. We're loyal to old school basketball, which what the name "Ginebra" is all about, we love Mark Caguioa and think that he is the best Filipino basketball player ever second only to the great 4x PBA MVP Ramon Fernandez (with another 4x PBA MVP Alvin Patrimonio as 3rd best) but we just love the gritty stand that Guiao teams always play with.

Alaska breaks tie with Rain or Shine

Should the two teams meet in the Finals,
the theme should be
LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR

The legend of the Cebuano Hotshot lives on.

Sinking seven of 10 three point attempts, Alaska Aces' veteran leader Dondon Hontiveros carried the fight when all seemed lost after his team fell by as much as 22 points versus the Rain or Shine Elastopainters.

Prior to the 4th quarter and overtime barrage, the Aces appeared to be out of sync and couldn't make any of their attempts. The Elastopainters on the other hand, were firing from all cylinders and making the most of mismatches on the floor starting with 7"3 import Bruno Sundov, big guard Paul Lee and the usual bench mob suspects (just pick your poison from game to game, tonight it was a little of TY Tang, Jireh Ybanes and Jervy Cruz).

Then midway of the third happened.

Nothing but bricks for Elasto Painters

Jeff Chan needs to find his touch

When the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters started turning heads last season, it wasn't only because of fearless rookie Paul Lee, Jeffrei Chan turning into the new Allan Caidic, the blatant rugged style of play or Gabe Norwood's string of polarizing performances. The team won so much because guys were making shots. This season, the team still finds themselves in the middle of the hunt (currently sitting pretty with a 5-3 mark that could've easily been 6-2) but missing arguably their most treasured asset.

The three-ball.

So far, this team is chucking up way too many shots from downtown and not converting. The usual suspect, Chan, is coming off an injury from his shooting hand so he has a valid excuse. The same cannot be said however for sweet-shooting bigs Beau Belga and JayR Quinahan who appear to be holding back on their gunslinging ways and opting to play closer to the basket (where they're not as effective on offence despite their hulking frames).

Sophomore Jinx for Angas ng Tondo?

Hanggang dito na lang ba si Lee
o kaya nya abutin si Mark Caguioa?

Reigning PBA Rookie of the Year Paul Lee of the Rain or Shine Elastopainters was supposed to make the leap from good to great this year.

This was the year that he was supposed to take full control of the Elastopainters, the way a blonde-haired, ankle-breaking, young Mark Caguioa took over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel years back regardless of playing with established names such as Vergel Meneses and Jun Limpot.

It was his year, it was his time, it was his team.

Coach Chot Names Gilas 17

REPRESENT JD and Gabe!

Brace yourselves Gilas Pilipinas fans, head coach Chot Reyes has come out with a 17-man pool for the coming FIBA Asia 2013 World Qualifiers. At first look, we’re loving how the core of the 2012 Jones Cup team was brought back together with a bunch of Coach Chot’s system Talk ‘n’ Text players.

This allows continuity and fluidity of Gilas’ preferred “Dribble Drive Motion Offense” as most of the perimeter players already know the nooks and crannies of it. Tenorio did a masterful job the last time out, able to pick his spots outside and get to just about anywhere he pleases inside.

Don't Cry for Rain or Shine

Tiu-torial's now in session
Photo courtesy of Interaksyon.com)

As painful as being swept from the PBA Philippine Cup Finals may seem, the Rain or Shine Elastopainters and their ever-growing fanbase should not feel sorry for themselves. While others were caught off guard by the way this team was blatantly man-handled by the Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters in four games, don't forget that this is still an over-achieving roster that doesn't feature household names as compared to 8 of the 10 teams in the league.

We say that because truthfully, even the hapless and rebuilding GlobalPort Batang Pier has established stars like Willie Miller and Gary David on the fold. This team? They have the all-around 10-5-5 guy Gabe Norwood, followed by two young studs who are still trying to make a name for themselves in reigning PBA Rookie of the Year Paul Lee and streak shooter Jeffrei Chan. The rest of the guys on the roster wouldn't even make a Team SMC or MVP rotation-- rising Jervy Cruz included (undersized power forwards don't make waves anymore in the PBA unless they're a hybrid like Alaska's Calvin Abueva).

So what's next for the Elastopainters following the blowout?

HIS3: Texters win rare 3-peat

Norman Black steers "new" Texters
to 1st title under Black Magic Era

Congratulations to the Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters for winning the PBA Philippine Cup and pulling off a rare 3-peat to take home the coveted Jun Bernardino Perpetual Trophy via a 4-0 sweep!

It was an amazing, lopsided affair right from the get go as the Rain or Shine Elastopainters never got into any form of rhythm owing to the Texters' intensity and focus. Before anything else though, our hats off to the Elastopainters for putting up a tough fight despite the clear disparity in talent and roster. The Yeng Guiao coached team tried their darndest, spreading the ball, looking for the open guy and playing defense the right (and surprisingly honest/ clean) way but unfortunately for them they just ran right smack into a team that, thanks to all the rough-housing care of up-and-coming Alaska, decided to get back into work and focus at the task at hand.

Kumbaga, ung isa ang gamit sa pagkabit ng poster thumbtacks. Ung isa, gun tacker.

Roll over and die

TABE! Dadaan ang Hari
(Photo from PhilStar.Com)

In yet another sleepwalker of a game that should serve as a demoralizer more than anything else to the "growing" Rain or Shine Elastopainters' "Bayan ng Rain or Shine," the Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters put on a clinic on how basketball is played by the elite.

Again the Texters were in full control of the game despite enjoying only slim margins going into the fourth. Again the Elastopainters seemed to have forgotten what brought them to the PBA Philippine Cup Finals-- their aggressiveness and relentlessness on the basketball (coupled with some heavyweight physicality). There's no going around this one, they were just beat. Bullied into submission save for the mini-run that they were able to muster in the 3rd and 4th quarters which were easily doused with ice waters which runs through the veins of the Texters' Ranidel de Ocampo (and shared by Larry Fonacier and Jimmy Alapag-- just pick you poison really).

Stronger, better, faster

Jared's O trumped Gabe's D in Game 1

There’s a school of thought that dictates this to be “just another PBA Philippine Cup Finals” and that we’re simply looking at two teams who just so happen to have won over the rest of the field. That there’s nothing remarkably earth-shattering or historic about this series other than one of the combatants, the Talk ‘n’ Text Tropang Texters, wanting to take home the beautiful Jun Bernardino Perpetual trophy.

If you just nodded your head in agreement, dumbfounded with the point that we’re trying to make and left scratching your head asking “what else are we missing?” then we have this say this to you with all distaste:

Shame on you!

PBA Finals: New vs Old School of Pinoy Basketball

Whichever guard dictates early,
wins the Finals

On one side, you have a team brimming with talented, high basketball IQ athletes who can run the full 48 minutes without whining about fatigue or off nights. They are cerebral, gifted and clutch. They can score in many ways both inside and out and do not rely on one guy alone to win basketball games. They are the Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters.

On the other end of the floor, you have a team of over-achievers whose frontline would finish dead last in a league-wide 5k dash. What they lack in athleticism, speed and vertical prowess, they make up for with craftiness, excellent positioning and crisp passing. They have two guys who can go toe-to-toe with the league's best and even win them a game or two in Paul Lee and Jeffrei Chan, but most nights they just win because they share the wealth and find open guys. These are the Rain or Shine Elastopainters.

Rain or Shine triumphs, heads to Pinoy Cup Finals

Sige mag usap muna kayo jan,
ititira ko muna ito

For the record, the San Mig Coffee Mixers did whatever they could to try and salvage a win and extend the series for another night. And though top gun, 2x PBA Most Valuable Player, James Yap had another rough outing (relentlessly being hounded by the Rain or Shine Elastopainters) their other superstar PJ Simon went to work early to give the Mixers the lead in the first half.

Simon looked to be unstoppable, as he kept draining jumper after jumper right at hapless Paul Lee's grill as though the bald-headed reigning PBA Rookie of the Year wasn't there. Marc Pingris also looked like he was up for another big night, jumping all over the place and hauling down monstrous one-handed rebounds over the Elastopainters' frontline. Then there was also Joe DeVance, taking advantage of the mismatch in skillset and scoring time and again against either smaller or slower defenders asked to guard him. Truly, save for Yap going AWOL, everything was clicking for the Mixers. Even when things started to get chippy the Mixers appeared to be well in control, ending the first half with a Yap triple (which, for Mixers fans, was a great sign).

Then came the second half.

Joe-Ping come up big for Mixers

Pingris: Laban!

The San Mig Coffee Mixers live to fight another day as they triumphed over the Rain or Shine Elastopainters in last night's grind-it-out slugfest known as Game 5 of the PBA Philippine Cup Semifinals.

Led by a defiant Marc Pingris who started at center once again (a ploy used by Coach Tim Cone to erase the Elastopainters' pick-and-roll advantage), the Mixers came out swinging. Not with jabs, but with haymakers all designed to force the action inside. On the flipside, the Elastopainters were settling for one too many long balls as the Mixers did a yeoman's job in clogging up the paint. It also didn't help the Elastopainters' cause that they opted to go for a more perimeter-oriented starting five (Chris Tiu, Jeffrei Chan, Gabe Norwood, Larry Rodriguez and Beau Belga) and took too long to adjust.

Mental Toughness key for Mixers

Instead of working the refs,
Mixers need to go to work

The San Mig Coffee Mixers blew out the Rain or Shine Elastopainters just a few days ago, everyone thought that it would help turn the series in their corner and that they were in control. Well the "Nightmare on Christmas" happened, as the Elastopainters easily and handily returned the favor and sacked the Mixers in a demoralizing 98-72 fashion.

Elastopainters' head coach Yeng Guiao was right on two accounts: that his team had "more stoppers than they (Mixers) have scorers (James Yap and PJ Simon)" and also that the "burden of adjustments" fall squarely on Mixers' head coach Tim Cone et. al. There's no other way to go about it, it seems as though all the Elastopainters have to do to win the series is to "stay the course" which is to play to their trademark: aggressive, physical and relentless style. When they're sticking to the Mixers, hustling for the basketball and doing the little things such as Jireh Ibanes getting into Yap's face even when the 2x PBA MVP isn't even the focus of a play, it will translate to an Elastopainter victory no matter how close/ far the scores are.

As for the Mixers, they have no one else to blame but themselves.

Grudge Match: Rain or Shine versus San Mig Coffee

Simpleng sahod
sabay sorry by Papa Chris

The Rain or Shine Elastopainters successfully dispatched the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and their retarded coaching staff. Say what you will, but never did we doubt our earlier pick after Ginebra's over-rated "Never Say Die" performance in Game 2 of their quarterfinals match-up.

We're not hating on Ginebra, we're just as frustrated as their unwavering faithful that's all. This is a powerhouse team, they have the reigning PBA Most Valuable Player and arguable the league's best point guard the last year and perhaps the next three to four more. They feature an enviable combination of skilled wingmen and some All Star veterans who've won at every stop. They were playing against a team whose notorious bruisers were enjoying a rare off-series and a Negros Sniper whose been even more way off the mark.

We've been Tiu-torized!

Brother Jonas has been Tiu-torized

We'll be the first to admit it.

When a certain Chris Tiu started making waves out of Xavier High School we didn't really care as much. He's around our age, and we have mutual friends, but we've always belittled his abilities as a basketball player. When he chose Ateneo over La Salle where he's Xavier buddies Joseph Yeo and TY Tang were starring, we (because of our green bloodlines) cursed him out and saw him as no better than Ateneo prep star turned DLSU backup BJ Manalo.

Tiu brought out all the insecurities among all male basketball fans. While the women shrieked and frolicked, we booed and called out his lack of athleticism and speed. His efforts with Ateneo didn't really change anything. He was the guy who would knock down open threes or jumpers benefiting from superstar teammates throughout his collegiate basketball career. He was solid, yes, but definitely not someone you'd bestow James Yap kingship over.

Hostile: Alaska vs Rain or Shine

Ala-RoS has all the makings
of a WWE Title Fight

... is the word that best captures what fans wanted to see in yesterday's match pitting the streaking Alaska Aces and steady Rain or Shine Elastopainters. It was a glimpse of what the PBA was turning into: the team that embodies the last two years' physical, throwback, Pinoy game versus the other one that is exploring this "new" territory behind rookie Calvin "The Beast" Abueva.

But Beau Belga "pa-simples" aside, fireworks didn't erupt. Our prediction of "two flagrants and three technicals"didn't come into fruition. The game was tight with the Aces leading by no more than 6 points at the end of 3 quarters before the Elastopainters, true to form, came storming back behind ace gunner Jeffrei Chan (who we now understand was given the monicker "Negros Sniper"-- okay, we can work with that.)

The Takeover: Mercado Rising

Big things poppin' for the Sol Train

This writer has admittedly been a harsh critique of one Solomon Mercado-- drawing the Fil-American basketball player's ire/ attention for a quick 45 seconds or so via Twitter, but that's only because while others are lost on the tattoos, bad boy image and cat-quick crossover, we see a potential for greatness. The potential to dominate the PBA and also be mentioned in the same breath of elite combo guards this side of the globe.

Not to jump on the, well, Sol Train band wagon, but the man has been doing work so far in the Philippine Cup. His Meralco Bolts is at a cool 3-2 in the win-loss column, playing at a quicker pace after head coach Ryan Gregorio suddenly had the brilliant idea of adopting SMART Gilas' "dribble drive motion offense."