The Real Deal Redux

Not yet Stan the Man, but def the Real Deal
Photo courtesy of Sports5

"One game doesn't make a PBA career."

It does, however, offer a glimpse of things to come should every thing turn out the way it's meant to be (barring any injuries, on and or off court issues, etc). This is basically what Boss Mikee Romero and the entire Global Port Batang Pier team and fanbase are hoping for after their prized 2014 PBA Draft 1st overall pick Stanley Pringle delivered last Sunday though in a 96-101 losing effort to the NLEX Road Warriors.
Playing an absurd 40 minutes, Pringle managed a respectable 14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 3 turnovers and 4 fouls while being asked to keep his two trigger happy backcourt buddies Alex Cabagnot and sophomore star Terrence Romeo.

Basketball justice is served: Beermen lose in ABL Finals

Fazekas came up short for Beermen

When San Miguel Corporation made it known to the ASEAN Basketball League and the basketball scene in general that it was ready to set shop and take over where the AirAsia Philippine Patriots seem to have faltered, expectations were high and the team more than lived up to it.

Opting to carry the proud Beermen moniker in its ASEAN conquest, the team opened the season with inconsistent play and poor coaching from newbie Bobby Parks, Sr. By midseason, the team retooled by adding notable PBA veterans such as John Ferriols and Roger Yap plus high profile imports Duke Crews and Nick Fazekas who were coming off sterling runs in the PBA as well. Chris Banchero also came back from injury and so their title run was on-- simply overpowering teams left and right (including the hapless Patriots).

ABL Finals: Beermen lose; Series tied 1-1

What a huge difference playing in front of your hometown fans make in a championship series such as the ABL Finals showdown between the San Miguel Beermen and Indonesia Warriors.

Warriors are taking the fight to the Beermen

The Warriors came out to a jam-packed arena that the Beermen could only hope for at their Ynares Center and went for the kill early. While the first quarter was tight, the Warriors broke free in the 2nd quarter by going on a mini-run and holding the Beermen to ZERO points in the first three to four minutes. The game was pretty much decided in that 2nd quarter, as the Beermen couldn't break even in the 2nd half to win the title.

Thoughts on ABL Finals Game 1

KKS has been keeping an eye on the ASEAN Basketball League since its inaugural season a few years back and it's just a joy to watch how the game has elevated from an ugly JV-type of basketball to somewhere along the lines of our very own NCAA (still a farcry from the PBA, let alone the UAAP). The tempo is faster, scoring is up and athletes are coming in from all over Asia to entertain the fans.

This afternoon's ABL Finals Game 1 between the San Miguel Beermen and Indonesia Warriors brought just that-- excitement, entertainment and quality basketball. Yes, there were several ugly dribbling forays here and there courtesy of IW's Stanley Pringle and Jerrick Canada and SMB's Chris Banchero, Leo Avenido and import Duke Crews BUT overall, it was a highly competitive match that was decided only in the final three minutes.

ABL Finals: Battle of the Pinoy PG Future

Pag sumali to sa PBA, mababawasan
ang female fans ni James Yap 

We're just minutes away from the ABL Best-of-Three Finals match-up between the Philippines' San Miguel Beermen and the Indonesia Warriors and it's quite nice to see the ASEAN league continuing to blossom in terms of reach, popularity and quality of games.

The  last two seasons, teams were vying for not only the best available imports, but for Filipino players to beef up their roster. This season, some teams opted to stick with mostly natural players and actually did quite well before retooling mid-conference (as anyone who's looking to improve should, regardless of nationality).