PBA GovCup Finals: Petron deals first blow

If Game 1 of the PBA Governor's Cup Finals is a preview of things to come, then we're going with Petron Blaze's Alex Cabagnot and Marcio Lassiter when they said that they'd prefer a sweep of San Mig Coffee.

Lutz and Lassiter proved to be
a handful for San Mig Coffee
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

Riding on the hot hands of Chris Lutz late (12 points) and the superb triple double effort of import Elijah Millsap (35 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists), Petron Blaze had control of the game save for a mini San Mig Coffee run in the 3rd canto. The disparity in personel became quite obvious early when Petron Blaze's 6"10 rookie Junemar Fajardo was pretty much having his way inside versus 6"5 counterpart Marc Pingris.

San Mig Coffee tried to address the Fajardo conundrum by fielding in little-used 6"9 big man Yancy de Ocampo, but he proved a little too skinny. Also, instead of pulling Fajardo out of the paint by staying by the high post to three point line area where he is more effective, de Ocampo went with his pride and opted to challenge the youngster mano-a-mano (in which he failed rather miserably).

PBA GovCup Finals: San Mig Coffee aching for redemption

Ilang panalo na lang at mahahagkan ng muli
ni Barroca si Erika Padilla
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

The San Mig Coffee Mixers are back in the PBA Governor’s Cup Finals after disposing of a gutsy Meralco Bolts squad in their Best-of-Five affair, going 3-1. 

This time around, the Mixers were led by do-it-all import Marqus Blakely, a re-calibrated 2x PBA MVP James Yap, Joe DeVance, steady Mark Barroca and rookie Alex Mallari. Those five did enough for the team that the sub par performances of usually dependable stat-sheet stuffing stalwarts PJ Simon and Marc Pingris.

What’s next for the Mixers? Well, if they can have it their way, a Governor’s Cup championship trophy at season’s end.

PBA GovCup Semis: San Mig Coffee vs Meralco

With Maliksi out, PJ Simon's
got buckets on mind
(Photo courtesy of Sports5)

With Game 1 already out of the way, things are looking mighty interesting between the San Mig Coffee Mixers and the Meralco Bolts. We breakdown the match-ups and take a look at the necessary adjustments we feel should be made if this series is to go the distance.

PG: Mark Barroca/ Alex Mallari vs Mike Cortez/ Chris Ross/ Chris Timberlake
In a nutshell, here's a token summary of how point guards are supposed to be: can play the half court, can run, be the designated bail-out scorer AND make game-changing stops every now and then. The Mixers' Barroca is steadily boosting his stock under the tutelage of assistant coach Johnny Abarrientos (and now also of Olsen Racela) while Mallari looks like he's found a niche in the pros as a "sparkplug" type. On the flipside, the Bolts have a troika of guards who also possess most of the above-mentioned qualifications save for one-- they can't shoot a lick. The Cortez acquisition gave them a heady floor general who can control the tempo, but it still didn't answer their need for another on-court offensive threat. Given the defensive nature of both teams, the point guard/s that can dictate the pace of the game will win it for his team—even if it means having to put their “scoring caps” on.

Adv. SMC

Pinoy Resbak State of Mind

Love the passion, but stick to basketball.
(Photo courtesy of PBA InterAKTV)

So there you are, standing at one end of the basketball court in a game that's already been decided if everything goes the way it's been going early. You see your hard-working import, being pulled to the ground by a no-name upstart who rubs it in by using all the little dirty tricks in the book to get leverage and stand over your fallen comrade.

You see one of your guys rush in to make the save. You then see the opposing team's snot-nosed punk, a guy who reminds you of yourself, and instinctively know that shit's about to go down.

Then you see red.

...

It's been a tough game so far, your team's down big early and the other team's not being shy to let you know about it. They're the better team. They're one of the three "mother" teams in the corporate umbrella. Your team is a highlight reel joke at best. Dazzling plays, electrifying aerial acrobatics and sweet shooting. But no substance. No fight. What? No fight? On a team that you're playing in? F that.

Mixers' Pride

They'll be back.

Mirroring the current (or soon to be) faith of the Chicago Bulls in the on-going NBA Playoffs, the San Mig Coffee Mixers have nothing to be ashamed of despite being sent home by the Alaska Aces.

The team, already facing a rash of injuries to top stars, fought valiantly and could've easily won a game or two had they managed to protect their lead in the 3rd to 4th quarters. Had they been able to sustain their momentum, it would be the Mixers and not the young Aces barging into the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals to defend their hard-earned title.

Alas, their hurting and now humbled stars could only do so much.

PBA Commish Cup semis: Aces score 1st win over Cone

Dozier's making Bowles look old

After nine failed attempts over the course of a season and a half, Luigi Trillo and the Alaska Aces were finally able to beat former coach Tim Cone and the San Mig Coffee Mixers with a convincing 86-67 victory at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Just when it seemed that beating the Mixers was a gargantuan task that the Aces would never be able to accomplish, the Red and Black came out with a different mindset and game plan altogether: attack the rim. In Game 1, the Aces appeared to be at ease with trading jumpshots with the Mixers as they were playing exceptional defense on each other. Tonight, despite another strong effort on the defensive end by the Mixers early in the first, the Aces were just relentless.

PBA Commish Cup semis: Alaska vs San Mig Coffee

P*tangina banggaan to!

Trust that you've read our "emo" piece on the Alaska Aces and the San Mig Coffee Mixers going into their PBA Commissioner's Cup semifinals match-up. Now, we're breaking down the match-ups and as always, going out on a limb to test our credibility (what?) and pick a winner.

PG JVee Casio/ RJ Jazul vs  Mark Barroca/ Joe DeVance
We've seen JDV being given the freedom by Mixers coach Tim Cone to run the point as an out-of-this-country sized point guard lately, and we are banking on even more ball-time for JDV. Casio and Jazul, though great offensively, are not as established defensively as Meralco's Chris Ross which allows JDV to dribble whenever and wherever he wants. This is going to be a problem for the Aces because JDV will undoubtedly set up shop down low and pretty much punish his pint-sized counterparts. If you're holding out for a Casio vs Barroca showdown, they'll cancel each other out. And as far as we've known Cone, he's not the type who's content with guys canceling one another. He wants the advantage-- and his name is JDV.
Adv. Mixers

Into the PBA Commish Cup Playoffs (Part 2.2)

Ibalik ang bangis!

San Mig Coffee Mixers (4) vs Meralco Bolts (5)
No other playoff match-up could be as 50-50 as this one not only because of their "too close to call" rankings but also because one team is rising steadily while the other is suffering from a malady of injuries and off-court issues. As a basketball fan, we're quite pleased that the Mixers are back in the hunt to defend their title after a slow star and that the Bolts, dismissed as a team that's clearly tanking to get a better seeding at next year's PBA draft after the lopsided Sol Mercado trade, are back in the Playoffs.

PG Mark Barocca vs Chris Ross
It's going to be speed versus speed, with a slight edge to Ross for his defensive tenacity and rebounding. Barocca's not too shabby either and for the Mixers to win they'll need the former FEU stalwart to deliver offensively and defensively. It's going to be interesting on how these two will guard each other. Ross can't give Barocca too much daylight as the latter has shown an improvement from the outside. Barocca can't stick too closely to Ross because the Fil-Am will just blitz his way to the rim for the finish or a kickout to his shooters. Ross can guard Barocca straight up, but Barocca will have to watch out for Ross' outside passes so the entire Mixers will have to chip in to play safety at all times.

Adv. Meralco

Apostle's Creed

Batman and Robin?
No, more like Batman and Green Lantern

While 2x PBA Most Valuable Player James Yap continues to hog the limelight for the San Mig Coffee Mixers both on and off the court, this season has been about the continued rise to prominence of Yap's "sidekick," scorer Peter June Simon.

But based on what we've seen so far, Simon is anything BUT a sidekick to Yap. In the Ryan Gregorio years perhaps, but Simon has blossomed into a complete player under Gregorio's replacement, head coach Tim Cone. Cone has done a marvelous job in honing Simon's all-around offensive skills, forcing the Davao City native to play facilitator and even off the ball instead of just waiting his turn on the isolation sets.

Monster-Bowles Returns

Monster Bowles and The Captain
having a moment

After a forgetful return/debut, San Mig Coffee Mixers import Denzel Bowles has powered the team to two consecutive victories including last night's impressive (yet foul-ridden) man-handling of the Global Port Batang Pier in an out-of-town sortie.

Though his rebounding numbers haven't rounded up to the 2012 version of himself, Bowles' is finding ways to contribute by mixing up his now more consistent mid-range game with his face-up moves to the basket. Batang Pier counterpart Justin Williams, who is reportedly on his way out thanks to a string of low scoring performances (hey, he's not the focal point of the offence, he's playing MAD defines, so what's your beef Coach Junel Baculi), was being tested to the hilt in more ways than one. To Williams' credit, he was putting in the work on the defensive end and blocking shots left and right.

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.

Pingris continues to earn Cone's trust

Pingris: Always Ready to Battle

When Hall of Fame-worthy BMeg Llamados head coach Tim Cone first came into town, talks of him developing established 2x PBA Most valuable Player James Yap captured headlines. There were dreams of multiple titles, unmatched greatness and a dynasty that was just waiting to happen.

For a time, people even toyed with the idea of how Cone could make his own present day "Alaska circa 1996" with Llamados with guys like Yap, Roger Yap, PJ Simon and Kerby Raymundo all in the fold. What people didn't really bother to talk about in those stages, was where defensive and rebounding bloodhound Marc Pingris fits in the Triangle Offense and Cone's gameplan altogether.

Shrinkage Syndrome for Llamados

James Yap needs to step up. Now.

Isn't it ironic how the B-Meg Llamados, pre-season favorites with the acquisition of Hall of Fame coach Tim Cone, is led by a man touted "Big Game" only for them to keep falling short in, well, big games?

James Yap hasn't scored over 20 points in what feels like forever and this night's 103-81 loss is no different regardless of the 21 he scored on a 7/17 shooting clip. Most of his points came early, and when push came to shove, he couldn't do anything but hoist up those nice-form threes that kept bouncing off the rim.

B-Meg Llamados: Up to the task

No questions asked.
This is Cone and Yap's team now.

Slowly but surely, future Hall of Famer and current two-conference-old B-Meg Llamados coach Tim Cone is taking control of the team as-a-whole. Altering its genetic make-up from the league's isolation-heavy posterboys, Cone has transformed the Llamados into a more balanced squad that puts an onus on team play.

It wasn't easy, but they are starting to reap the benefits of the seeds that they've been sowing at a short period of time. Rookie Mark Barroca is slowly emerging as a great, change-of-pace point guard who Cone doesn't have problems with playing exclusively in the 4th over his starters at the position.