And nobody does it better

The PBA's Knicks-era Isaiah Thomas?

Or so he said.

There was a time when one Noli Eala was hailed as the savior of Philippine basketball-- the guy who will carry the torch after the great commissioner Jun Bernardino and those before him into the new millennium. But tragedy struck and the world came crashing down on the former prosecutor. We won't judge him for his actions off the basketball court, this is not what we stand for at KiliKiliShot.Com. We will however, judge his past and current actions as one of the driving forces for the San Miguel Corporation's basketball teams competing in the PBA.

PBA; Pride and Passion for Basketball

Thank you PBA. Thank you Kume Chito!

The year is 2012 going 2013, the PBA is back in terms of being one of the more preferred sources of entertainment in the country is concerned. The TV ratings are up, people are actually able to fill up about 1/3 of the venues and players enjoy immense popularity (even the undeserving ones) because of social media channels.

We'll go on record and thank Commissioner Chito Salud and the rest of the PBA Board of recognizing what the fans want. We want passion in games, be it in a blowout in the first round or a neck-and-neck grudge match in Game 7 of the Finals. We want animosity-- but only on the court. Physicality, but nothing borderline brutal or with mischievous/ murderous intent. The fans want emotions on the court, if we wanted to watch athletes flying all over and dunking, we'd troop to an And1 joint or download Harlem GlobeTrotters videos.

The value of role players

Petron needs more guys like Pena

Another day, another mind-boggling loss for the stacked Petron Blaze Boosters this time at the unimaginable hands of the rag-tag Air21 Express. It would've been acceptable had the Boosters lost by a couple of points or on a heart-breaking play, but they were just flat-out embarrassed this afternoon by a team whose most household name is their Coach who did all his winning (at the moment) back on the college level.

Losing 97-76, the Boosters looked more erratic than awful on the court. They were trying to make the extra play, revived by the solo coaching job of one Olsen Racela, guys like Joseph Yeo and Alex Mallari appeared to have that extra pep in their steps. But they were just being outperformed by the Express which has appeared to have hit the lotto by opting to go for a more traditional set-up.

Taskmaster Toroman Steps Back for Rah-Rah

Ikaw, pala'y, salawahan

The writing, in thick, bold neon hot pink colors, was on the wall. It was just a matter of the right people taking a step back to see the big picture, that their proposed "coaching partnership" was the equivalent of what we'd all say as being "a great proposal/ thesis, but hardly probable executable."

Serbian and former SMART Gilas Team Pilpinas head coach Rajko Toroman has finally opted to take a backseat from being the annoying, overly hands-on assistant coach/ team consultant of the struggling Petron Blaze Boosters. From here on out, as far as the team is concerned, it's going to be head coach Olsen Racela fulfilling his duties to the letter: supervising drills in practices and drawing plays in-game both offensively and defensively (as what a head coach should be doing in the first place).

While people were quick to point out that this shortened partnership could've mirrored the highly successful "mentor-protege" pair of former San Miguel Beermen head coach Ron Jacobs and understudy Jong Uichico, this writer argues otherwise.

Lead by example

Remember when Arwind was THIS good?
(It wasn't THAT long ago folks)

After calling out his Petron Blaze Boosters teammates, his point guard Alex Cabagnot in particular, Arwind Santos lived up to the drama by submitting his most dominant and all around game in recent memory finishing up with 22 points and 17 rebounds to lead his team to a 98-95 win over Ginebra.

Cabagnot, seemingly the missing key to the Boosters' puzzle, finished with 7 points, 8 assists and 5 turnovers while playing third most minutes (38) after Santos (39) and Chris Lutz (45). To say that Cabagnot has been playing without any "heart" would be an understatement. The guy is simply not competing at all (there was one loose ball play wherein he lost his man L.A. Tenorio right in front of the basket for an easy deuce).

Checks and balances

Time to break the duo up?

For a star-studded team that's obviously built around "professionalism" and a business-like approach, the Petron Blaze Boosters sure does an awful way of auditing themselves.

There's one of the three captains, Arwind Santos, speaking his mind after their 88-86 loss to the Alaska Aces, calling out his point guard Alex Cabagnot. The mere and simple fact that they have THREE captains should be cause of concern. And how they all managed to overtake veteran Danny Ildefonso from the picture is also an obvious display of how they want to move forward.

They're far from being sentimental, they know who the stars on the team are, those are the captains. Captains who are expected to take the lead. To bring the fight night in and night out and not let anything shake them in the endgame.

Calvin Abueva's beastly debut

Masaya kung akilala da ka

Dondon Hontiveros had one of those vintage MBA Cebu Gems performances in the 4th quarter. Cyrus Baguio had the most efficient game we've seen of him EVER. JVee Casio was being his usual, steady self at PG-- not making great reads or finds, but not turning the ball either.

But make no mistake, it was one debuting Calvin "The Beast" Abueva who stole the show and brought the Alaska Aces back with his hustle and energy to salvage an 88-86 win over the confused Petron Blaze Boosters.

12 points on 5/17 shooting, 16 rebounds (10 defensive/ 6 offensive), 1 block, 1 assist, 4 fouls and 2 turnovers in 27 minutes.

Every man for himself

Where'd this guy go?

The Petron Blaze Boosters finally looked like a team on the floor last night, dominating the hapless Barako Bull Energy Cola 98-89 and just running and executing under neophyte "coach" Olsen Racela.

Leading the way were Chris Lutz, Alex Cabagnot and Arwind Santos who all appeared to strive under the transition game. Lutz, who topscored for the Boosters with 22, was his usual "silent assassin" self-- getting to his spots on the floor and just letting the game come to him. Why Mico Halili et. al. hasn't tagged him as the PBA's "The Natural" ala the NBA's Brandon Roy, we'll leave to them.

Santos also bounced back from an abysmal first game against Rain or Shine while Cabagnot provided the heroics and closing efforts when the Boosters opted to take its collective "foot off the gas" so to speak and allowed the Colas to come back in the 4th quarter.

Pinoy Cup Finals Preview? Ginebra wins dogfight over Rain or Shine

That. Was. Intense.

Ginebra won 98-94 over RoS.
E pano kung naglaro tong 2 to?

So intense that we had to give it a day to sink in and just look at the ramifications of it all. Here are the Rain or Shine Elastopainters, fresh off a title romp and an utter and complete domination of season favorites Petron Blaze Boosters, looking to add another souped up team to its "hit list" (and we use that term very loosely).

Then there's the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel squad, brimming with athleticism, superstar/ household names and a fanbase-count that would make PNoy's 2010 voters blush with envy. The game was rugged, physical but highly entertaining. It was eerily reminiscent to the early days of reigning PBA MVP Mark Caguioa's Barangay Ginebra and current RoS' head coach Yeng Guiao's old spit-firish Batang Red Bull Thunder team.

Rain or Shine survives The Kraken

Basta si Jeff Chan ang sumipat, ilista mo na

With all due respect to the so-called powerhouse teams (on paper) in the PBA, the Rain or Shine Elastopainters look like they're the most complete team in the league today. First to go down are the heavily-favored Petron Blaze Boosters who not only have a bunch of guys who could easily fill out a Team Pilipinas/All Star roster, but also the league's number one overall draft pick and a guy expected to dominate for years, 6"9 June Mar "The Kraken" Fajardo.

The game started out real close, but come the second half the Elastopainters buckled down to work and started flexing their muscles-- literally. There were hard screens and fouls that appeared to have knocked the wind out of the Boosters-- unable to keep in step with the Elastopainters who were either driving to the rim or just passing the ball all over the court to find the open man.

Ilang tulog na lang...

Kahit si Doug Kramer may Tiu-fever

The Philippine Basketball Association is all set to open shop this coming Sunday with souped-up crowd-darlings Barangay Ginebra San Miguel versus the retooled GlobalPort Batang Pier serving as the Philippine Cup's official opening combatants.

We should expect a slam bang affair, nothing short of a bonafide shootout with reigning PBA Most Valuable Player Mark Caguioa, former MVP Jayjay Helterbrand and the bevy of athletic wings they brought in going up against an odd yet exciting pair of high-scoring Gary David and another former MVP Willie Miller.

Here's KKS' top storyline picks for each team.

The Kraken Watch: June Mar Fajardo is growing

The Kraken: Evolving into something scarier

We've been reading live pre-season tweets about the Petron Blaze Boosters and their prized 2012 number one overall PBA Draft Pick June Mar Fajardo-- and it is scary. While the team has been struggling to find on-court chemistry and balance with their redundantly stacked roster, the one constant has been Fajardo's continued growth as a legit PBA big man.

He's been putting up double figure points, being an easy target for all of his teammates-- his hands are quite exceptional (a must for all bigs, something even Kobe Bryant would attest is the biggest difference between dumping the ball to a Kwame Brown and an Andrew Bynum) and he never strays away from the low post which is always a good thing (hi Japeth! Haaay Japeth).

Racela's Team... Or Not

Coach O and "assistant" Coach T

It's only fitting that a team packed with superstars but have yet to discover their true identity on the hardcourt would have two "voices" hollering from the sidelines. There's the "official head coach" of the Petron Blaze Boosters in Olsen Racela and his trusty "assistant/ team consultant," Serbian coach and International basketball guru, Rajko Toroman.

Based on basketball pedigree alone, it's pretty obvious which one should (and would) take the lead as far as handling the team is concerned. It's pretty doubtful to believe that Toroman will just play assistant while Racela, though a winning amateur coach in international meets, takes charge and draws up last-second plays. The San Miguel organization has proven before that they don't really care much about their coaches' feelings or mentality (asking Jong Uichico to "co-coach" with Siot Tangquincen at Barangay Ginebra San Miguel was disrespectful in everyone's view save for San Miguel brass), so it's probably more like keeping a budding and promising mind like Racela in the family (before Team MVP swoops in and asks him to coach Ateneo or a professional affiliate) while milking Toroman's genius within the context of keeping the Basketball Coaches' Association of the Philippines happy.

PBA Draft 2012 1st Round Grades

Can't teach height.

What a day for the future of Philippine basketball! Arguably one of the most potent and star-ready lot in the last decade, the PBA Draft 2012 went all six rounds-- with the rechristened Barangay Ginebra San Miguel out to try point guards by the dozen.

First round

1. Petron Blaze - June Mar Fajardo
This was a no brainer, though Fajardo is a three-year project at best, the guy stands 6"10 and has actual muscles that Bonel Balingit, E.J. Feihl, Marlou Aquino and Andy Seigle COMBINED could only dream of. Don't look for Fajardo to dominate the game ASAP, since there's a solid reason why he was glued to the bench in the ASEAN Basketball League. In the PBA, he's job has been defined for him before he was even called out to the stage: intimidate, rebound and block shots. If Coach Olsen Racela and 2x PBA MVP Danny Ildefonso could work their magic on Fajardo and speed up Fajardo's basketball IQ, then look for Petron to be a playoffs fixture for years to come.

Grade: A (Fajardo addresses the one position that Petron doesn't have a bunch of guys to choose from)

PBA Draft 2012: The Chris Tiu Factor

Tiu: Petron, Alaska or Meralco?

We already know where 6"9 big man June Mar Fajardo is going. The KKS Vince McMahon has already gone public with the Petron Blaze Boosters' choice for the number one overall pick of the promising PBA Draft 2012. It's not rocket science, they brought him in from Cebu, nurtured him and gave him international experience battling mostly American giants in the ASEAN Basketball League so  let the Boosters have their man.

What's becoming even more of a conundrum is who gets picked next. The Alaska Aces appear to be opening up to the idea of bringing in "The Beast" Calvin Abueva of the NCAA's San Sebastian Golden Stags. Arguably the best, most decorated and widely respected player among the applicants given his monstrous efforts on the basketball court.

Star complex or poor coaching?

Should Ato step aside for Rajko?

The Petron Blaze Boosters were once again on the losing end of a crucial PBA Governors Cup semifinals game, this time bowing to their rivals Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters 103-94. Though they made a mini-rally in the third quarter, the game was never really theirs as the Texters regrouped in the fourth to salvage the victory.

Going into the conference, hell, the season even, the Boosters were pretty much pencilled in to make continuous deep playoff runs behind its unmatched roster. While the Texters enjoy a bevy of elite and athletic Fil-Ams, they still have holes to fill as far as getting a true small forward and center are concerned. The Boosters? They have two interchangeable starting units that was only strengthened when they brought in rookie Marcio Lassiter and the returning Dondon Hontiveros this conference.

E-Painters' Hustle and Flow

Yeng Guiao has his team ready 

Despite last night's 90-88 setback to the Petron Blaze Boosters, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters need only to win two of their remaining four semifinal assignments to make a run at the PBA Governor's Cup Finals. That, plus they sure as hell made a valiant comeback from 23 points down and were maybe three to four missed free throws from stealing the game.

Though they started the game rather slugglishly while the Boosters were shooting the lights off the gym, the E-Painters never really looked out of it. The team kept battling, forcing turnovers and making it difficult for the Boosters to score inside specially in the third and fourth quarters.

The Petron Puzzle

Pinoy LeBron: He's back.
But is it a good thing?

For such a stacked team, the Petron Blaze Boosters' current placing on the PBA Governor's Cup standings would make one reconsider if they really have the league's best-- in terms of players, coaches and overall make-up.

As far as firepower is concerned, it doesn't get any better than the likes of Alex Cabagnot, Joseph Yeo, Chris Lutz, Marcio Lassiter, Dondon Hontiveros and Jay Washington. On defense, you have elite-level guys like FEU buddies Denok Miranda and Arwind Santos, and the usually steady Noy Baclao (if he could ever find minutes for himself consistently).

Still, they are under performing and losing to teams who don't even feature a quarter of the Boosters' star-power.

Boosters ready to defend

The Pinoy LeBron
doppleganger is back!

So much for the Meralco Bolts' mini-celebration after they were able to secure their very first franchise victory over sister team, the Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters. The Manny V. Pangilinan-owned team was quickly brought back down to earth by rivals Petron Blaze Boosters of the proud San Miguel Corporation family.

Led by all-around import Eddie Basden, the Boosters stamped their collective class over the hapless Bolts despite having star guards Dondon Hontiveros and Marcio Lassiter in street clothes. Basden was joined by perennial All Star Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot and even Denok Miranda and keeping the Bolts at bay early before stepping on the gas in the second half for the win.

Boosters on full tank; run over Tigers

The game was decided in favor of the Petron Blaze Boosters the minute the Powerade Tigers' Rabeh Al Hussaini blew his top (as always) and got himself ejected on yet another immature play.

Al Hussaini's best years were under Coach Norman.
You know, when he was focused.

Yes, the Boosters were already up in the score cards after the 1st half thanks to a more aggressive (and well rested) looking Alex Cabagnot, Arwind Santos and import Eddie Basden. But the game was close early up until Al Hussaini lost his cool to the man who replaced him in the Boosters' fold-- Dorian Pena.

Pena was doing nothing out of the ordinary (for the bruising enforcer anyway), so the brunt of the blame falls squarely on Al Hussaini who managed only 4 points and 0 rebounds while playing in spurts in the first two quarters. The Tigers fought back and even took the lead when Al Hussaini was on the bench behind veterans Rommel Adducul and Jondan Salvador who were all too happy to dish out the same Pena, WWE-style physicality in the paint.