The last time the
franchises of Petron Blaze and San Mig Coffee met in a PBA Finals series was
more than a decade ago, in the 2000 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals. Both teams
carried different monikers back then, with Petron Blaze still known as the San
Miguel Beermen and San Mig Coffee then labeled the Purefoods TJ (tender juicy)
Hotdogs.
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| Elijah Millsap hopes to continue flying high in the 2013 PBA Govs' Cup Finals. (image by Paul Ryan Tan/InterAKTV) |
It was a great
best-of-seven series characterized by pretty close games, especially Games One
to Three, which were decided by an average of 4.3 points only. Incidentally,
the Beermen won all of those first three contests en route to a 4-1 series
triumph. That was the third Govs’ Cup title for San Miguel, and it was a
successful defense of the crown they also held in 1999 at the expense of the
Alaska Milkmen.
The twister-ish import
Lamont Strothers teamed up with eventual Finals MVP Danny Seigle and Season MVP
Danny Ildefonso to spearhead the Beermen in that conference. It was, in many
ways, the peak of San Miguel’s dominance at the turn of the century. The 2000
Govs’ Cup was the franchise’s fourth in the previous five PBA conferences
(missing just the 2000 All-Filipino title), coach Jong Uichico was then
undefeated (4-of-4) in any PBA Finals series, and, well, the two Dannys were
clicking like crazy.
It’s interesting to see
that, in the current conference, the still-glorious franchise, is back in the
thick of the title fight. Like Strothers and the two Dannys back in the day, a
great combo of locals and a hardworking import will form the bulk of the
backbone for Petron Blaze.
Elijah Millsap, the
brother of 6’8 NBA power forward Paul Millsap, who recently signed with Atlanta
Hawks, has been on a tear for the Boosters. Millsap is currently norming 27.2
points, 11.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.2 steals, and nearly two triples an
outing. He should be a nightmarish match-up for the opposing Mixers because of
his shiftiness, athleticism, and range, and he would surely want to bring back
some hardware to the States by winning a title here in Manila.
The former Univ. of
Alabama at Birmingham Blazer can also count on a ton of local support,
especially from the likes of June Mar Fajardo, Arwind Santos, Marcio Lassiter,
and Alex Cabagnot. Fajardo, in particular, has been stellar since returning
from his tour of duty with the Gilas Pilipinas national team. The man-child
known as the Kracken is currently averaging 11.6ppg, 9.6rpg, and 1.6bpg while
shooting close to 60% from the field. He is, in fact, the second most efficient
player in the league (based on stats from PBA-Online.net)
right behind Ginebra’s LA Tenorio. Fajardo is carrying a 34.0 EFF rating, while
Tenorio is just a little better at 38.8.
Santos and Cabagnot have
been quite steady, too. The two quintessential Petron players are both in the
Top 10 most efficient players in the conference, which is a big reason the
Boosters topped the standings at the end of the single-round elims. Santos is
pumping in 12.4ppg, 8.6rpg, 1.3bpg, and 1.1 spg, while Cabagnot is norming
12.6ppg, 4.6rpg, 4.2apg, and 1.1spg. Cabagnot is also shooting better than 40%
from three-point area and has made 24 triples already. He is third in the
league in three-point percentage and second overall in threes made.
The top marksman? His
teammate, Marcio Lassiter. Lassiter has been on a roller-coaster ride in his
young PBA career, but it seems this conference has really been his shining
moment. As of now, the former Gilas stalwart is second overall in three-point
percentage (46%) and has the most three-point makes in the conference (29 makes
in 14 games). He is currently putting up 12.9ppg, 3.8rpg, and 1.0spg.
With so many weapons at
his disposal, and most of them quite healthy, coach Gee Abanilla surely has a
lot of flexibility to work with when it comes to attacking the Mixers. His
squad is out to reclaim a title it last held in 2011, when Petron snuffed out
Talk N Text’s hopes for an historic grand slam, and, by doing so, the Boosters
should, indeed, cement their collective status as the nation’s top pro hoops
club.
*This article also came out on PBA.Inquirer.net.
*This article also came out on PBA.Inquirer.net.
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