The 2013-2014 PBA
Philippine Cup enjoyed awesome games this past week. This past Wednesda, Rain
or Shine escaped with a win after JR Quiñahan hit a game-winning triple with
0.7 seconds to go against Meralco, while the SMC Mixers notched their third
straight win after blowing out the reeling Petron Blaze Boosters. Last night, Ginebra
and San Mig Super Coffee blasted their respective foes. Consequently, Ginebra
cemented the top spot even as SMC formalized its quarterfinals ticket.
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| Ryan Araña goes up for a circus shot against Cliff Hodge. |
In the Wednesday opener,
Rain or Shine scraped by Meralco, 89-86.
Anything better than a big
guy (and when I say big, I mean JR Quiñahan BIG) hitting a big three (and when
I say big three, I mean game-winning BIG) with 0.7 seconds to go? Yeah, thought
so.
Once again, starting
center Rabeh Al-Hussaini continues to underwhelm for the Bolts. Now that
Dunkin' Danny I is on board, one would think Al-Hussaini would learn some new
moves, right? Wrong. All that potential in that huge frame better get some
awesome production soon, lest the former Ateneo big man go the way of… Samigue
Eman?
I know Gabe Norwood isn't
exactly the type who'll run the opposition for 20 or 30 points. I mean, his
season-high so far is just 13 points, which he scored against TNT in
mid-December. Counting this game, he has scored in double-figures in only four
out of Rain or Shine's thirteen contests. I know he's there for defense, for
hustle, for the intangibles, but I wouldn't mind seeing more plays run for him
(that midrange game is killer, after all). Let's go, Gabe! Go and make 'em all
pay!
In the Wednesday nightcap,
San Mig Super Coffee overcame Petron Blaze, 112-93. The Mixers were at their
very best against their sister team here. They shot close to 60% from the
field, moved the ball around much better than Petron, and forced 18 Booster
turnovers. The Mixers have now won all three of their post-2014 games, and are
in the upper half of the standings for the first time this season. With
momentum on its side, SMC might be the most dangerous team heading to the end
of the elimination round.
It's clear that Petron big
man June Mar Fajardo is still struggling to regain the fine form that made him
the league's best player before that freak knee injury in practice a few weeks
ago. He shot just 25% from the field in this one and struggled to keep someone
like Marc Pingris off the glass. I hope the Kracken's real game surfaces soon,
lest the Boosters get bounced earlier than expected.
James Yap returned to rule
the hardwood. The former UE Red Warrior unloaded 19 points on 7/14 FG shooting
here, helping the Mixers nail win #6. The Man with a Million Moves hardly
showed signs of the injury that kept him out in San Mig's last game, and he looks
really motivated to help his club make a huge run going into the next round.
In Friday’s first game, Ginebra
beat GlobalPort, 108-92, thanks to its two dominant big men. Ginebra isn't the
only PBA team with a potential twin-tower combo (Rafi Reavis-Yancy De Ocampo
anyone?), but, this pairing between Greg Slaughter (apparently, his new
nickname is King Gregory) and Japeth Aguilar just has no equal. Coach Ato Agustin
has two young and extremely talented bigs at his disposal, with both of them
producing at really high levels. In this game, Slaughter raked in a
double-double line -- 23 points, 13 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block, while
Aguilar continued his mind-blowing progression, registering 21 markers, 8
boards, and 2 rejections. With both guys playing so well together, is there any
stopping this Ginebra freight train?
On the other end of the
floor, the Batang Pier hardly found any answer to the Kings' height and might.
Starting frontliners Jondan Salvador and Kelly Nabong combined for 7 points and
6 rebounds. Likewise, Justin Chua and Leo Najorda couldn't do much. The only
guy who made a dent was super veteran Eric Menk. Major Pain erupted for his
best game of the season so far -- 17 points and 14 rebounds. He more than held
his own, but against both Slaughter and Aguilar, even he fell by the wayside.
The Kings accomplished
what they set out to do -- nail the top seed as they advance to the quarterfinals.
Their prospective opponents include the Energy Cola, Bolts, Batang Pier, or
Aces, and it will be interesting to see which team gets to match-up with the
Kings' balanced roster. Needless to say, Ginebra is not only the favorite to
advance to the semis, but the favorite to dethrone Talk N Text as the
Philippine Cup champion.
In last night’s main game,
San Mig Super Coffee outran and outplayed Talk N Text, 100-87.
Well what do you know? The
Mixers have won four straight, are now at .500 in the team standings, and have
just arranged a best-of-three quarterfinal match-up with their victims, the
Tropang Texters. SMC had a crazy slow start to the season, going 3-7 before the
new year, but they seem to have found their groove and are now a major threat
heading into the knockout rounds. San Mig's record might no show it, but this
is a dark horse for the title.
With Kelly Williams,
Harvey Carey, and Ryan Reyes all in street clothes, it was clear that TNT was
undermanned and overmatched. Even with four Gilas players in tow -- Jimmy
Alapag, Jayson Castro, Larry Fonacier, and Ranidel De Ocampo, -- coach Norman
Black couldn't really find a way for the Texters to get over the hump and
defeat the Mixers. TNT outrebounded the taller Mixers, 57-48, but they shot
just 37% from the field. There were six Texters in double-digits, but they
allowed SMC to shoot 44% from beyond the arc. TNT also turned the ball over 6
more times, which led to 13 points-off-turnovers for San Mig.
Five Mixers ended up with
10 points or more, and every single player coach Tim Cone fielded scored at
least 4 markers. Now THAT is balance. PJ Simon continued to torch the net here,
scoring 19 points on 6/10 FG shooting while also grabbing 3 rebounds and
handing out 3 assists. Yes, James Yap is back, but it's pretty clear that Simon
has recently been the Mixers' number one shooting guard. He has been
sensational in the new year, averaging 18.5 points as SMC has gone 4-0.
Game Recaps:
RAIN OR SHINE over MERALCO, 89-86
JR Quinahan hit a
three-pointer at the buzzer to lift the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to a
thrilling 89-86 triumph over the Meralco Bolts on Wednesday at SMART-Araneta
Coliseum.
“Alam ko kasi quick
release si JR eh,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao in jest after the game.
The victory preserved the
Elasto Painters’ winning streak, which now stands at six games for a 10-3
win-loss record.
Rain or Shine controlled
most of the game while Meralco kept within striking distance. The Elasto
Painters opened up a 77-70 lead in the fourth quarter. But the Bolts came back
to tie the game at 86-all on a three-pointer by Gary David with 8.6 seconds remaining.
Paul Lee missed a shot in
the ensuing possessing for Rain or Shine, but John Wilson could not control the
rebound, giving the Elasto Painters seven-tenths of a second left for a shot.
That was enough time for
Quinahan to nail the game-winner.
“I just felt one great
shot deserves another,” said Guiao about David and Quinahan’s final exchange.
“Kumbaga, one chamba deserves another.”
Jeff Chan led Rain or
Shine with 16 points while Lee added 14. But both men struggled from beyond the
arc, combining for 3-of-16 (18.8 percent) shooting from that distance.
Gabe Norwood added 10
points for the Elasto Painters, who remained in the hunt for one of the top two
seeds in the playoffs, which would come with twice-to-beat advantage in the
playoffs.
Guiao acknowledged that
his team was the hottest in the league, but admitted that it comes with
tremendous pressure.
“Sometimes we don’t really
relish that label,” said Guiao. “We just want to keep winning so we can salvage
that twice-to-beat advantage.”
It was the second game
this conference that Meralco lost on a buzzer-beating three-pointer. Last
December 28, Japeth Aguilar also made a game-winner at the buzzer to lift
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel over the Bolts.
Gary David had 25 points
and eight rebounds for Meralco, which saw its two-game winning run snapped to
fall to 5-8. John Wilson added 12 points, while both Reynel Hugnatan and Jared
Dillinger finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Bolts.
ROS 89 - Chan 16, Lee 14, Norwood 10, Cruz 8, Belga 7, Almazan 7, Ibanes 7,
Rodriguez 6, Quiñahan 5, Nuyles 4, Teng 3, Tiu 2, Arana 0, Tang 0
MER 86 - David 25, Wilson 12, Hugnatan 11, Dillinger 11, Salvacion 8, Artadi
6, Al-Hussaini 5, Ildefonso 4, Hodge 4, Guevarra 0
QS: 23-21, 45-45, 70-64, 89-86
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| El Granada pulls up from long distance! |
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| JR Quiñahan's game-winning trey was the highlight of the night. |
SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE over PETRON BLAZE, 112-93
The San Mig Super Coffee
Mixers rolled past the Petron Blaze Boosters, 112-93, on Wednesday at
SMART-Araneta Coliseum for their third straight victory in the PLDT MyDSL
Philippine cup.
“It was just our night tonight,”
said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone, whose team shot 57 percent from the field
while holding Petron to 38 percent. “Everything came together for us.”
Usually a deliberate
halfcourt team, the Mixers sprung a run-and-gun attack that confounded the Boosters
all game long. San Mig Coffee scored 22 fastbreak points, turning the tables on
Petron.
“We wanted to run off our
defense,” said Cone. “We didn’t say before the game, let’s run. But I’d like to
think we’re an opportunistic team that can run.
“We had plenty of
opportunities to run tonight.”
San Mig Coffee opened the
game on fire, taking a 25-12 lead after the first quarter. The Mixers led by as
much as 23 points, 43-20, in the second period.
The rest of the game was a
stroll for San Mig Coffee, which improved its win-loss record to 6-7. It has
been a big turnaround for the Mixers, who opened the tournament with a 1-5
record.
Peter June Simon led San
Mig Coffee with 20 points, while James Yap and Mark Barroca chipped in 19
points apiece for the Mixers, who have yet to lose a game in 2014.
Rookie Ian Sangalang had
13 points while Marc Pingris and Joe Devance posted 12 each. Pingris added 15
rebounds for the Mixers.
Marcio Lassiter scored 20
points while Chris Lutz finished with 18 for the Boosters. Arwind Santos had 12
points and 12 rebounds while June Mar Fajardo finished with 11 and 12 for
Petron, whose record dropped to 9-4.
It was a costly defeat for
the Boosters as they fell a game behind Rain or Shine in the standings, leaving
it out of the top two spots, which come with a twice-to-beat bonus in the
quarterfinals.
The Mixers will wrap up
their elimination round campaign on Friday against Talk ‘N Text, with Cone
gunning for a win that will move them into the top six to avoid a twice-to-win
disadvantage in the playoffs.
With the playoffs
approaching, San Mig Coffee is finally playing its best basketball of the
conference.
“It’s a team to reckon
with, this San Mig Coffee team,” said Cone. “Hopefully we can continue to build
on this.”
SMC 112 - Simon 20,
Barroca 19, Yap 19, Sangalang 13, Devance 12, Pingris 12, Mallari 7, Reavis 4,
De Ocampo 2, Gaco 2, Melton 2, Cawaling 0
PET 93 - Lassiter 20, Lutz
18, Santos 12, Fajardo 11, Cabagnot 9, Kramer 8, Tubid 4, Ross 4, Marata 3,
Duncil 2, Deutchman 2, Taha 0, Lanete 0, Hubalde 0
QS: 25-12, 50-35, 79-62,
112-93
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| Arwind Santos challenges the trees of SMC. |
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| James Yap flashes his signature form. |
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| PJ Simon has been dropping those points like there's no tomorrow. |
GINEBRA over GLOBALPORT, 108-92
Barangay Ginebra San
Miguel sealed its place as the top team in the eliminations of the PLDT MyDSL
Philippine Cup with an 108-92 trouncing of GlobalPort on Friday at
SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Twin towers Greg Slaughter
and Japeth Aguilar once again led the way for the Gin Kings.
Slaughter finished with 23
points and 13 rebounds to pace Ginebra. Aguilar added 21 points and eight
rebounds in just 24 minutes after getting into early foul trouble.
“Maganda yung transition
namin at saka yung rebounding namin, OK,” said Ginebra coach Ato Agustin.
Ginebra improved its
win-loss record to 11-2, and are assured of the top seed in the quarterfinals
no matter what happens in their final assignment on Sunday against Talk ‘N
Text.
The Gin Kings last
finished No. 1 in the eliminations in the 2006-07 Philippine Cup, which was
also the last time they won the all-Filipino title.
Mac Baracael chipped in 18
points, while Mark Caguioa and Chris Ellis scored 11 apiece. LA Tenorio rounded
out the long list of double-figure scorers for Ginebra with 10 points, apart
from adding 11 assists.
With Ginebra firmly
ensconced at the top of the playoff bracket, Agustin said the team has no
preference when it comes to quarterfinals matchups, where the Gin Kings enjoy
twice-to-beat advantage.
“Kahit na sino matapat sa
amin,” said Agustin. “We just have to continue what we’re doing. Hindi pwedeng
maging overconfident.”
With its last game against
the Tropang Texters a no-bearing affair, Agustin said the team would use that
as a way to try to carry momentum for the playoffs.
“Lalaruin pa rin namin
yun… to build our confidence,” said Agustin.
Sol Mercado led the fight
for the Batang Pier with 20 points and 10 assists. Former Ginebra star Eric
Menk had a vintage performance of 17 points and 14 rebounds for GlobalPort,
which finished its elimination round campaign at 5-9.
The Batang Pier are still
not assured of a playoff slot; a win by Meralco over Petron on Saturday and by
Alaska over Barako Bull on Sunday would leave GlobalPort having to figure in a
playoff for the final quarterfinal ticket.
GIN 108 – Slaughter 23, Aguilar 21, Baracael 18, Ellis 11, Caguioa 11, Tenorio
10, Reyes 8, Helterbrand 2, Monfort 2, Mamaril 2, Ababou 0, Urbiztondo 0.
GLO 92 – Mercado 20, Menk 17, Ponferrada 16, Romeo 13, Garcia 9, Nabong 7,
Hayes 6, Chua 2, Salva 2, Belencion 0, Najorda 0, Salvador 0.
QS: 28-20, 58-49, 80-73, 108-92.
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| Apple David. Wow. |
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| Greg Slaughter has been unstoppable for the Kings. |
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| Terrence Romeo sizes up Josh Uribiztondo. |
SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE over TALK N TEXT, 100-87
The San Mig Super Coffee
Mixers continued their rampage in 2014, fashioning out a 100-87 victory over
the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters on Friday at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Their fourth straight win
improved the Mixers’ record in the PLDT MyDSL Philippine Cup to an even 7-7, an
amazing turnaround for the team that began the tournament at 1-5.
“Our goal was to get back
at .500,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone. “For me, that’s a real nice
accomplishment by these guys.”
The result set up a
best-of-three quarterfinals showdown between the two teams, which are bound to
finish at No. 4 and No. 5 at the end of the elimination round. The only
question will be the higher seed, which will depend on the outcome of the
Tropang Texters’ final assignment on Sunday against Ginebra.
Peter June Simon once
again led the way for the Mixers, finishing with 19 points. Mark Barroca added
16 points, seven assists, and four steals for San Mig Coffee, which controlled
most of the game before opening up a double-digit spread in the fourth quarter.
Joe Devance added 14
points, Rafi Reavis chipped in 12, and James Yap had 10 for the Mixers, who
looked revitalized after a lethargic start to the tournament.
“Energy level is much
higher. Guys are really moving the ball well,” said Cone. “It’s a lot of fun to
watch.”
Despite the win, Cone
warned that San Mig Coffee should encounter a much tougher Talk ‘N Text side in
the playoffs.
“We’re gonna have to
figure out how to beat these guys two more times,” said Cone.
“There was a lot more at
stake for us in this game… Next time around, the stakes are gonna be the same
for each team.”
Jayson Castro carried the
fight for Talk ‘N Text with 21 points, while Ranidel De Ocampo added with 14
points, 11 rebounds, and four assists.
Larry Fonacier and Jimmy
Alapag had 12 points apiece for the Tropang Texters. Regulars Kelly Williams,
Ryan Reyes, Noy Baclao, and Harvey Carey all missed the game for Talk ‘N Text,
which has lost its last three games, including four in its last five.
SMC 100 - Simon 19, Barroca 16, Devance 14, Reavis 12, Yap 10, Pingris 9,
Sangalang 6, Mallari 5, Melton 5, De Ocampo 4
TNT 87 - Castro 21, De Ocampo 14, Fonacier 12, Alapag 12, Peek 11, Seigle 10,
Anthony 3, Reyes Rob 2, Aban 2, Reyes J. 0
QS: 26-21, 52-44, 75-68, 100-87
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| Jayson Castro gets clobbered on the way up. |
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| Marc Pingris rises for the baby hook. |
Source: Unless otherwise specified, game recaps were compressed and
compiled from InterAKTV. (Writing credit to Rey Joble)
Images: Unless otherwise specified, images are from the PBA and Sports 5.
(Photo credit to Paolo Papa & Paul Ryan Tan)
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