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| All images are from the PBA/Inquirer. |
It has been a long time coming for both of these teams, but, finally, they are on the biggest stage. It’s the first Finals appearance for Bgy. Ginebra since 2013, and they could win their first title since the PBA reverted back to a three-conference format. On the opposite corner, we have the Meralco Bolts, who have NEVER made it this far in franchise history, and who, consequently, are on the cusp of their first ever PBA title. More than the hardware and the adoration, however, it’s a place in history at stake for both squads.
MER has been the Cinderella team of this conference. They finished in the top four of the elims, yes, but they had to beat MAH twice before having to upset sister team and top seed TNT in the semis. Not bad for a club that won just one game in the 2015-2016 PHL Cup, eh? But, man, so much has changed since then. Chris Newsome appears to be the ROY favorite, Cliff Hodge had a stratospheric performance in the semis, and Allen Durham has been unstoppable. The Bolts will be short on size against GIN in this series, but that hasn’t stopped them from getting this far yet.
As for the Gin Kings, man, they took some time to get here, but the most important thing is they ARE here. And they beat no less than the defending champs to do it! Despite missing star center Greg Slaughter, GIN has shown a lot of heart and has embodied their trademark NSD attitude on the way to the Finals. With Japeth Aguilar and rookie sensation Scottie Thompson both stepping up at different points in the semis, the Kings were able to outlast the Beermen, and coach Tim Cone is hoping there’s more where that playoff magic came from. Of course, veterans like LA Tenorio, Sol Mercado, and Joe Devance will play crucial roles, too, along with import Justin Brownlee. Without a doubt, however, gifting their thousands of fans with a title to end the season would be nothing short of spectacular.
As an added motivation for MER, though, the Kings have beaten them EVERY SINGLE TIME this season. The Bolts should use that as an added push for them to raise their games and give the Kings all they can handle in this series.
1. FANTASTIC FORWARDS: DURHAM X BROWNLEE
- Allen Durham and Justin Brownlee have both been very good imports for their respective teams, but their match up will all come to a head here in the Finals. Durham has been a do-it-all import for MER, while Brownlee has been compared to Sean Chambers. For sure, their performances will be crucial to the contrasting fates of both clubs.
Stats comparison:
Durham - 29.1ppg, 15.7rpg, 5.0apg, 1.5bpg.
Brownlee - 29.3ppg, 11.6rpg, 4.1apg, 1.7spg, 1.1bpg.
Last game vs each other:
Durham - 17pts, 12rebs, 8asts, 1stl, 2blks, 8/18 FGs.
Brownlee - 26pts, 3rebs, 6asts, 1stl, 1blk, 2 triples, 10/16 FGs.
2. ROY RACE: NEWSOME X THOMPSON
- Troy Rosario and Mo Tautuaa were the most ballyhooed rookies at the start of the season, but now Chris Newsome and Scottie Thompson are the ones who have hogged much of the headlines. Newsome has become a super starting wingman for the Bolts, while Thompson has been a really solid backcourt partner to LA Tenorio. The versatility of both players will be very important in helping their squads win.
Stats comparison:
Newsome - 13.1ppg, 4.3rpg, 4.2apg, 1.2spg.
Thompson - 6.7ppg, 8.3rpg, 4.1apg.
Last game vs each other:
Newsome - 16pts, 2rebs, 2asts, 1stl, 8/12 FGs.
Thompson - 7pts, 7rebs, 5asts, 1 triple, 3/6 FGs.
3. THE OLD GUARD: ALAPAG X TENORIO
- Jimmy Alapag and LA Tenorio have been teammates on Gilas, but this time they will be on opposite sides of the court, and it’ll be for all the marbles. It’ll sorta be the mentor against the student here, but with both being grizzled veterans already, the match up at the PG spot is going to be very interesting.
Stats comparison:
Alapag - 9.1ppg, 2.0rpg, 4.7apg, 2.3 triples per game.
Tenorio - 15.2ppg, 4.2rpg, 4.9apg, 1.5spg, 2.0 triples per game.
Last game vs each other:
Alapag - 3pts, 1reb, 3asts, 1 triple, 1/4 FGs.
Tenorio - 9pts, 2rebs, 5asts, 2stls, 1 triple, 4/8 FGs.
Career comparison:
# of years in the league: Alapag 13th season, 10th season
# of titles: Alapag 6 titles, Tenorio 1 title
4. FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING: SOL MERCADO
- It’s Sol Mercado’s first time in the Finals, and something tells me he won’t let this chance at a title pass. This is why he has been hopping from team to team his entire career, and this is why he is in Ginebra. Now the Sol Train finally has a chance to cop the crown, and we can certainly expect that Mercado will be at his finest.
Mercado Stats:
Elims - 8.7ppg, 5.5apg, 2.3 triples per game.
Quarters - 6.0ppg, 4.0apg, 2.0 triples per game.
Semis - 11.0ppg, 2.8apg, 2.3 triples per game.
5. HURRICANE HUGNATAN
- Reynel Hugnatan stepped up big time for MER not just in Game 4, but in the entire semis series. He really picked up the slack when he was matched up with the formidable frontline of Rosario, Tautuaa, and RDO. He will have another tough match up here with the likes of Aguilar and Devance, so he is expected to continue stepping up.
Hugnatan Stats:
Elims - 9.1ppg, 0.6 triples per game.
Quarters - 6.0ppg, 0.0 triples per game.
Semis - 14.3ppg, 1.3 triples per game.
6. ATHLETIC ASSAULT: HODGE X AGUILAR
- The match up around the basket between Hodge and Aguilar should be one for the books, given how athletic, versatile, and explosive both are. Both were highly instrumental in helping their teams overcome their more favored foes in the semis, and both will be key players again for this Finals series. Hodge will be playing in his first Finals, though, so it’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts, while Aguilar is expected to continue filling in for the absence of Greg Slaughter.
Stats comparison:
Hodge - 13.9ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.8apg, 1.2 triples per game.
Aguilar - 14.1ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.3apg, 2.4bpg.
Last game vs each other:
Hodge - 19pts, 7rebs, 2asts, 3stls, 7/13 FGs.
Aguilar - 15pts, 6rebs, 2asts, 1blk, 1 triple, 7/9 FGs.
7. CEREBRAL SKILL: BLACK X CONE
- Norman Black and Tim Cone are two of the finest head coaches in the country, but in terms of Finals head to head match ups, Cone has never lost to Black. That’s a chip on the shoulder of the MER mentor, and that should serve as a confidence builder for the GIN tactician. Black’s adjustments will be more major, though, given the size disadvantage they have, while Cone will have to build a gameplan around slowing down the explosiveness and versatility of the Bolts.
“I’ve had my battles with Norman, through the years, obviously. I remember the year I came in to the league 1989 was the year that he won the Grand Slam and so I felt my whole career was based on trying to climb over him because Baby (Dalupan) was retiring soon and he was the new benchmark so I’ve always been chasing Norman.” - Tim Cone
8. MER: EXECUTIVES OF THE BOARD
- Rebounding has been a huge edge for the Bolts this conference. They don’t average the most rebounds per game, but their rebound difference is one of the best. With guys like Durham, Hodge, Newsome, Hugnatan, and even Kelly Nabong pitching in on the glass, MER has been able to outrebound its foes by around 3 per game. That’s huge, and that is something they will want to continue to do to neutralize the edge in height of the Gin Kings.
Rebound difference (top 5) -
TNT - 4.1
MER - 3.0
ALA - 2.4
SMB - 2.0
GIN - 1.6
9. GIN: ALL ABOUT DEFENSE
- Defense was a big reason for GIN’s beating of SMB in the semis, and it will continue to be their calling card in the Finals. GIN is the best team in terms of limiting the offense of their foes and one of the top shot-blocking teams in the league. If their defense continues to hold up on the perimeter and inside the paint, that can only mean good things for their chances at winning the title.
Stats:
Blocks - 5.1bpg (#2)
Pts allowed - 95.2ppg (#1)
FG% allowed - 41.2% (#1)
10. MER: ROAD TO THE FINALS
- MER had an up-and-down road to the playoffs, finishing at fourth spot after losing two of their last three elims games. They beat MAH twice to make it to the semis, where they really came into their own and shocked everyone, defeating TNT in convincing fashion. Right now, they’ve won 11 of their 17 games this conference, and they riding the crest of winning six of their last seven outings.
11. GIN: ROAD TO THE FINALS
- The Kings have had to endure more than their fair share of troubles this conference. First, original import Paul Harris was ruled out of the conference after an injury. Next came Greg Slaughter, who is out for the season. Plugging in relative unknown Brownlee was a risk, but it has now paid off after they beat out BOTH the titular contenders of last season’s GOVS Cup — Alaska and SMB — in the playoffs to reach this stage.
Prediction: GIN in 6.
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