Action from this past
weekend in the 2013-2014 PBA Philippine Cup was intense, with ROS handing
Petron its first setback and Barako Bull halting its own losing skid. Also,
Ginebra continued to gain momentum by beating Meralco, and the Texters scraped
by the lowly Express.
Last Saturday, Ginebra beat
Alaska, 96-89.
LA "The
Lieutenant" Tenorio seems to have relinquished some of the limelight early
this season to his more ballyhooed frontline teammates, but in this particular
encounter he reminded everyone why he was one of the frontrunners in last
season's MVP race. Tenorio was displayed all-around brilliance here, shooting
7/11 from the field, including 3 triples, on his way to 24 points, while also grabbing
8 rebounds and handing out 4 assists. In a young season where much praise has
been heaped on Ginebra's towering duo of Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar,
it's Tenorio who will continue to be the most critical piece in the Kings'
drive for a conference title.
Alaska is a team that
prides itself on being able to unleash a balanced offense, but here the Aces'
outside shooting faltered. Outside of JV Casio, whose hot hand connected from
rainbow country thrice, nobody made a trey. Not DonDon Hontiveros. Nor Cyrus
Baguio. Not RJ Jazul. As a team, again outside of Casio, Alaska missed all of
12 three-pointers. Sure, guys like Sonny Thoss and Gabby Espinas held their own
in the paint, but without their snipers connecting, the Aces won't have much
chance against the PBA's elite.
After the game, Alaska
coach Luigi Trillo commented on the free throw shooting disparity. Alaska was
awarded 22 freebies, while Ginebra had 44 FT attempts. This despite Alaska
taking a whole lot more attempts from inside the arc -- 64 2-pt FG attempts for
the Aces and only 39 for Ginebra. In fairness to coach Luigi, the numbers do
provoke some critical thought -- to say the least. In addition, this is not the
first time this season a coach has commented on the "interesting" officiating
(hello, coach Bong Ramos and coach Yeng Guiao!).
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| Luigi Trillo wasn't happy with the calls last weekend. |
In the second game, Rain
or Shine upset Petron Blaze in overtime, 99-95. Finally, a team was able to
solve the Petron Blaze puzzle and deal the Boosters their first loss of the
season. Rain or Shine's undersized frontline relished its match-up with last
season's MVP and this season's best big man. Jervy Cruz, JR Quiñahan, and Beau
Belga all rose to the occasion, containing June Mar Fajardo down the stretch
(he fouled out early in OT) and making the big plays to halt Petron's unbeaten
run.
Petron built a 14-point
bubble early in the game, but they couldn't sustain the momentum. They still
led by double-digits at the break, but they allowed the Painters to rally in
the second half and pull the rug from under them. Petron turned the ball over
18 times here, which resulted in 17 points-off-turnovers for the Painters.
Perhaps more surprisng, however, was the fact Petron, despite having both
Arwind Santos and June Mar Fajardo up front, was outrebounded, 66-61, and,
consequently, gave up more 2nd-chance points, 22-12. It will be very
interesting to see how the Boosters rebound from their first defeat, especially
since their next two foes aren't exactly easy pickings -- Ginebra and Talk N
Text.
One of the main things
that made Rain or Shine so dangerous the past two seasons has been its
undersized, yet undaunted, frontline. I'm talking about Cruz, Quiñahan, and
Belga, of course. The average height of those three? How about 6'5? And, yes,
I'm being generous because it's Christmas. Despite the deficiency in
verticality, however, this troika of burly bruisers was able to outwork its
more heralded foes in this match. Cruz reeled in a sublime double-double line
-- 23 points and 12 rebounds on 9/14 FG shooting, while Quiñahan and Belga
combined for 22 points, 17 boards, 5 assists, 4 blocks, and 3 triples. Now any
PBA coach would want that kind of production from any of their frontliners, no
matter the size!
This past Sunday, Barako
Bull defeated Meralco, 99-86. The Energy Cola hit 14 triples here. FOURTEEN
TRIPLES. Denok Miranda, Willie Miller, Mick Pennisi, Mark Macapagal, and JC
Intal each hit at least two threes. Yes, Ronjay Buenafe didn't even hit a single
trey and Barako Bull still nailed 41% of its three-ball attempts. Aaand, more
importantly, they beat a skidding Meralco quintet.
Getting beaten by Barako
Bull by double-figures. Rinse and repeat. The Bolts wasted an awesome 19-point,
16-rebound night from Rabeh Al-Hussaini. They wasted John Wilson's grabbing 10
rebounds, which might never happen again in the history of the world, even if
he is one of the top five rebounding small guys in the league. Now Meralco is
tied for the second-worst win-loss record. Poop.
I smell Cliff Hodge
getting shipped out before this new season ends. Something is up. Something
smells fishy. His scoring is down more than four points from last season. He's
playing 9 fewer minutes. He's shooting 33% from the line. Yes, he sprained his
ankle in November, but, come on. This is a guy who is one of the top five
athletic guys in the league. Let's go, Cliff Hodge. Let's do this. Rise.
In the main game, Talk N
Text won over Air 21, 87-82, behind Jayson Castro’s playing the best basketball
in his life. Numbers don't lie. He's currently averaging career-highs in
scoring, rebounding, and assists. He's shooting 43% from three-point land
(another career-high) and 85% from the line (second-best in his career). Being
named the best point guard in Asia seems to really have pushed Castro to get
over transcend from superstar to potential legend. In this game, The Blur
dropped 21 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Huwaw.
The Air 21 Express's point
guard situation is sooo bad that BonBon Custodio, who shouldn't have any
business running a team, is their current PG starter. This is sooo friggin'
crazy that coach Franz Pumaren is rumored to be wooing former collegiate
playmaker TY Tang of ROS into the Air 21 fold. Tang is no wimp, but he's
practically playing third-string for the Painters at around 10 minutes per
outing. And that is your best-case scenario starting PG? Like I said, the Air
21 Express is sooo baaad.
Dynamite Danny Seigle will
not be dynamite explosive as a Tropang Texter, not with Jayson Castro, Larry
Fonacier, and Ranidel De Ocampo playing as well as they are. And not with Kelly
Williams netting 7-and-7 per game. Having said that, Siegle, for a 37-year old
guy whose best years are behind him, is still ballin'. He's putting up 8
points, 7 rebounds, and 1 block per outing. He's no dynamite, but he's still
pretty potent.
Game Recaps:
GINEBRA over ALASKA, 96-89
LA Tenorio scored 24
points, grabbed eight rebounds, and handed out six assists to lead Barangay
Ginebra San Miguel to a 96-89 victory over the Alaska Aces on Saturday at the
Mall of Asia Arena.
It was the Gin Kings’
seventh win against a lone loss in the PLDT MyDSL Philippine Cup.
Originally billed as a
matchup featuring some of the PBA’s top big men, it quickly became a duel
between star point guards Tenorio and Casio, who finished with 27 points and
three steals.
Tenorio keyed a strong
start for the Gin Kings, scoring 10 points in the first quarter when Ginebra
led by as much as 16.
But the Aces struck back
in the second quarter, outscoring Ginebra 31-13 to open up a 50-42 spread.
“Nung nag-transition na
yung Alaska, para kaming nag-panic,” said Ginebra coach Ato Agustin. “I
reminded them, bakit tayo nakalamang, dahil sa defense.”
Japeth Aguilar caught fire
in the third quarter, scoring 14 of Ginebra’s 26 points in the period to give
Ginebra back the advantage, 68-65, heading into the final period.
The Gin Kings opened the
fourth quarter on a 14-6 run to open up a double-digit lead anew, 82-71, with
less than seven minutes remaining. Casio tried to rally back his team, but
Alaska could not come closer than four points as Tenorio ably quarterbacked the
squad.
Aguilar finished with 21
points while frontcourt partner Greg Slaughter added 18. Sonny Thoss carried
the fight for Alaska down low with 22 points, while Gabby Espinas added 12
points for the Aces, whose win-loss record dropped to 3-6.
GIN 96 – Tenorio 24, Aguilar 21, Slaughter 18, Ellis 8, Urbiztondo 6, Ababou
4, Reyes 4, Helterbrand 4, Baracael 3, Caguioa 3, Monfort 1, Mamaril 0.
ALA 89 – Casio 27, Thoss 22, Espinas 12, Baguio 7, Abueva 6, Hontiveros 4,
Ramos 4, Eman 4, Exciminiano 2, Dela Cruz 1, Belasco 0, Jazul 0, Avenido 0.
QS: 29-19, 42-50, 68-65, 96-89.
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| JV Casio put up great stats in the Aces' loss to Ginebra. |
RAIN OR SHINE over PETRON BLAZE, 99-95
The undersized Rain or
Shine Elasto Painters rallied for a gritty 99-95 overtime victory over the
Petron Blaze Boosters on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“We just had to grind it
out. We played a bad first half, but we made up for it by playing better in the
second half,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.
The Boosters came into the
game having won their first seven assignments in the PLDT MyDSL Philippine Cup,
and looked well one their way to an eighth victory by opening up a commanding
14-point lead in the first quarter.
Petron was still ahead,
51-38, heading into the second half before the Elasto Painters slowly clawed
their way back into the game.
The Boosters were still
up, 72-66, early in the fourth quarter when Rain or Shine unleashed a 13-2 run
to grab a 79-74 lead.
Petron fought back to take
an 85-84 edge with under a minute remaining, before JR Quinahan hit a crucial
three-point play over June Mar Fajardo to grab the lead again with 30.2 seconds
left.
Rain or Shine forced a
broken play in Petron’s next possession, but Chris Lutz recovered the ball and
was fouled with 14.3 seconds left. He missed his first free throw, but the
Elasto Painters were charged with disconcerting, giving Lutz an extra shot.
Lutz made both of his foul
shots to tie the game, and Petron foiled Rain or Shine’s final attempt to force
overtime.
It continued to be a
nip-and-tuck affair in the extra period, with Rain or Shine leading by only a
single point, 94-93, heading into the final minute.
Paul Lee nailed a dagger
three-pointer with 36.2 seconds remaining to give the Elasto Painters a 97-93
edge. After a quick basket by Alex Cabagnot, Lee added two more free throws
with seven seconds left to seal the game for Rain or Shine.
Jervy Cruz led Rain or
Shine with 23 points and 12 rebounds, while the Extra Rice, Inc. duo of
Quinahan (11 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks) and Beau Belga (11 points,
seven rebounds) held the fort down low against the taller Petron frontline.
Despite their height
disadvantage, the Elasto Painters won the battle of the boards, 66-61.
“Rebounding is a big
factor especially with a team with Fajardo in it,” said Guiao, whose Elasto
Painters snapped a two-game losing streak to improve their win-loss record to
5-3.
“We worked a little harder
today than we did the last two games.”
Lee added 15 points while
Gabe Norwood and Jeff Chan added 11 apiece for Rain or Shine.
Fajardo led Petron with 22
points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks, but he was hardly a factor down the
stretch, scoring just two points in the fourth quarter before fouling out with
4:01 left in overtime.
Chris Lutz added 22 points
while Arwind Santos chipped in 18 points and 16 rebounds for the Boosters, who
fell into a tie with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel for first place in the
standings with identical 7-1 records.
ROS 99 - Cruz 23, Lee15, Quinahan 11, Belga 11, Norwood 11, Chan 8, Tiu 5,
Rodriguez 5, Almazan 4, Teng 4, Ibanes 2, Arana 0, Tang 0, Nuyles 0.
PET 95 - Fajardo 22, Lutz 22, Santos 18, Cabagnot 16, Lassiter 10, Lanete 5,
Kramer 2, Taha 0, Hubalde 0, Ross 0.
QS: 16-25, 38-51, 60-66, 87-87, 99-95
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| Arwind Santos tries to grab the rebound. |
BARAKO BULL over MERALCO, 99-86
In the midst of a six-game
losing streak for Barako Bull, coach Bong Ramos found inspiration for his
players by telling them about the San Antonio Spurs’ motto of “Pounding the
Rock”.
During his visit to the
practice facility of the Spurs, one of the most successful NBA teams of the
past two decades, Ramos saw a large rock and a stone cutter, which represents
the mantra of the team to keep working and chipping away at large obstacles.
On Sunday, Barako Bull got
through their own obstacle with a 99-86 blowout over the Meralco Bolts to
finally end its skid in the PLDT MyDSL Philippine Cup.
“Hopefully, na-break na
namin yung rock,” said Barako Bull coach Bong Ramos, whose team took a 50-39 lead
at halftime and was never threatened the rest of the way.
“Kung titingnan niyo yung
mga games namin, close lahat,” Ramos added. “Yung mga players ko, they were
really pushing themselves kahit natatalo kami.”
Seven players scored at
least 10 points for Barako Bull, led by Denok Miranda’s 17. Willie Miller and
Mick Pennisi chipped in 14 points apiece for Barako Bull, which won for the
first time since November 24 against the Alaska Aces.
Barako Bull did it by
sizzling from beyond the arc, hitting 14-of-34 for an outstanding 41.2 percent
clip.
“Kung titingnan mo kasi,
we don’t have a go-to guy in the post,” said Ramos. “I don’t stop them from
taking that shot because yung sistema ganun.”
Gary David and Mike Cortez
scored 20 points apiece, while Rabeh Al-Hussaini added 19 points and 16
rebounds for Meralco, which lost its third straight game for a 3-6 win-loss
record.
BAR 99 – Miranda 17, Miller 14, Pennisi 14, Macapagal 11, Intal 11, Maierhofer
10, Pena 10, Lastimosa 4, Jensen 3, Buenafe 3, Wilson 2, Marcelo 0.
MER 86 – David 20, Cortez 20, Al-Hussaini 19, Wilson 14, Hugnatan 5, Dillinger
4, Omolon 2, Guevarra 1, Hodge 1, Timberlake 0, Sena 0.
QS: 24-19, 50-39, 78-63, 99-86.
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| Cliff Hodge is inconsolable after the Bolts' loss to Barako Bull. |
TALK N TEXT over AIR 21, 87-82
The Talk ‘N Text Tropang
Texters won their third straight game in a span of six days, fashioning out an
87-82 victory over the Air 21 Express on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“It’s a good thing we
survived our hell week,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Norman Black. “I was really
concerned about our ability to win the three games.”
The Tropang Texters
followed up victories over Rain or Shine last Tuesday and Barako Bull last
Friday by rolling out to a good start over Air 21, leading by as much as 16
points before taking a 48-37 halftime spread.
With Jayson Castro leading
the way with 21 points and Ranidel De Ocampo adding 18, the Tropang Texters
kept the Air 21 Express the rest of the way.
They did it with hot
three-point shooting, nailing 13-of-27 shots for a 48.1 percent clip. Castro
shot 2-of-5 while De Ocampo was 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Jai Reyes scored a PBA
career-high 15 points on 3-of-4 three-point shooting, while Larry Fonacier
added 13 points on 3-of-5 shots from long distance.
The winning streak gives
Talk ‘N Text a firmer hold on third place while putting them in striking
distance for a top two spot, which comes with a twice-to-beat advantage in the
quarterfinal round.
“It’s really important for
us because the top two teams (Petron and Ginebra) are pulling away,” said
Black, who expects star guards Jimmy Alapag and Ryan Reyes to come back from
injury in the Tropang Texters’ next assignment against Petron. “The three wins
this week gives us a chance to catch up.”
Asi Taulava led the
Express with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Joseph Yeo and KG Canaleta chipped in
13 apiece for last-place Air 21, whose record dropped to 1-8.
TNT 87 – Castro 21, De Ocampo 18, Reyes 15, Fonacier 13, Carey 6, Seigle 5,
Aban 5, Baclao 4, Williams 0, Anthony 0, Poligrates 0.
AIR 82 – Taulava 23, Yeo 13, Canaleta 13, Camson 8, Cardona 8, Manuel 6,
Custodio 4, Jaime 3, Sharma 2, Matias 1, Burstcher 1, Arboleda 0, Ritualo 0.
QS: 20-18, 48-37, 67-57, 87-82
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 AKTV.
(Photo credit to Pranz Kaeno Billones)
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