More than 52,000 fans trooped to the
all-new Philippine Arena yesterday to witness the opening of the 40th season of
the Philippine Basketball Association. It was a bombastic opening ceremony
filled with all the sheen and pizzazz necessary to commemorate more than four
decades of Pinoy hoops, complete with team parades, muses, smoke, and
celebrities. More importantly, of course, people went for the games, especially
since it was the pro debut of multi-titled boxer Manny Pacquiao.
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| Manny Pacquiao pushed through with his debut in the PBA. (image by Ver Marquez/Sports 5) |
Speaking of the games, neophyte PBA
club Kia Sorento made waves by beating fellow expansion team Blackwater Elite,
while Bgy. Ginebra made the most of its twin towers in trouncing Talk N Text.
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| More than 52,000 fans trooped to the Philippine Arena to witness the opening of the 40th season of the PBA. (image by Ver Marquez/Sports 5) |
Game Capsules:
KIA SORENTO over BLACKWATER ELITE, 80-66
Manny Pacaquiao drew the crowds, but
it was former DLSU Green Archer LA Revilla who drew the most praise after
waxing hot against the Elite. Revilla connected twice from downtown and shot
10/15 overall from the field on his way to 23 points and 6 rebounds. He led a
second half charge that turned a double-digit first half deficit into a big
lead heading into the fourth period. The frontline duo of Hans Thiele and Riel
Cervantes also did well, combining for 26 points and 15 rebounds, while Rudy
Lingganay contributed 11 markers off the bench. On the other end, former Blue
Eagles Juami Tiongson and JP Erram led Blackwater with 10 points apiece. The
Elite actually started strong in this one, but they were plagued by turnovers
in the second half, which paved the way for their undoing. Tiongson, Paul
Artadi, and Alex Nuyles combined for 15 of Blackwater’s 26 turnovers.
Line of the Game: LA Revilla – 23 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assists, 1 steal, 2 triples,
10/15 FG
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| Alex Nuyles led the charge for Blackwater in the early goings. (image by Nuki Sabio/PBA) |
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| LA Revilla caught fire in the second half. (image by Nuki Sabio/PBA) |
BGY. GINEBRA KINGS over TALK N TEXT TROPANG TEXTERS,
101-81
At the end of the day, Ginebra was
just too big. Greg Slaughter impressed with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 2
blocks, but it was Gilas big man Japeth Aguilar who stole the show with 18
points, 18 boards, 5 rejections, and 2 assists. The former Western Kentucky frontliner
shot 7/13 from the floor in what was one of his most efficient performances since
bursting into the PBA scene. Coach Jeff Cariaso’s wards dominated the glass in
this one, outrebounding the Texters, 63-50. Their defense also held up,
limiting TNT to just 34% FG shooting. Another former Gilas player, Mac Baracael
also stepped up, hitting three treys on his way to 16 points off the pine. Mark
Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand were the other two Gin Kings in double-digits.
As for TNT, Kelly Williams led the way with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while
Jayson Castro dropped 19 markers and handed out 4 dimes.
Line of the Game: Japeth Aguilar –
18 points, 18 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal, 7/13 FG
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| Greg Slaughter tries to barrel his way through the TNT defense. (image by Nuki Sabio/PBA) |
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| Japeth Aguilar had a mighty impressive start to his season with an 18-18 double-double. (image by Nuki Sabio/PBA) |
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| Coach Jeff Cariaso and the Kings had an auspicious start to their 2014-2015 campaign. (image by Ver Marquez/Sports 5) |
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