#PBA2017 All-Star Week Roundup

Images from PBA.ph.

This season saw a unique set-up to the annual PBA All-Star festivities, what with the league opting for a week-long series of events highlighted by not one, not two, but three All-Star Games featuring different iterations of Gilas Pilipinas against All-Stars hailing from the country's three main island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. When I first heard of this idea, I thought it was brilliant for two main reasons. One, it would be a great way for the league to emphasize their support for the national team, and, two, it would bring the PBA stars to not just one, but a total of three provinces. It's a small step, but I hope this move by the league indicates a progressively stronger stake in the national team and a gradual change in their approach to more constantly bringing the games to the fans outside of Mega Manila. 

Game Capsules: 

GILAS PILIPINAS over MINDANAO ALL-STARS, 114-114
Box Scores. 

Kicking off this year's festivities, the national team settled for a 114-114 draw against the Mindanao Selection Wednesday at the Xavier University Gym in Cagayan De Oro City.

Star's Mark Barroca hit a booming triple with 49 seconds to go to tie things up for Mindanao. Both teams failed to connect from that point on as an All-Star game involving Gilas Pilipinas ended in a draw for the second time in the last four years.

TNT's Troy Rosario led Mindanao with a game-high 28 points off the bench, and he shared MVP honors with Phoenix rookie Matthew Wright of Gilas. PJ Simon added 14 points, while Barroca was good for 13.

Wright also came off the pine and led the national team with 22 points. Terrence Romeo dazzled his way to 18 and 8 assists, while Fajardo (16 points and 15 rebounds) and RR Pogoy (14 points and 13 rebounds) each submitted a double-double. (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
Matthew Wright (PHI) - 22pts, 3rebs, 4asts, 4stls, 4 triples.
Troy Rosario (MIN) - 28pts, 4rebs, 1ast, 1blk.

HIGHLIGHTS:



GILAS PILIPINAS over LUZON ALL-STARS, 122-111
Box Scores. 

Showing incredible heart, Gilas Pilipinas went on a 17-0 closing run, beating the Luzon All-Stars, 122-111, Friday at the Quezon Convention Center.

Jonathan Grey came off the bench to lead Gilas in scoring with 19 points, while MVP Matthew Wright added 15 points and seven assists. Mike Tolomia (15 points), Cruz (13 points), Rosario (12 points), and Almazan (10 points) all finished in double-figures.

Leading by 17 points in the third period, Luzon absolutely collapse in the final 12 minutes, losing the fourth quarter by 20 points, 17-37.

Japeth Aguilar led the team coached by San Miguel's Leo Austria with 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Calvin Abueva was good for 16. Stanley Pringle scored 15 points, while the Beermen duo of Alex Cabagnot and Marcio Lassiter added 12 apiece. (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
LA Revilla (PHI) - 9pts, 11rebs, 6asts, 1 triple.
Japeth Aguilar (LUZ) - 18pts, 10rebs, 1ast, 2blks.

HIGHLIGHTS:



GILAS PILIPINAS over VISAYAS ALL-STARS, 125-112
Box Scores. 

Calvin Abueva scored 26 points and Terrence Romeo added 25 to lead Gilas Pilipinas to a 125-112 win over Team Visayas in the third and final leg of the PBA all-star series at Hoops Dome.

Fielding its entire lineup that will play for the Southeast Asian Basketball Championship minus Andray Blatche, Gilas rallied behind Romeo in the second quarter to come back from 15 points down and used some stingy defense in the fourth to upend the All-Stars.

June Mar Fajardo added 18 points and 13 boards for Gilas, while Troy Rosario and RR Pogoy scored 14 and 10 points respectively. Five players scored in double-figures for the Visayas All-Stars led by LA Tenorio, James Yap, and Jeff Chan, who tallied 19, 18, and 17 points respectively. (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
Calvin Abueva (PHI) - 26pts, 7rebs, 1ast, 2stls, 2 triples.
Chris Ross (VIS) - 13pts, 7rebs, 5asts, 3stls, 1blk.

HIGHLIGHTS:



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#PBA2017 Commish Cup Roundup: April 23, 2017

Images from the PBA.

Game Capsules:

GLOBALPORT BATANG PIER over MAHINDRA FLOODBUSTER, 105-86
Box Scores. 

With Terrence Romeo out of commission, Globalport turned to its other star guard in Stanley Pringle to dominate the Mahindra Floodbuster, 105-86, in the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

As Romeo continues to battle various illnesses, Pringle stepped right into the alpha role to power the Batang Pier to their second win in the mid-season tournament. Pringle fired a game-high 24 points, 17 in the first half, on top three rebounds and five assists to take over the Batang Pier. Import Malcolm White added a double-double of 16 points and 17 rebounds, while rookie Von Pessumal came off the bench to add another 14 markers.

Mahindra, losers of its last three games, got 23 points from Keith Wright and 18 from Reden Celda. The loss kept the Floodbuster at the bottom half of the standings with a woeful 1-7 mark. (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
Malcolm White (GLO) - 16pts, 17rebs, 2asts, 1stl.
Keith Wright (MAH) - 23pts, 9rebs, 2asts.

HIGHLIGHTS:



BGY. GINEBRA GIN KINGS over TNT KATROPA, 107-89
Box Scores. 

Brgy. Ginebra flipped the switch in the second half, scoring a convincing 107-89 victory over the KaTropa in the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Big Dome. Entering the annual All-Star break, Ginebra now holds a 4-1 record, good for third place behind idle Meralco and San Miguel Beer.

As with the theme so far in this mid-season joust, import Justin Brownlee and LA Tenorio were the ones that landed the telling blows for the Gin Kings. Brownlee ended up with a game-high 34 points for Ginebra on top of 15 rebounds and six assists while Tenorio went for 21 and six dimes. Japeth Aguilar had 16 rebounds, 14 rebounds, and five blocks.

TNT, who dropped to 5-2, 28 points from import Donte Greene and another 20 from Jayson Castro. (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
Donte Greene (TNT) - 28pts, 15rebs, 1ast, 1stl, 1blk, 4 triples.
Justin Brownlee (GIN) - 34pts, 15rebs, 6asts, 1stl, 2blks, 4 triples.

HIGHLIGHTS:



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#PBA2017 Commish Cup Roundup: April 22, 2017

Images from the PBA.

Game Capsules:

STAR HOTSHOTS over BLACKWATER ELITE, 96-90
Box Scores. 

Star snapped a two-game slide in the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup, scoring a 96-90 victory over the Blackwater Elite  Saturday at the MOA Arena.

Losing control as Blackwater rode the hot hands of KG Canaleta, the Hotshots had to rely on a total team effort in the final period to secure the win.

The Hotshots now head into the All-Star break with an impressive 5-2 mark.

Import Tony Mitchell led a balanced Star offense, scoring 17 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.

Paul Lee meanwhile led six locals with at least nine points as the veteran guard dropped 15. Rookie Jio Jalalon was good for 13 points off the bench.

Canaleta led the Elite with 27 points but went scoreless in the fourth period. Blackwater now dropped to 1-6 after losing back-to-back games.

Import Greg Smith contributed 22 points, 29 rebounds, and six assists. (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
Tony Mitchell (STA) - 17pts, 15rebs, 2blks, 1ast, 1stl.
Greg Smith (BLA) - 22pts, 29rebs, 6asts, 3blks, 1stl.

HIGHLIGHTS:



SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN over RAIN OR SHINE ELASTO-PAINTERS, 111-98
Box Scores. 

Charles Rhodes finished with a game-high 26 points, while Arwind Santos scored all of his 13 in a pivotal 2nd-quarter run to help San Miguel beat Rain Or Shine 111-98 in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday.

Gaby Espinas, who came off the bench like Santos, added 15 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, while Alex Cabagnot finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists, as 3 other Beermen scored in double digits.

Shawn Taggart registered 24 points and 10 rebounds for Rain Or Shine, which dropped to 4-3. Maverick Ahanmisi added 16 points for the Elasto Painters, who were out-assisted 25-13.

It was San Miguel's 4th straight game scoring more than 100. The Beermen shot 52% from the field (43 of 82), compared to Rain Or Shine's 42% (37 of 87). (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
Charles Rhodes (SMB) - 26pts, 6rebs, 2asts, 1blk.
Shawn Taggart (ROS) - 24pts, 10rebs, 2blks, 1stl.

HIGHLIGHTS:



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#PBA2017 Commish Cup Roundup: April 21, 2017

Image from the PBA.

Game Capsules: 

PHOENIX FUEL MASTERS over ALASKA ACES, 94-86
Box Scores. 

Losing a heartbreaker to Rain or Shine on Holy Wednesday, Phoenix responded with a gutsy performance to get its 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup campaign back on track.

The Fuel Masters took advantage of a Calvin Abueva-less Alaska Aces to score a 94-86 victory Friday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Phoenix snapped a two-game skid to improve to 3-4 in the mid-season conference while the Aces dropped to 4-2 following back-to-back defeats.

Jameel McKay finished with a conference-high 42 points on top of 22 rebounds He also had two steals and two blocks.

Former Aces Cyrus Baguio and RJ Jazul also did some heavy lifting for Phoenix, helping the Fuel Masters beat Alaska for the first time in franchise history. The two veteran guards combined for 22 points in starting roles.

Missing Calvin Abueva as the Beast waits for his facial mask to protect his busted lip, the Aces have dropped two straight after starting a perfect 4-0.

Cory Jefferson led Alaska with 31 points and 13 rebounds but only JVee Casio turned in a decent performance from the local crew, scoring 14 off the bench. (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
Jameel McKay (PHX) - 42pts, 22rebs, 2stls, 2blks, 1ast.
Cory Jefferson (ALA) - 31pts, 13rebs, 1ast, 4blks, 1stl.

HIGHLIGHTS:



TNT KA TROPA over GLOBALPORT BATANG PIER, 109-88
Box Scores. 

TNT KaTropa registered what was easily the best win of their current streak, dominating the Globalport Batang Pier, 109-88, Friday in the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Big Dome.

Shooting 48 percent from the field, his best performance in the PBA so far, import Donte Greene led the KaTropa with 33 points and 10 rebounds.

Jayson Castro scored 15 points, all in the first half, to pace tne TNT locals while Ranidel De Ocampo added 14. Larry Fonacier was good for 12 points off the bench.

Malcolm White carried Globalport with 21 points and 16 rebounds but it was not enough to push the Batang Pier to victory.

Terrence Romeo added 20 as Globalport fell to 1-5 for the new conference. (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
Donte Greene (TNT) - 33pts, 10rebs, 1ast, 1stl, 4 triples.
Malcolm White (GLO) - 21pts, 16rebs, 3blks.

HIGHLIGHTS:




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#PBA2017 Commish Cup Roundup: April 20, 2017

Images from PBA.ph.

Game Capsules: 

SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN over MAHINDRA FLOODBUSTER, 109-80
Box Scores. 

The San Miguel juggernaut continued to plow through the competition in the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup as the Beermen scored an easy 109-80 victory over the Floodbuster Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The win extended San Miguel's current perfect run in the mid-season joust, improving its record to a league-best 4-0.

Alex Cabagnot had 26 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while import Charles Rhodes was once again effective, dropping a 20-point, 18-rebound double-double.

Marcio Lassiter torched the Floodbuster with 18 built around six treys. San Miguel had it too easy in the latter part of the game that the team had the luxury of sitting out June Mar Fajardo in the second half.

Keith Wright led Mahindra with 16 points and 12 boards, but the former Ivy League star struggled shooting from the field.

With Senator Manny Pacquiao in attendance, the Floodbuster dropped a fourth straight game for a 1-6 record. (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
Charles Rhodes (SMB) - 20pts, 18rebs, 4asts, 3blks. 
Keith Wright (MAH) - 16pts, 12rebs, 1ast, 1stl, 1blk.

HIGHLIGHTS:



BGY. GINEBRA GIN KINGS over NLEX ROAD WARRIORS, 101-92
Box Scores. 

Brgy. Ginebra sent the Road Warriors to an unlucky seventh straight loss in the Commissioner's Cup after taking a 101-92 decision Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The Gin Kings unleashed a furious third-quarter rally to turn the tables on NLEX and win a third straight game, pushing their record to 3-1 in the mid-season tournament.

With Justin Brownlee and LA Tenorio leading the way, the Gin Kings were able to push the lead by as many as 29 points, 91-62, before settling for a nine-point win.

Brownlee ended up with 18 points to lead Ginebra, 12 coming in that crucial third quarter. Joe Devance also had 18 to emerge as the top local for the Gin Kings.

Japeth Aguilar added 17 points and Tenorio was good for 13.

Import Wayne Chism paced Yeng Guiao's crew with 16 points while Rabeh Al-Hussainin accounted for 14 points. (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
Justin Brownlee (GIN) - 18pts, 13rebs, 5asts, 3stls, 3 triples.
Wayne Chism (NLX) - 16pts, 8rebs, 1ast, 2stls, 1 triple.

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#PBA2017 Commish Cup Power Rankings - April 12, 2017

San Miguel Beer is on top!
(image from the PBA)

This first appeared on PBA.ph.

To say that the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup has been interesting is a gross understatement. Sure, everyone expected the Beermen to continue their strong play, but did anyone see the Meralco Bolts rising so fast up the table? How about the Alaska Aces and the Star Hotshots? 

This conference is slowly shaping up to be wide open, and we wouldn't want it any other way, right? I have SMB probably continuing to dominate in almost every remaining game in the elims, while I expect the Katropa and the Gin Kings to gain steam as the weeks pass by. I think Alaska is good enough to hold on to a top four spot, but I'm not as confident of the Hotshots' ability to do so. Oh well, let's just see how things unravel. 

Let's look at our first power rankings for this conference.