2013 PBA Governors’ Cup Roundup: August 25, 2013

Mike Singletary decimated the Air21 defense even as Marc Pingris and James Yap teamed up to defeat TNT in 2013 PBA Governors’ Cup action last night.

In the opener, Barako Bull beat Air21, 103-94, thanks to the awesome exploits of Mike Singletary, who almost single-handedly carried the Energy to the big win. The former Texas Tech alum dropped 41 big ones on the Express, while also grabbing 12 rebounds on top of 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Needless to say, he was everywhere in this game, and if Barako Bull is to continue winning, then he will have to continue dominating.

Michael Singletary soars past Mike Cortez in this
bit of action from Barako Bull's win.

I did say Singletary "almost singlehandedly" carry Barako, right? That's mainly because he got a hefty amount of help from wicked wingmen Ronjay Buenafe and Danny Seigle. That pair shot 13/24 from the floor, grabbed 7 boards, and had 6 dimes. They provided a huge lift for Rajko Toroman's crew, and outplayed their counterparts from Air21 -- Ogie Menor and KG Canaleta.

2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals Roundup: Game 3

Wala pa ring tatalo sa Alaska. That’s probably the new go-to line of every PBA fanboy right now. After all, it sums up just how awesome the Alaska Aces have been in their quest to be this season’s Commish Cup Champions.

Don Don Hontiveros has two thumbs up after
the Aces swept the Kings in the Finals.

In retrospect, it seems this really was meant for them. They lost just three games in the eliminations to finish as the #1 seed. They exorcised their demons by beating San Mig Coffee in the semifinals, and now they completed their quest by sweeping an embattled Ginebra squad. It's a storybook tale fit for a franchise that seemed to lose its luster after going through more downs than ups in the past few seasons.

2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals Roundup: Game 2

And just like that, Alaska is one away from its first title in three years, and, perhaps more importantly, first in the post-Time Cone era. And, man, despite the focus being put squarely on nouveau villain Calvin Abueva, the Gatas Republik have many heroes to thank for its 2-0 series lead.

The Alaska Aces hold a commanding 2-0 series
lead over the Ginebra Gin Kings.

I am rooting for Alaska here, and one big reason why is I love how Rob Dozier is just coolly outplaying Vernon Macklin in the series. Dozier, a true workhorse who doesn't look for his own offense, has been nothing short of magical. In Game 2, he scored 15 points and, more importantly, grabbed 20 rebounds and limited V-Mack to just 8 markers.

I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for Ginebra and its throngs of fans. Another game, another blowout, another loss. The Gin Kings just can't seem to solve the Alaska riddle. They are now 0-4 against the Aces this conference, losing by an average of 13.8 points. Should we even have a Game 3?

The thing is coach Luigi Trillo has a lot of Aces up his sleeve. I mean, he must feel pretty good right now. He has maybe the most consistent import in the conference, his team is just a win away from its first title in three years, and his locals, oh man, they have been nothing short of amazing. In this game, Sonny Thoss, Calvin Abueva, Cyrus Baguio, Dondon Hontiveros, and JV Casio all scored 13 or more points. Wow. What's the quintessential Alaska jingle again?

Wala pa ring tatalo...

2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals Roundup: Game 1

The Alaska Aces didn’t waste any time at all.

They went on a 14-0 start and cruised on until the endgame to defeat the crowd-favorite Ginebra Gin Kings, 87-70, in Game One of the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.

It was an unexpected start to a game and a series billed by many PBA observers to bring back memories of the classic 90s rivalry between the two storied franchises.

There wasn’t anything storied about the way Ginebra started, however, as the Aces just shot the lights out in the first quarter, outscoring the Kings, 28-6. Eight different players scored for Alaska in that period, while only Vernon Macklin, Mac Baracael, and Chris Ellis scored for Ginebra, with Macklin the only one making field goals.

Alaska continued to dominate the Kings all the way till the middle of the fourth quarter, when Ginebra’s starters actually mounted a last ditch 17-6 rally to trim the deficit to just 11, 79-68, with less than three minutes left. Alaska, however, came through to score 8 of the game’s last 9 points and peg the final score.

Alaska is now just two wins away from its maiden title in the post-Tim Cone era, while the Gin Kings need to recover after this unqualified blowout.

Calvin Abueva and the Aces quiet the crowd as
they ran the Kings out of the Big Dome in Game 1.

2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Playoffs Roundup: May 10-12, 2013

The 2013 PBA Commish Cup will not have a repeat titlist this year. This much was confirmed after the Alaska Aces booted out their former mentor and his current team in Game 4 last Saturday, while the Bgy. Ginebra Gin Kings completed a stirring comeback from a 1-2 series hole to upend the Talk N Text Tropang Texters last night. So it’s going to be an Alaska-Ginebra showdown for the championship!!! First to three games wins! Gatas o Gin? Kampihan na!

The titular series will pit young coach Luigi Trillo (L)
against veteran tactician Alfrancis Chua (R).

Off-Topic: So.. what did I miss?

A lot, apparently.

I was away from Hoop Nut for 99.9% of the past seven days for personal reasons of a medical nature. It was something absolutely urgent I had to attend to and, given how there was no wifi in the hospital at which my family was, wasn't really able to go online save for the few-and-far-between times I went back home to get some stuff and take care of other things.

It was maybe the longest I've gone without basketball maybe… ever. 

Beau Belga more than held his own against Zhang Zhaoxu
and the Shanghai Sharks.
(image by Paolo Papa/InterAKTV)

So, again, WHAT DID I MISS?

Let's list them down…