The Top Ten Basketball Stories of 2014

As always, basketball was top of mind in 2014 for most Pinoy sports fans. Milestones were set, records were broken, stars shone, while, on the other end of things, some expectations were not met and hearts were broken. It was a year of golden moments and moments that are better left in the dustbin of memory.

So now we look back at some of the most compelling basketball-related stories that came our way in the past 12 months. Please take note that I started writing this piece a few hours before 2014 ended, and I posted it after 2015 began. It’s a pretty interesting first, at least for me.

Some of the top basketball stories of this past year!

Without further ado, however, here are the top ten basketball stories of 2014. 

2014 PBA Governors Cup Finals: GRAND SLAM for SMC!!!

Grand slam, thank you, ma'am!
(image from the Instagram account of Titan 22)

Game notes:
- The San Mig Super Coffee Mixers just did something that no franchise has ever been able to do in nearly twenty years — win a PBA Grand Slam. The last time a PBA team won all three season tournaments was way back in 1996 when the Alaska Milkmen did it behind some of the greatest Filipino players ever — Johnny Abarrientos, Bong Hawkings, and Jojo Lastimosa. Their coach? Why, it’s the same guy who coached the Mixers to their own Grand Slam — Tim Cone. Now how’s that for awesomeness?

- He isn’t part of any of the Mythical Teams this season, but James Yap proved once again why he’s one of the most feared gunners in the PBA. In the season’s final game, on the biggest stage, in front of the biggest non-Ginebra-game crowd in league history, and with the millennium’s first Grand Slam at stake, Big Game James canned 12/18 field goals, including three triples and grabbed 8 rebounds to lead San Mig Super Coffee to the promised land. If that doesn’t tell you how much of a superstar Yap is, then I don’t know what will.

- Almost forgotten amidst the din of celebration was the awesome all-around effort of SMC’s Marqus Blakely. Mr. Everything literally did everything in this game, tallying a near-triple-double of 20 points, 16 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 blocks as the Mixers pocketed their fourth title in as many conferences. He pretty much outplayed ROS’s Arizona Reid, who finished with 23 markers and 13 boards while nursing an ankle injury.

- Paul Lee had 21 points in this game, but he struggled for every single one, shooting just 5/19 from the floor. He had a couple of key misses in the dying seconds that could’ve have changed the course of the game. #sayang

2014 PBA Governors Cup Finals: Painters force a do-or-die Game 5!

Jonathan Uyloan stepped up big time on the biggest stage for Rain or Shine.

Game notes:
- Seldom-used Jonathan Uyloan proved to be the ace up coach Yeng Guiao’s sleeve, pouring in 8 points in 14 minutes, including two big threes in a key segment of the second quarter, to spark Rain or Shine in denying San Mig Super Coffee in Game 4. Not bad for a kid who has averaged under 3 points in his 4-year career and someone who might end up unprotected when the expansion dispersal draft comes along.

- Arizona Reid once again led ROS in pretty much everything, scoring 22 points and grabbing 17 rebounds, but, unlike Game 3, the Best Import of the Govs’ Cup got a lot of help. Paul Lee and Gabe Norwood each scored 14 markers while Beau Belga and Ryan Araña paired up for 21 points as the Painters forced a do-or-die affair in Game 5. ROS shot 41% from beyond the arc here, with Reid, Lee, Araña, and Uyloan each making at least 2 triples. 

- Tables were turned in this game. The Mixers, who pride themselves on depth and balance, had just two guys finish in double-figure scoring: Marqus Blakely and James Yap. Coach Cone’s crew also shot themselves on the foot by making only 50% of their free throws. Considering how SMC was +14 in FT attempts, this was a decisive factor.

2014 PBA Governors Cup Finals: Mixers one away from Grand Slam!

Marqus Blakely jams one home as the Mixers secured a 2-1 series lead.

Game notes:
- Ian Sangalang saw Greg Slaughter walk away with the Rookie of the Year plum before Game 3, but the lanky big man from San Sebastian played unfazed afterwards, proving himself a superb talent in Game 3. The Pampanga native scored 8 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter as the Mixers broke a tight game wide open to secure a 2-1 edge in their titular series against the Painters.

- Marqus Blakely continued to live up to his Mr. Everything billing, too. Blakely tallied 17 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and stole the ball thrice to lead San Mig Coffee’s big win in Game 3. Save for his atrocious free throw shooting, Blakely was as efficient as ever, shooting 7/13 from the 2-point area.

- Best Import AZ Reid led all scorers with 31 markers, but even that wasn’t enough to tow Rain or Shine to a win. I mean, nobody else on coach Yeng Guiao’s club scored more than 8 markers. Outside of Reid, ROS shot just 17/47 or 36% from the floor — definitely not championship-worthy.

2014 PBA Governors Cup Finals: Painters tie it up in OT!

Jeff Chan scored 14 points as ROS tied the Govs' Cup Finals at one game apiece.

Game notes:
- For a whole half, it seemed like AZ Reid was living out the Best Import’s curse. The Best Import, you see, usually has a subpar game on the same night he’s named Best Import, and when Reid ended up with just 2 points after the first 24 minutes, well, things were definitely NOT looking good. He bounced back in a big way, however, scoring 13 points in the third period and hitting big shots in OT as the Elasto-Painters squared their titular series with the Mixers at 1-1. Reid scored a total of 29 points on top of 17 rebounds and 4 assists.

- James Yap had another strong scoring performance, making 9 of his 19 field goal attempts to finish with 22 points. Yap didn’t have a very productive elimination round this conference, but he has surely stepped up in this, the biggest of stages. He scored all 7 SMC points in the extra session, but even his velvet touch wasn’t enough to tow the Mixers to a 2-0 lead.

- Three-point shooting turned out to be a big difference-maker in this match. SMC shot 4/24 from long range, which was good for only 17%, while coach Yeng Guiao’s wards connected on 11/32 three-point tries, which was good for 34%. Reid and Jeff Chan each made three treys while Paul Lee hit twice form downtown to lead the ROS ballistic barrage.

Five Reasons Why San Mig Super Coffee Will Win the Grand Slam

AZ Reid and Marc Pingris are set to bump heads in the 2014 Govs' Cup Finals!
(image by Paolo Papa/Sports 5)

As I write this, Game 1 of the 2014 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals between the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers and the Rain or Shine Elasto-Painters is thirty minutes from starting. These are the last two teams left standing, this is the last series to be played, and this is the last conference title up for grabs in the PBA’s 2013-2014 season.

In one corner, we have Tim Cone’s Mixers in their fourth straight Finals appearance. They’ve won their last three and are looking to complete an elusive Grand Slam. If they do it, this would be Cone’s second Grand Slam (his first was with the Alaska franchise in 1996).

On the other corner, we have Yeng Guiao’s Elasto-Painters, who have also been one of the league’s most consistently competitive teams as this is their fourth Finals appearance in the last seven conferences (2012 Govs’ Cup, 2013 Philippine Cup, and 2014 Philippine Cup). Rain or Shine’s last title was that 2012 Govs’ Cup crown, which they pocketed at the hands of, as fate would have it, the B-Meg Llamados (the former moniker of the Mixers).

Needless to say, there is just no overstating this series.

In the end, however, if push comes to shove and if we were to put cold hard on the table, the smart bet would be San Mig Super Coffee repeating as Govs’ Cup champs, annexing its fourth diadem in a row, and earning the new millennium’s first Grand Slam.

And here are the reasons: