source: gmanews.tv
Purefoods rallied back from an early 12-point deficit to hack out another thrilling win at the expense of Alaska, 79-78, as the Giants moved to the threshold of capturing the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup title via a sweep.
KG Canaleta hit the game-tying three-pointer inside the final two minutes and Kerby Raymundo scored off a perfect spin move that put the Giants on top for good, 79-77, before watching Alaska crumble under extreme pressure with a series of turnovers and missed shots.
Pandemonium broke inside the Araneta Coliseum the moment Willie Miller missed a floater inside the foul line at the final buzzer, formalizing Purefoods’ third straight win in the series for a commanding 3-0 lead.
he Giants will go for all the marbles on Wednesday when Game 4 is played also at the Big Dome.
No team in the 35-year history of the league has climbed back from such a huge deficit to win a best-of-seven duel.
Counting back their three straight wins in the semifinals, the Giants have won their last six games, including their stirring 86-85 victory in Game 2.
“Not until we get that win no. 4 will there be a celebration within the team," said a very cautious Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.
James Yap again topscored for the Giants with 14 points and PJ Simon added 12. But it was Canaleta who brought the team back to life after trailing by as many as 16-4 in the opening quarter.
Canaleta shot 2-of-3 from three-point range to finish with eight points.
“He bailed us out when the chips were down," said Gregorio of the slam dunking forward out of University of the East.
Canaleta came through with the highlight reel play of Game 3, scoring on a baseline throw down off Joe DeVance’s outstretched arm seven minutes into the final quarter as the Giants threatened at 63-67.
His fadeaway shot from downtown finally had Purefoods tying the game at 77 with 1:30 to go.
That’s when Alaska began to disintegrate.
Reynel Hugnatan threw away the ball intended for Miller, paving the way for Raymundo to come up with a brilliant spin move off DeVance at the other end as the Giants took a two-point lead in the final minute.
Miller then lost control of the ball in the Aces’ inbounds play, before splitting his charities in the final 31 second for a 79-78 Purefoods lead.
After Canaleta flubbed his three-point attempt, the Aces had two more chances of turning the game around, but missed on both of them, including that failed heave of Miller at the buzzer. – GMANews.TV
The scores:
Purefoods 79 - Yap J. 14, Simon 12, Canaleta 8, Pingris 8, Reavis 8, Raymundo 8, Maierhofer 7, Yap R. 5, Allado 5, Salvador 3, Artadi 1.
Alaska 78 - Miller 20, De Vance 16, Thoss 12, Dela Cruz 10, Tenorio 8, Hugnatan 6, Ferriols 4, Borboran 2, Fonacier 0.
Quarterscores: 15-21, 36-44, 61-67, 79-78.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Alaska set for Game 2 comeback this Friday
source: Waylon Galvez | mb.com.ph
Even before the Finals started, Alaska coach Tim Cone likened their best-of-seven title series with Purefoods to a boxing match.
So after being hit and floored in the opening round, Cone said they have to learn how to counter punch to keep alive their title bid.
And that will start this Friday as the Aces battle the Giants in Game 2 of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup Finals starting at 7 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.
Showing the same kind of toughness and resilience on the defensive end, Purefoods held Alaska’s vaunted “triangle offense” to a conference low 77 points while exploding for 81 points to take the opener of their series Wednesday at the Big Dome.
Alaska’s former two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) Willie Miller did score 23 points but not after missing 19-of-27 tries.
Overall, the Aces were 30 of 83 (36.1 percent) from the field.
“They did a good job of stopping our rhythm, we battled but we didn’t play well,” Cone said.
But there’s still a lot of hope for the Aces.
“I think we can play better than that. They (Purefoods) really played the kind of game that they wanted to play. They’re disciplined defensive team, so we have to be disciplined offensively as well. We can be better in terms of attacking them.”
Although Cone pointed to two non-call fouls in the fourth quarter – first on LA Tenorio and then on Miller – could have changed the reflection of Game 1, he said that they have to refocus for Game 2 in order to level the series.
“We don’t have time to feel bad about this. We don’t have time to worry too much about this. It’s a seven-game series we don’t have time to,excuse the pan, since we’re Alaska Milk, you don’t have time to cry on you milk. One game doesn’t make a whole series.”
Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio readily agreed.
Being one of the great teams in league history, Gregorio expects the Aces to come out strong in Game 2.
“Our defense held up, that’s the only way to beat a really fluid scoring team like Alaska,” Gregorio said. “This is really great momentum win for us, but the battle is not over, we’ve only won Game 1. The only advantage is we started on the right foot.”
Despite his struggles, Gregorio said that Miller got his usual numbers, but what the Giants’ defense accomplished was they were able to contain other Alaska players like Joe Devance (10 points), Sonny Thoss (9 points,) LA Tenorio (8 points), and Tony dela Cruz (4 points).
Game Friday (Araneta Coliseum)
7 p.m. — Purefoods vs Alaska
Even before the Finals started, Alaska coach Tim Cone likened their best-of-seven title series with Purefoods to a boxing match.
So after being hit and floored in the opening round, Cone said they have to learn how to counter punch to keep alive their title bid.
And that will start this Friday as the Aces battle the Giants in Game 2 of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup Finals starting at 7 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.
Showing the same kind of toughness and resilience on the defensive end, Purefoods held Alaska’s vaunted “triangle offense” to a conference low 77 points while exploding for 81 points to take the opener of their series Wednesday at the Big Dome.
Alaska’s former two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) Willie Miller did score 23 points but not after missing 19-of-27 tries.
Overall, the Aces were 30 of 83 (36.1 percent) from the field.
“They did a good job of stopping our rhythm, we battled but we didn’t play well,” Cone said.
But there’s still a lot of hope for the Aces.
“I think we can play better than that. They (Purefoods) really played the kind of game that they wanted to play. They’re disciplined defensive team, so we have to be disciplined offensively as well. We can be better in terms of attacking them.”
Although Cone pointed to two non-call fouls in the fourth quarter – first on LA Tenorio and then on Miller – could have changed the reflection of Game 1, he said that they have to refocus for Game 2 in order to level the series.
“We don’t have time to feel bad about this. We don’t have time to worry too much about this. It’s a seven-game series we don’t have time to,excuse the pan, since we’re Alaska Milk, you don’t have time to cry on you milk. One game doesn’t make a whole series.”
Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio readily agreed.
Being one of the great teams in league history, Gregorio expects the Aces to come out strong in Game 2.
“Our defense held up, that’s the only way to beat a really fluid scoring team like Alaska,” Gregorio said. “This is really great momentum win for us, but the battle is not over, we’ve only won Game 1. The only advantage is we started on the right foot.”
Despite his struggles, Gregorio said that Miller got his usual numbers, but what the Giants’ defense accomplished was they were able to contain other Alaska players like Joe Devance (10 points), Sonny Thoss (9 points,) LA Tenorio (8 points), and Tony dela Cruz (4 points).
Game Friday (Araneta Coliseum)
7 p.m. — Purefoods vs Alaska
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Rudy Hatfield to the rescue
source: Joaquin Henson | philstar.com
Rudy Hatfield will end almost a three-year leave from the PBA and resume playing for Barangay Ginebra in the coming Fiesta Conference starting March 21.
After losing to Alaska in a 4-0 series sweep in the recent Philippine Cup semifinals, the Kings could use a fiery rebounder like Hatfield to get back in title contention. He will be a vital piece in the puzzle that coach Joseph Uichico is consolidating for the future.
Hatfield’s agent Bill Rosmarino confirmed yesterday that the H-Bomb from the University of Michigan at Dearborn has signed a one-year contract with Ginebra and will arrive from the US late March.
“Rudy is already preparing his body for battle,” said Rosmarino. “I’m just so excited. This has been nearly three years of waiting. It will be so nice to watch, as a Hatfield fan, the new improved 110 percent version. With his new mindset, rest and heart, you can only imagine what Rudy will do on the court for Ginebra.”
Hatfield, 32, took a leave of absence from Ginebra in 2007 for personal reasons. The 6-6 power forward, whose mother is Filipina, has played six years in the PBA, averaging 13.4 points and 10.8 rebounds.
In an exclusive STAR interview, Hatfield vowed to return with a bang.
“Don’t think for one second I’m gonna walk on the floor and let anyone walk all over me,” he said. “I’m comin’ to play. I’m comin’ to wrestle. And I’m comin’ to win. There’s nothing new to expect. I don’t have any new moves. I haven’t been given some miraculous pill that has me flying out of the gym and I won’t suddenly become a pure shooter. What you will see is me diving on the floor again, running up and down like a caged animal that has just been let loose and 110 percent of tenacious intensity.””
Hatfield said he is well informed about developments in the PBA and can’t wait to play for the Kings.
“What an awesome time playing for Ginebra is going to be,” he continued. “I’ve been following the PBA since I left and I definitely know what’s going on. I remember telling Eric (Menk) about J. C. (Intal) while he was at Ateneo and saying, ‘Look at the hops on this guy.’ It looks as if he’s become more than just a leaper.”
Hatfield said he has kept in shape playing in leagues but admitted he’s not in PBA condition at the moment.
“I plan on being ready,” he went on. “The good thing is I still weigh the same as when I left so I won’t have to worry about getting rid of extra weight. You know, if anything, I’ll be in shape. Maybe not as good right away but I’ll surely be able to get up and down the floor.”
Since leaving the country, Hatfield said he has found new meaning in his life with wife Bethany and their two children Bella, 5, and Lylah, 1, embracing the Christian faith.
For about 10 days last November, Hatfield quietly came to town for missionary work with the Northridge Church of Plymouth, Michigan. He visited schools, staged puppet shows for kids, conducted basketball clinics and delivered personal testimonials. Two highlights of Hatfield’s brief visit were explaining to kids a fun way to remember the 10 commandments and providing disaster relief for typhoon Ondoy victims.
“After about a year of researching, speaking with God, receiving so many signs and just putting myself out there to believe, I was finally saved,” he said. “My old life was put to death and I was reborn. I now truly believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that if we believe in His death for our sins, His resurrection as ourselves being resurrected into a new life and that He is the way, truth and the life. By all means, I still sin, I still make mistakes and I have a long, painful journey to go before I’m made into the perfect image of Jesus. But at least I know I can repent and be forgiven and I focus everyday on getting closer to God.”
Hatfield said his wife and daughters will make periodic visits to Manila while he’s playing in the PBA.
“It will be a great opportunity for my daughters to see a different culture especially for Lylah (who is part Filipino),” he said. “I want my kids to see where their father spent the majority of his growing years.”
As for how long he plans to play, Hatfield said it’s up to the Lord.
“Right now, the thought is to play until God tells me it’s time to move on,” he said. “I don’t know exactly how long it will be. But what I do know is for the last three years, I’ve been trying to find a purpose for my life, wondering what God made me for. For about three years, I tried to fool myself that I wasn’t made for basketball. I do know now that God gave me a gift and maybe I’m not the most talented basketball player but he gave me something that gets the job done.”
by Joaquin Henson | philstar.com
Rudy Hatfield will end almost a three-year leave from the PBA and resume playing for Barangay Ginebra in the coming Fiesta Conference starting March 21.
After losing to Alaska in a 4-0 series sweep in the recent Philippine Cup semifinals, the Kings could use a fiery rebounder like Hatfield to get back in title contention. He will be a vital piece in the puzzle that coach Joseph Uichico is consolidating for the future.
Hatfield’s agent Bill Rosmarino confirmed yesterday that the H-Bomb from the University of Michigan at Dearborn has signed a one-year contract with Ginebra and will arrive from the US late March.
“Rudy is already preparing his body for battle,” said Rosmarino. “I’m just so excited. This has been nearly three years of waiting. It will be so nice to watch, as a Hatfield fan, the new improved 110 percent version. With his new mindset, rest and heart, you can only imagine what Rudy will do on the court for Ginebra.”
Hatfield, 32, took a leave of absence from Ginebra in 2007 for personal reasons. The 6-6 power forward, whose mother is Filipina, has played six years in the PBA, averaging 13.4 points and 10.8 rebounds.
In an exclusive STAR interview, Hatfield vowed to return with a bang.
“Don’t think for one second I’m gonna walk on the floor and let anyone walk all over me,” he said. “I’m comin’ to play. I’m comin’ to wrestle. And I’m comin’ to win. There’s nothing new to expect. I don’t have any new moves. I haven’t been given some miraculous pill that has me flying out of the gym and I won’t suddenly become a pure shooter. What you will see is me diving on the floor again, running up and down like a caged animal that has just been let loose and 110 percent of tenacious intensity.””
Hatfield said he is well informed about developments in the PBA and can’t wait to play for the Kings.
“What an awesome time playing for Ginebra is going to be,” he continued. “I’ve been following the PBA since I left and I definitely know what’s going on. I remember telling Eric (Menk) about J. C. (Intal) while he was at Ateneo and saying, ‘Look at the hops on this guy.’ It looks as if he’s become more than just a leaper.”
Hatfield said he has kept in shape playing in leagues but admitted he’s not in PBA condition at the moment.
“I plan on being ready,” he went on. “The good thing is I still weigh the same as when I left so I won’t have to worry about getting rid of extra weight. You know, if anything, I’ll be in shape. Maybe not as good right away but I’ll surely be able to get up and down the floor.”
Since leaving the country, Hatfield said he has found new meaning in his life with wife Bethany and their two children Bella, 5, and Lylah, 1, embracing the Christian faith.
For about 10 days last November, Hatfield quietly came to town for missionary work with the Northridge Church of Plymouth, Michigan. He visited schools, staged puppet shows for kids, conducted basketball clinics and delivered personal testimonials. Two highlights of Hatfield’s brief visit were explaining to kids a fun way to remember the 10 commandments and providing disaster relief for typhoon Ondoy victims.
“After about a year of researching, speaking with God, receiving so many signs and just putting myself out there to believe, I was finally saved,” he said. “My old life was put to death and I was reborn. I now truly believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that if we believe in His death for our sins, His resurrection as ourselves being resurrected into a new life and that He is the way, truth and the life. By all means, I still sin, I still make mistakes and I have a long, painful journey to go before I’m made into the perfect image of Jesus. But at least I know I can repent and be forgiven and I focus everyday on getting closer to God.”
Hatfield said his wife and daughters will make periodic visits to Manila while he’s playing in the PBA.
“It will be a great opportunity for my daughters to see a different culture especially for Lylah (who is part Filipino),” he said. “I want my kids to see where their father spent the majority of his growing years.”
As for how long he plans to play, Hatfield said it’s up to the Lord.
“Right now, the thought is to play until God tells me it’s time to move on,” he said. “I don’t know exactly how long it will be. But what I do know is for the last three years, I’ve been trying to find a purpose for my life, wondering what God made me for. For about three years, I tried to fool myself that I wasn’t made for basketball. I do know now that God gave me a gift and maybe I’m not the most talented basketball player but he gave me something that gets the job done.”
by Joaquin Henson | philstar.com
San Miguel defeats Ginebra, Beermen grab 3rd place
source: PBA.ph
Led by veterans Danny Ildefonso and Danny Seigle San Miguel Beer’s reserve made a splash Wednesday night as the Beermen held off Barangay Ginebra, 95-88, to claim the second runner-up trophy in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
Down by a point after three quarters, the Beermen went on an 11-2 run to start the fourth and stormed ahead to stay, 80-72, on a three-pointer by Olsen Racela. SMB outscored the Ginebra, 26-18 in the fourth quarter.
SMB’s reserves accounted for 50 of the Beermen’s total points with Seigle and Ildefonso hitting timely baskets in the second quarter as SMB seized control.
Dondon Hontiveros collected 18 points for the Beermen, who snapped a three-game losing streak from their semifnal series with the Purefoods TJ Giants. Ildefonso, who logged just 10 minutes, added 15 and Seigle had 10.
“We shot terribly but we played good defense,” said SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen.
He added: “We may fall short of our goal but being champions start from building your character when nobody is watching and when nothing is at stake.”
The Kings shot 50 percent in the opening quarter, ending the period with a 9-0 run to take a 31-24 lead.
But their offense went cold in the next period and SMB capitalized, outscoring their rivals, 23-12.
The Kings held a 36-29 lead two minutes into the second when Seigle scored six straight points to highlight a 14-0 run that gave them a seven-point lead. SMB then led 47-43 at halftime.
Barangay Ginebra, which was swept by Alaska in the semis, stayed close and kept the game exciting in the third with Ronald Tubid going 3-for-3 from the trifecta zone as the Kings closed the period with a 13-4 run for a 70-69 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Tubid, who went 5-for-16 from the 3-point range, led all scorers with 22 points. JC Intal chipped in 13 and Alvarez added 10 for the Kings, who missed their first five shots of the fourth. (DBC)
The scores:
San Miguel Beer 95 - Hontiveros 18, Ildefonso 15, Seigle 10, Pena 10, Villanueva 9, Cortez 9, Washington 8, Racela 8, Miranda 6, Holper 2, Custodio 0.
Barangay Ginebra 88 - Tubid 22, Intal 13, Alvarez 10, Caguioa 9, Mamaril 8, Villanueva 8, Helterbrand 7, Baguio 4, White 3, Wilson 2, Abarrientos 2, Salvacion 0.
Quarterscores: 24-31, 47-43, 69-70, 95-88.
Led by veterans Danny Ildefonso and Danny Seigle San Miguel Beer’s reserve made a splash Wednesday night as the Beermen held off Barangay Ginebra, 95-88, to claim the second runner-up trophy in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
Down by a point after three quarters, the Beermen went on an 11-2 run to start the fourth and stormed ahead to stay, 80-72, on a three-pointer by Olsen Racela. SMB outscored the Ginebra, 26-18 in the fourth quarter.
SMB’s reserves accounted for 50 of the Beermen’s total points with Seigle and Ildefonso hitting timely baskets in the second quarter as SMB seized control.
Dondon Hontiveros collected 18 points for the Beermen, who snapped a three-game losing streak from their semifnal series with the Purefoods TJ Giants. Ildefonso, who logged just 10 minutes, added 15 and Seigle had 10.
“We shot terribly but we played good defense,” said SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen.
He added: “We may fall short of our goal but being champions start from building your character when nobody is watching and when nothing is at stake.”
The Kings shot 50 percent in the opening quarter, ending the period with a 9-0 run to take a 31-24 lead.
But their offense went cold in the next period and SMB capitalized, outscoring their rivals, 23-12.
The Kings held a 36-29 lead two minutes into the second when Seigle scored six straight points to highlight a 14-0 run that gave them a seven-point lead. SMB then led 47-43 at halftime.
Barangay Ginebra, which was swept by Alaska in the semis, stayed close and kept the game exciting in the third with Ronald Tubid going 3-for-3 from the trifecta zone as the Kings closed the period with a 13-4 run for a 70-69 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Tubid, who went 5-for-16 from the 3-point range, led all scorers with 22 points. JC Intal chipped in 13 and Alvarez added 10 for the Kings, who missed their first five shots of the fourth. (DBC)
The scores:
San Miguel Beer 95 - Hontiveros 18, Ildefonso 15, Seigle 10, Pena 10, Villanueva 9, Cortez 9, Washington 8, Racela 8, Miranda 6, Holper 2, Custodio 0.
Barangay Ginebra 88 - Tubid 22, Intal 13, Alvarez 10, Caguioa 9, Mamaril 8, Villanueva 8, Helterbrand 7, Baguio 4, White 3, Wilson 2, Abarrientos 2, Salvacion 0.
Quarterscores: 24-31, 47-43, 69-70, 95-88.
Purefoods defeats Alaska in finals game 1
source: gmanews.tv
Purefoods’ shock troopers delivered when needed most, carrying the Giants past the Alaska Aces, 81-77, to take the opener of their KFC-PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven Finals on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
It was Purefoods' fourth straight win dating back from its semifinals series against the San Miguel Beermen. Alaska was coming off a week-long break after a 4-0 sweep of Barangay Ginebra in their own semis contest.
Rafi Reavies and KG Canaleta scored the Giants last seven points while Mark Pingris had a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds in Purefoods’ Game 1 win that was tightly-fought all the way to the final seconds.
With a 1-0 lead, Purefoods hopes to make it two-in-a-row when Game 2 is played Friday also at the Big Dome.
Reavies finished with only six points, but scored all of them in the stretch run, including back-to-back baskets that kept the Giants afloat, 78-74.
He then blocked Willie Miller’s shot at the other end, before scoring on a follow up off a Roger Yap miss as Purefoods stretched the lead to six with 35 seconds left.
Alaska threatened for the last time at 80-77 on a pressure-packed three-pointer by Miller on top of the key in the final 11 seconds, but Canaleta sealed the win with a split from the foul line.
James Yap paced Purefoods with 24 points while Kerby Raymundo added 15, although both have to sit out considerable minutes in the third period due to foul trouble.
The Aces got 23 points from Miller, but the two-time most valuable player struggled from the field on a 9-of-23 shooting.
Joe DeVance was the only other Alaska player to hit double figures with 10.
Alaska trailed by seven early in the final quarter, only to bounce back and tied the game on a by Reynel Hugnatan, 72-all, midway in the final quarter.
The opening half was a tightly-fought one as Alaska and Purefoods battled to a 36-all tie after two quarters, with Miller showing the way for the Aces with 11 points, and James Yap for the Giants with 12.
After 12 minutes of play, the Aces held a 19-14 edge and could have led even more had Tony dela Cruz’s follow up basket not came a second short after the first quarter buzzer sounded. – GMANews.TV
Scores:
Purefoods 81 - J. Yap 24, Raymundo 15, Pingris 13, Canaleta 8, Reavis 6, Allado 6, R. Yap 5, Maierhofer 2, Simon 2, Artadi 0.
Alaska 77 - Miller 23, De Vance 10, Thoss 9, Tenorio 8, Hugnatan 8, Borboran 7, Cablay 5, Dela Cruz 4, Ferriols 3, Fonacier 0, Cariaso 0.
Quarter scores: 15-19, 36-36, 61-58, 81-77.
Purefoods’ shock troopers delivered when needed most, carrying the Giants past the Alaska Aces, 81-77, to take the opener of their KFC-PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven Finals on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
It was Purefoods' fourth straight win dating back from its semifinals series against the San Miguel Beermen. Alaska was coming off a week-long break after a 4-0 sweep of Barangay Ginebra in their own semis contest.
Rafi Reavies and KG Canaleta scored the Giants last seven points while Mark Pingris had a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds in Purefoods’ Game 1 win that was tightly-fought all the way to the final seconds.
With a 1-0 lead, Purefoods hopes to make it two-in-a-row when Game 2 is played Friday also at the Big Dome.
Reavies finished with only six points, but scored all of them in the stretch run, including back-to-back baskets that kept the Giants afloat, 78-74.
He then blocked Willie Miller’s shot at the other end, before scoring on a follow up off a Roger Yap miss as Purefoods stretched the lead to six with 35 seconds left.
Alaska threatened for the last time at 80-77 on a pressure-packed three-pointer by Miller on top of the key in the final 11 seconds, but Canaleta sealed the win with a split from the foul line.
James Yap paced Purefoods with 24 points while Kerby Raymundo added 15, although both have to sit out considerable minutes in the third period due to foul trouble.
The Aces got 23 points from Miller, but the two-time most valuable player struggled from the field on a 9-of-23 shooting.
Joe DeVance was the only other Alaska player to hit double figures with 10.
Alaska trailed by seven early in the final quarter, only to bounce back and tied the game on a by Reynel Hugnatan, 72-all, midway in the final quarter.
The opening half was a tightly-fought one as Alaska and Purefoods battled to a 36-all tie after two quarters, with Miller showing the way for the Aces with 11 points, and James Yap for the Giants with 12.
After 12 minutes of play, the Aces held a 19-14 edge and could have led even more had Tony dela Cruz’s follow up basket not came a second short after the first quarter buzzer sounded. – GMANews.TV
Scores:
Purefoods 81 - J. Yap 24, Raymundo 15, Pingris 13, Canaleta 8, Reavis 6, Allado 6, R. Yap 5, Maierhofer 2, Simon 2, Artadi 0.
Alaska 77 - Miller 23, De Vance 10, Thoss 9, Tenorio 8, Hugnatan 8, Borboran 7, Cablay 5, Dela Cruz 4, Ferriols 3, Fonacier 0, Cariaso 0.
Quarter scores: 15-19, 36-36, 61-58, 81-77.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tired Giants, refreshed Aces begin title series
source: Waylon Galvez | mb.com.ph
Despite having only two days of rest, Purefoods TJ Hotdogs head coach Ryan Gregorio believes fatigue won’t be a factor when his Giants battle the Alaska Aces at the start of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven title series this Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
“Entering the Finals, we’re the team with the most number of games played,” said Gregorio, whose team already played a total of 29 games – 18 in the classification phase, five in the quarterfinals and six in the Final Four.
“It might be a factor (fatigue), but in the Finals, the will to win of my players will be bigger than our weary legs,” Gregorio said.
Clashing for only the seventh time – third in an all-Filipino conference and first since the Governors’ Cup seven years ago – the Giants and the Aces meet at 7:30 p.m.
The two teams split their first six Finals matches, and both are gearing for a title win after each lost in a separate seven-game battle the last time they played in the championship. Purefoods lost to Sta. Lucia Realty in 2008 and Alaska against Talk ‘N Text last season.
They also split their head-to-head encounter this conference, with Alaska winning first, 101-87, last November 22, before Purefoods bounced back with a 94-77 victory last January 15.
Alaska earned its 24th stint in the Finals and eighth in the AFC by sweeping Barangay Ginebra, 4-0, in their semifinals series.
Purefoods, on the other hand, will be making its 21st championship appearance and 13th in the all-Filipino as it came back from a 1-2 deficit in its Final Four showdown with San Miguel Beer by winning the next three games capped by an 87-78 win in Game 6 last Sunday.
Games Wednesday (Araneta Coliseum)
5 p.m. — Ginebra vs San Miguel
7:30 p.m. — Alaska vs Purefoods
Despite having only two days of rest, Purefoods TJ Hotdogs head coach Ryan Gregorio believes fatigue won’t be a factor when his Giants battle the Alaska Aces at the start of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven title series this Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
“Entering the Finals, we’re the team with the most number of games played,” said Gregorio, whose team already played a total of 29 games – 18 in the classification phase, five in the quarterfinals and six in the Final Four.
“It might be a factor (fatigue), but in the Finals, the will to win of my players will be bigger than our weary legs,” Gregorio said.
Clashing for only the seventh time – third in an all-Filipino conference and first since the Governors’ Cup seven years ago – the Giants and the Aces meet at 7:30 p.m.
The two teams split their first six Finals matches, and both are gearing for a title win after each lost in a separate seven-game battle the last time they played in the championship. Purefoods lost to Sta. Lucia Realty in 2008 and Alaska against Talk ‘N Text last season.
They also split their head-to-head encounter this conference, with Alaska winning first, 101-87, last November 22, before Purefoods bounced back with a 94-77 victory last January 15.
Alaska earned its 24th stint in the Finals and eighth in the AFC by sweeping Barangay Ginebra, 4-0, in their semifinals series.
Purefoods, on the other hand, will be making its 21st championship appearance and 13th in the all-Filipino as it came back from a 1-2 deficit in its Final Four showdown with San Miguel Beer by winning the next three games capped by an 87-78 win in Game 6 last Sunday.
Games Wednesday (Araneta Coliseum)
5 p.m. — Ginebra vs San Miguel
7:30 p.m. — Alaska vs Purefoods
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Can Storey take Ginebra to new heights?
source: Arman Carandang | tribune.net.ph
With its finals bid shattered by Alaska Milk, Barangay Ginebra starts to do the next logical thing: Build-up for next conference.
And the Gin Kings are doing exactly just that.
According to Ginebra coach Jong Uichico, the team has actually tapped Awvee Storey, a rugged guard who can show court leadership, as the Gin Kings’ import for the 2009-10 PBA Fiesta Conference, which gets underway on March 20.
The 31-year-old Storey, who stands 6-foot-6, is a product of the University of Illinois who had brief stints with three teams in the NBA.
Uichico said Storey is expected to arrive from China next Sunday.
It is not clear whether Storey will be used exclusively in the point guard position, especially since Ginebra is already laden with guards.
Storey would be one of the few imports playing for the first time in the Philippines as other teams are said to be keen on bringing back imports for the season-ending tournament.
Defending champion in the reinforced conference is San Miguel Beer, which happens to be in the semifinals of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup battling a slot for championship against sister team Purefoods.
The Beermen will be backstopped anew by last season’s best import Gabe Freeman.
Rain or Shine is also bringing back its former import in Jai Lewis, while Sta. Lucia Realty is keen on hiring Anthony Johnson.
The Gin Kings were swept by the Aces in the semifinals, 4-0, although they could salvage some measure of pride if they could win the third place against either Purefoods or San Miguel.
Storey was said to be undrafted when he turned pro in 2002, but somehow managed to play for nine games for the New Jersey Nets in 2004, after which he transferred to the Dakota Wizards in the D-League.
One factor giving promise to the Gin Kings is that Storey will be suiting up for the team still in top shape as he will be coming from a Chinese league.
The Gin Kings are seeking to make an impact in the Fiesta Conference which they won two seasons ago with Chris Alexander as their import.
With its finals bid shattered by Alaska Milk, Barangay Ginebra starts to do the next logical thing: Build-up for next conference.
And the Gin Kings are doing exactly just that.
According to Ginebra coach Jong Uichico, the team has actually tapped Awvee Storey, a rugged guard who can show court leadership, as the Gin Kings’ import for the 2009-10 PBA Fiesta Conference, which gets underway on March 20.
The 31-year-old Storey, who stands 6-foot-6, is a product of the University of Illinois who had brief stints with three teams in the NBA.
Uichico said Storey is expected to arrive from China next Sunday.
It is not clear whether Storey will be used exclusively in the point guard position, especially since Ginebra is already laden with guards.
Storey would be one of the few imports playing for the first time in the Philippines as other teams are said to be keen on bringing back imports for the season-ending tournament.
Defending champion in the reinforced conference is San Miguel Beer, which happens to be in the semifinals of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup battling a slot for championship against sister team Purefoods.
The Beermen will be backstopped anew by last season’s best import Gabe Freeman.
Rain or Shine is also bringing back its former import in Jai Lewis, while Sta. Lucia Realty is keen on hiring Anthony Johnson.
The Gin Kings were swept by the Aces in the semifinals, 4-0, although they could salvage some measure of pride if they could win the third place against either Purefoods or San Miguel.
Storey was said to be undrafted when he turned pro in 2002, but somehow managed to play for nine games for the New Jersey Nets in 2004, after which he transferred to the Dakota Wizards in the D-League.
One factor giving promise to the Gin Kings is that Storey will be suiting up for the team still in top shape as he will be coming from a Chinese league.
The Gin Kings are seeking to make an impact in the Fiesta Conference which they won two seasons ago with Chris Alexander as their import.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Cone wants SMB-Purefoods series to go the distance
source: gmanews.tv
Alaska coach Tim Cone wouldn’t say whether he prefers facing Purefoods or San Miguel in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
Cone said that all he is wishing for is the best-of-seven semifinals series between the Giants and Beermen to go the distance.
"Honestly, I hope that it (SMB-Purefoods series) goes into a Game 7," said Cone with a smile. "It will give us a couple of days to refresh. Those teams give us tough match-ups. We’re not going into that series feeling confident."
The Aces earned a return trip to the All-Filipino finals Wednesday night with a 102-95 win over Barangay Ginebra for a 4-0 sweep of their own semis series – Cone’s first ever best-of-seven sweep.
The sweep is only the fourth in a PBA best-of-seven series after Northern Consolidated first did it against Manila Beer in the 1985 Reinforced Conference; Swift against Seven-Up in the 1992 Third Conference; and Ginebra against Red Bull in the semi-finals of the 2008 Fiesta Conference.
Cone said he himself couldn’t believe that the Aces were able to sweep a team as talented as the Kings.
"Who would have thought we could do this? From the very start we were sharp and never lost a thing along the way, which is quite unusual." said Cone. "We were fresh, we were hungry, every player I picked from the bench played well."
"We came into the Ginebra series very fortunate. Celino (Cruz) and (Eric) Menk have injuries. But they kind of got back on their heels but never recovered. It’s an incredible feat," added Cone.
The American mentor could only cross his fingers that his Aces would be able to sustain their fighting form through the finals as they try to win the crown that slipped out of their hands last year opposite the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters.
"I hope we can play similar basketball (in the Finals)," he said. – GMANews.TV
Game Friday (Araneta Coliseum)
7 p.m. — San Miguel vs Purefoods
Alaska coach Tim Cone wouldn’t say whether he prefers facing Purefoods or San Miguel in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
Cone said that all he is wishing for is the best-of-seven semifinals series between the Giants and Beermen to go the distance.
"Honestly, I hope that it (SMB-Purefoods series) goes into a Game 7," said Cone with a smile. "It will give us a couple of days to refresh. Those teams give us tough match-ups. We’re not going into that series feeling confident."
The Aces earned a return trip to the All-Filipino finals Wednesday night with a 102-95 win over Barangay Ginebra for a 4-0 sweep of their own semis series – Cone’s first ever best-of-seven sweep.
The sweep is only the fourth in a PBA best-of-seven series after Northern Consolidated first did it against Manila Beer in the 1985 Reinforced Conference; Swift against Seven-Up in the 1992 Third Conference; and Ginebra against Red Bull in the semi-finals of the 2008 Fiesta Conference.
Cone said he himself couldn’t believe that the Aces were able to sweep a team as talented as the Kings.
"Who would have thought we could do this? From the very start we were sharp and never lost a thing along the way, which is quite unusual." said Cone. "We were fresh, we were hungry, every player I picked from the bench played well."
"We came into the Ginebra series very fortunate. Celino (Cruz) and (Eric) Menk have injuries. But they kind of got back on their heels but never recovered. It’s an incredible feat," added Cone.
The American mentor could only cross his fingers that his Aces would be able to sustain their fighting form through the finals as they try to win the crown that slipped out of their hands last year opposite the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters.
"I hope we can play similar basketball (in the Finals)," he said. – GMANews.TV
Game Friday (Araneta Coliseum)
7 p.m. — San Miguel vs Purefoods
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Alaska sweeps Ginebra, earns trip to finals
source: abs-cbnnews.com
Alaska swept its best-of-7 semifinal series against Barangay Ginebra with a 102-95 come-from-behind victory in Game 4, earning a trip to the KFC PBA Philippine Cup finals.
LA Tenorio led the Aces with 20 points to cover up another quiet game from 2-time MVP Willie Miller who scored just 7 points in the contest.
Alaska is now on its 24th PBA finals appearance overall and will try to end an All-Filipino title drought. The Aces last won an All-Pinoy crown was in 2000.
Reynel Hugnatan and Sonny Thoss added 18 and 15 points respectively for coach Tim Cone, who will be eyeing his 13th title in the league. They meet the winner between Purefoods and San Miguel.
Jayjay Helterbrand paced the Kings with 20 points while Ronald Tubid and Enrico Villanueva had 15 markers apiece for coach Jong Uichico, who controlled the first three quarters before Alaska made a run in the final canto.
The scores:
Alaska 102 - Tenorio 20, Hugnatan 18, Thoss 15, De Vance 14, Dela Cruz 9, Cablay 8, Borboran 7, Miller 7, Cariaso 4, Fonacier 0, Ferriols 0.
Ginebra 95 - Helterbrand 20, Tubid 15, Villanueva 15, Intal 10, Mmaril 9, Caguioa 9, Salvacion 5, Baguio 4, Alvarez 3, Wilson 3, Cruz 2, Abarrientos 0.
Quarterscores: 27-27, 53-59, 72-73, 102-95
Alaska swept its best-of-7 semifinal series against Barangay Ginebra with a 102-95 come-from-behind victory in Game 4, earning a trip to the KFC PBA Philippine Cup finals.
LA Tenorio led the Aces with 20 points to cover up another quiet game from 2-time MVP Willie Miller who scored just 7 points in the contest.
Alaska is now on its 24th PBA finals appearance overall and will try to end an All-Filipino title drought. The Aces last won an All-Pinoy crown was in 2000.
Reynel Hugnatan and Sonny Thoss added 18 and 15 points respectively for coach Tim Cone, who will be eyeing his 13th title in the league. They meet the winner between Purefoods and San Miguel.
Jayjay Helterbrand paced the Kings with 20 points while Ronald Tubid and Enrico Villanueva had 15 markers apiece for coach Jong Uichico, who controlled the first three quarters before Alaska made a run in the final canto.
The scores:
Alaska 102 - Tenorio 20, Hugnatan 18, Thoss 15, De Vance 14, Dela Cruz 9, Cablay 8, Borboran 7, Miller 7, Cariaso 4, Fonacier 0, Ferriols 0.
Ginebra 95 - Helterbrand 20, Tubid 15, Villanueva 15, Intal 10, Mmaril 9, Caguioa 9, Salvacion 5, Baguio 4, Alvarez 3, Wilson 3, Cruz 2, Abarrientos 0.
Quarterscores: 27-27, 53-59, 72-73, 102-95
Purefoods beat San Miguel in Game 4, series tied
source: gmanews.tv
Purefoods raced to a big 22-point first quarter lead and then weathered a big San Miguel rally in a 97-84 win Wednesday night that evened their KFC-PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
James Yap played his best game of the best-of-seven duel by topscoring for 24 points, 10 of which came in the fourth period that helped defuse a searing Beermen rally.
Marc Pingris added 15 markers while Roger Yap came a rebound short of registering a triple-double with 15 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in the win that allowed the Giants to equal the series at two games apiece.
The tie-breaking Game 5 is set Friday also at the Araneta Coliseum.
“It’s been a game of adjustments. We need the other players to get involved on offense other than James and Kerby (Raymundo). We made some antidotes, and the great thing is it worked," said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.
“Now it’s just a best-of-3 and we think we have a legitimate crack (at the Finals)."
The Giants led by as many as 36-14 in the opening quarter following a 17-2 run.
But the Beermen countered back in the fourth and came to within 74-71 with 10 minutes remaining.
Purefoods retaliated with a 16-4 assault led by James Yap to practically seal the victory with a 90-74 advantage, time down to its last 4:27.
The Beermen shot a poor 38.3 percent from the field (26-of-67). Their starters, too, were heavily outscored by Purefoods’, 79-44.
“We can’t play this way. We’re giving up 48 percent shooting when we know that we have been holding our opponents to below 40 throughout the conference," said SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen. “We just have to make sure we have the better commitment and better communication (in Game 5)."
Danny Ildefonso came off the bench to score 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, while Jay Washington contributed 14 points. Arwind Santos poured in 11 points and the same number of rebounds. – GMANews.TV
The Scores:
Purefoods 97 - Yap J. 24, Pingris 15, Yap R. 15, Raymundo 13, Reavis 12, Maierhofer 8, Simon 5, Artadi 4, Adducul 2, Allado 0.
San Miguel 84 - Ildefonso 17, Washington 14, Villanueva 13, Santos 11, Hontiveros 10, Custodio 6, Miranda 6, Pena 4, Pennisi 3, Holper 0, Cortez 0, Racela 0.
Quarterscores: 36-15, 53-44, 74-67, 97-84.
Purefoods raced to a big 22-point first quarter lead and then weathered a big San Miguel rally in a 97-84 win Wednesday night that evened their KFC-PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
James Yap played his best game of the best-of-seven duel by topscoring for 24 points, 10 of which came in the fourth period that helped defuse a searing Beermen rally.
Marc Pingris added 15 markers while Roger Yap came a rebound short of registering a triple-double with 15 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in the win that allowed the Giants to equal the series at two games apiece.
The tie-breaking Game 5 is set Friday also at the Araneta Coliseum.
“It’s been a game of adjustments. We need the other players to get involved on offense other than James and Kerby (Raymundo). We made some antidotes, and the great thing is it worked," said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.
“Now it’s just a best-of-3 and we think we have a legitimate crack (at the Finals)."
The Giants led by as many as 36-14 in the opening quarter following a 17-2 run.
But the Beermen countered back in the fourth and came to within 74-71 with 10 minutes remaining.
Purefoods retaliated with a 16-4 assault led by James Yap to practically seal the victory with a 90-74 advantage, time down to its last 4:27.
The Beermen shot a poor 38.3 percent from the field (26-of-67). Their starters, too, were heavily outscored by Purefoods’, 79-44.
“We can’t play this way. We’re giving up 48 percent shooting when we know that we have been holding our opponents to below 40 throughout the conference," said SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen. “We just have to make sure we have the better commitment and better communication (in Game 5)."
Danny Ildefonso came off the bench to score 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, while Jay Washington contributed 14 points. Arwind Santos poured in 11 points and the same number of rebounds. – GMANews.TV
The Scores:
Purefoods 97 - Yap J. 24, Pingris 15, Yap R. 15, Raymundo 13, Reavis 12, Maierhofer 8, Simon 5, Artadi 4, Adducul 2, Allado 0.
San Miguel 84 - Ildefonso 17, Washington 14, Villanueva 13, Santos 11, Hontiveros 10, Custodio 6, Miranda 6, Pena 4, Pennisi 3, Holper 0, Cortez 0, Racela 0.
Quarterscores: 36-15, 53-44, 74-67, 97-84.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Aces go for the kill against semis rival Ginebra
source: gmanews.tv
Up by a commanding 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series, Alaska coach Tim Cone is still bracing for the worst. Not when you have Barangay Ginebra for a semifinals opponent.
“I’ve seen a lot of things happen in one way or another," said the long-time mentor of the Aces. “Do I feel safe with this (3-0) lead? Against any other team, yes. But against Ginebra, no."
So with a lot of urgency, the Aces go for the kill Wednesday when they try to put the final nail on the Kings’ coffin and go for a finals berth in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
As a sound student of Asia’s first ever play-for-pay league, Cone knows sweeping a best-of-seven series is very hard to achieve.
For the record, only three teams in the 35-year history of the PBA were able to pull off a 4-0 sweep - Northern Consolidated, as a guest team, against Manila Beer in the Finals of the 1985 Reinforced Conference; Swift against Seven-Up in the 1992 Third Conference championships; and the latest by Ginebra against Red Bull in the semifinals of the 2008-09 Fiesta Conference.
“There are only a few sweeps in the history of the league and winning Game 4 is always difficult," said Cone.
Game 3 alone didn’t come easy for the Aces.
Down by 23 points nine minutes into the final quarter, Ginebra staged a big comeback that nearly toppled Alaska’s big lead. Unfortunately, the Kings blinked, missing key shots at the free throw line and bungling potential game-tying three-point attempts in the dying seconds of a 91-88 loss.
Barangay Ginebra coach Jong Uichico still sees a slight hope as far as the Kings are concerned, having seen his team rise back from the grave in its quarterfinals series with Talk `N Text and still win after being down 0-2 in the best-of-five duel.
Meanwhile, San Miguel is eyeing to shove Purefoods on the brink of defeat when it goes for a commanding 3-1 lead in their own semifinals series.
The Beermen rebounded from their 103-84 Game 2 loss with a methodical 88-76 win in Game 3, outrebounding the Giants (50-38) and forcing Purefoods to miss 45 of its 71 attempts.
“We’ve learned our lessons. Pag nagkamali ka ng isa, ok lang. Pero pag inulit mo pa ‘yun, parang may pagkatanga ka na siguro," said Tanquingcen, referring no less to the lack of effort they had in the Game 2 defeat. - GMANews.TV
Games this Wednesday (Araneta Coliseum)
5 p.m. — San Miguel vs Purefoods
7:30 p.m. — Alaska vs Ginebra
Up by a commanding 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven series, Alaska coach Tim Cone is still bracing for the worst. Not when you have Barangay Ginebra for a semifinals opponent.
“I’ve seen a lot of things happen in one way or another," said the long-time mentor of the Aces. “Do I feel safe with this (3-0) lead? Against any other team, yes. But against Ginebra, no."
So with a lot of urgency, the Aces go for the kill Wednesday when they try to put the final nail on the Kings’ coffin and go for a finals berth in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
As a sound student of Asia’s first ever play-for-pay league, Cone knows sweeping a best-of-seven series is very hard to achieve.
For the record, only three teams in the 35-year history of the PBA were able to pull off a 4-0 sweep - Northern Consolidated, as a guest team, against Manila Beer in the Finals of the 1985 Reinforced Conference; Swift against Seven-Up in the 1992 Third Conference championships; and the latest by Ginebra against Red Bull in the semifinals of the 2008-09 Fiesta Conference.
“There are only a few sweeps in the history of the league and winning Game 4 is always difficult," said Cone.
Game 3 alone didn’t come easy for the Aces.
Down by 23 points nine minutes into the final quarter, Ginebra staged a big comeback that nearly toppled Alaska’s big lead. Unfortunately, the Kings blinked, missing key shots at the free throw line and bungling potential game-tying three-point attempts in the dying seconds of a 91-88 loss.
Barangay Ginebra coach Jong Uichico still sees a slight hope as far as the Kings are concerned, having seen his team rise back from the grave in its quarterfinals series with Talk `N Text and still win after being down 0-2 in the best-of-five duel.
Meanwhile, San Miguel is eyeing to shove Purefoods on the brink of defeat when it goes for a commanding 3-1 lead in their own semifinals series.
The Beermen rebounded from their 103-84 Game 2 loss with a methodical 88-76 win in Game 3, outrebounding the Giants (50-38) and forcing Purefoods to miss 45 of its 71 attempts.
“We’ve learned our lessons. Pag nagkamali ka ng isa, ok lang. Pero pag inulit mo pa ‘yun, parang may pagkatanga ka na siguro," said Tanquingcen, referring no less to the lack of effort they had in the Game 2 defeat. - GMANews.TV
Games this Wednesday (Araneta Coliseum)
5 p.m. — San Miguel vs Purefoods
7:30 p.m. — Alaska vs Ginebra
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Alaska defeats Ginebra in Semifinals Game 3
source: gmanews.tv
Alaska survived a big fourth-quarter comeback by Barangay Ginebra and held on to a 91-88 win to stand on the verge of earning a return trip to the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
L.A. Tenorio scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the opening half, Tony De La Cruz added a double-double with 15 markers and 15 rebounds, and Reynel Hugnatan had nine, including a timely split from the foul line in the final 7.7 seconds that proved to be the marginal basket in Game 3 of the best-of-seven semifinals series at the Araneta Coliseum.
With a commanding 3-0 lead, the Aces can put away the Kings for good in Game 4 on Wednesday and get another shot at the All-Filipino crown they lost in seven grueling games against Talk `N Text last year.
No team in the 35-year history of the PBA has come back from such a huge deficit to win a series.
“We know better that Ginebra doesn’t quit," said an obviously relieved Alaska coach Tim Cone. “My hats off to them. The good thing with this win is that this set us up not to let our guards down for Game 4."
The Aces almost squandered a commanding 23-point advantage in the fourth quarter as the Kings held them without a field goal in the game’s final eight minutes.
The Kings even had a chance to tie the game when Ronald Tubid was sent to the foul line following a steal off Tenorio and Alaska only ahead by 90-88.
Alas, Tubid bungled his pressure-packed free throws in the final 9.5 seconds.
Hugnatan, fielded back in between Tubid’s charities, then grabbed the defensive rebound and was fouled for two charities. He missed the first and connected on the second to give the Aces that three-point cushion.
Mark Caguioa, however, launched an attempt from three-point land that didn’t even hit the rim. Tenorio recovered the loose ball but lost it to the end-line with 0.4 seconds remaining, not enough time for the Kings to make a decent attempt for a possible-tying three-pointer.
“I’ve been around in this business for 20 years and I’ve seen a lot of things," said Cone. “The last time I was 3-0 up in a series we lost Game 4. I think I’m smart enough to communicate to the players."
Alaska enjoyed its biggest lead of the game at 88-65 on a basket by Mark Borboran with 8:06 left to play.
Alaska never converted a field goal from there, and Ginebra started making its own. In an eight-minute stretch, the Aces could only get splits from Willie Miller and Brandon Cablay and couldn’t match the electrifying energy the Kings exerted.
Caguioa made a slashing move down the middle and connected to make it 90-88.
Joe Devance contributed 13 for Alaska and Willie Miller 10. The two-time MVP Miller, though, struggled just like in Game 1 of the series, shooting merely 3-of-12 from the field.
Caguioa led Ginebra with 20 points while JC Intal finally hit the double-digit mark with 12 points, the same output submitted by Sunday Salvacion and Jay-Jay Helterbrand. Tubid finished with 10 points. - GMANews.TV
The scores:
Alaska 91 - Tenorio 15, Dela Cruz 15, De Vance 13, Miller 10, Fonacier 9, Thoss 9, Hugnatan 9, Borboran 6, Ferriols 2, Cariaso 2, Cablay 1.
Ginebra 88 - Caguioa 20, Intal 12, Salvacion 12, Helterbrand 12, Tubid 10, Villanueva 9, Baguio 7, Abarrientos 4, Mamaril 2, Alvarez 0, Wilson 0, Cruz 0.
Quarterscores: 23-14, 49-37, 76-59, 91-88.
Alaska survived a big fourth-quarter comeback by Barangay Ginebra and held on to a 91-88 win to stand on the verge of earning a return trip to the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup Finals.
L.A. Tenorio scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the opening half, Tony De La Cruz added a double-double with 15 markers and 15 rebounds, and Reynel Hugnatan had nine, including a timely split from the foul line in the final 7.7 seconds that proved to be the marginal basket in Game 3 of the best-of-seven semifinals series at the Araneta Coliseum.
With a commanding 3-0 lead, the Aces can put away the Kings for good in Game 4 on Wednesday and get another shot at the All-Filipino crown they lost in seven grueling games against Talk `N Text last year.
No team in the 35-year history of the PBA has come back from such a huge deficit to win a series.
“We know better that Ginebra doesn’t quit," said an obviously relieved Alaska coach Tim Cone. “My hats off to them. The good thing with this win is that this set us up not to let our guards down for Game 4."
The Aces almost squandered a commanding 23-point advantage in the fourth quarter as the Kings held them without a field goal in the game’s final eight minutes.
The Kings even had a chance to tie the game when Ronald Tubid was sent to the foul line following a steal off Tenorio and Alaska only ahead by 90-88.
Alas, Tubid bungled his pressure-packed free throws in the final 9.5 seconds.
Hugnatan, fielded back in between Tubid’s charities, then grabbed the defensive rebound and was fouled for two charities. He missed the first and connected on the second to give the Aces that three-point cushion.
Mark Caguioa, however, launched an attempt from three-point land that didn’t even hit the rim. Tenorio recovered the loose ball but lost it to the end-line with 0.4 seconds remaining, not enough time for the Kings to make a decent attempt for a possible-tying three-pointer.
“I’ve been around in this business for 20 years and I’ve seen a lot of things," said Cone. “The last time I was 3-0 up in a series we lost Game 4. I think I’m smart enough to communicate to the players."
Alaska enjoyed its biggest lead of the game at 88-65 on a basket by Mark Borboran with 8:06 left to play.
Alaska never converted a field goal from there, and Ginebra started making its own. In an eight-minute stretch, the Aces could only get splits from Willie Miller and Brandon Cablay and couldn’t match the electrifying energy the Kings exerted.
Caguioa made a slashing move down the middle and connected to make it 90-88.
Joe Devance contributed 13 for Alaska and Willie Miller 10. The two-time MVP Miller, though, struggled just like in Game 1 of the series, shooting merely 3-of-12 from the field.
Caguioa led Ginebra with 20 points while JC Intal finally hit the double-digit mark with 12 points, the same output submitted by Sunday Salvacion and Jay-Jay Helterbrand. Tubid finished with 10 points. - GMANews.TV
The scores:
Alaska 91 - Tenorio 15, Dela Cruz 15, De Vance 13, Miller 10, Fonacier 9, Thoss 9, Hugnatan 9, Borboran 6, Ferriols 2, Cariaso 2, Cablay 1.
Ginebra 88 - Caguioa 20, Intal 12, Salvacion 12, Helterbrand 12, Tubid 10, Villanueva 9, Baguio 7, Abarrientos 4, Mamaril 2, Alvarez 0, Wilson 0, Cruz 0.
Quarterscores: 23-14, 49-37, 76-59, 91-88.
San Miguel from start to finish, now up 2-1
source: PBA.ph
Going back to their old ways, the San Miguel Beermen moved back on top in their Final Four duel with the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.
The Beermen restored order in their game after a floundering performance Friday, smothering the Giants, 88-76, for a 2-1 lead in their KFC PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinals series at the Araneta Coliseum Sunday.
“The main thing was the effort we put in. We went back to basics. Bumalik kami sa depensa na nagpapanalo sa amin sa elimination round. We’re more committed on defense in this game than the last time,” said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen. “In Game Four, we intend to stay in business. We’ve learned our lesson (in Game Two). We must not commit the same mistake again,” Tanquingcen added. “One glaring stats for today’s game was our inability to score. That’s basically the story of the game,” said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.
“We’re taking a rest tomorrow (Monday). I told the boys to return with their legs ready Tuesday and be ready for the war Wednesday,” Gregorio added. Truly, the Beermen employed an efficient defense after being torched by the Giants with their hot shooting in Game Two. Jay Washington, Dondon Hontiveros, Arwind Santos, Jonas Villanueva and Mike Cortez delivered offensively while practically the whole team worked well on the defensive end.
The Beermen limited the Giants to two triples out of 23 tries and held to 36 percent field-goal shooting overall. James Yap was 0-of-6, Paul Artadi 0-of-5, Kerby Raymundo and Roger Yap both 0-of-3 while Rico Maierhofer and PJ Simon both 0-of-1 from the three-point area.
Nino Canaleta was the only Giant to score from the trifecta land, making two of four attempts. “If we can’t shoot from the outside, San Miguel will clog the lane, forcing us to low-percentage shots,” said Gregorio. “Partly, our weariness manifested again. We didn’t have the usual lift from beyond the three-point area.”
With a good job on both ends, San Miguel established control early and led by as many as 17 in the third quarter before holding off a Purefoods rally at endgame. Villanueva and Cortez led the Beermen in closing out the game with eight points each in the final quarter.
Washington, Hontiveros, Santos, Mick Pennisi and Denok Miranda got the Beermen to a strong start, taking the first quarter at 24-12. The Giants drew within six, 34-40, at halftime before the Beermen buckled down to work again, breaking away at 74-57. (SB)
The scores:
San Miguel 88 - Hontiveros 15, Washington 15, Santos 13, Villanueva 10, Cortez 10, Pena 9, Pennisi 8, Miranda 4, Ildefonso 4, Racela 0, Seigle 0.
Purefoods 76 - Yap J. 14, Canaleta 14, Raymundo 11, Yap R. 11, Reavis 8, Maierhofer 6, Simon 4, Allado 4, Artadi 2, Pingris 2, Timberlake 0, Salvador 0.
Quarterscores: 24-12, 40-34, 67-55, 88-76
Going back to their old ways, the San Miguel Beermen moved back on top in their Final Four duel with the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.
The Beermen restored order in their game after a floundering performance Friday, smothering the Giants, 88-76, for a 2-1 lead in their KFC PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinals series at the Araneta Coliseum Sunday.
“The main thing was the effort we put in. We went back to basics. Bumalik kami sa depensa na nagpapanalo sa amin sa elimination round. We’re more committed on defense in this game than the last time,” said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen. “In Game Four, we intend to stay in business. We’ve learned our lesson (in Game Two). We must not commit the same mistake again,” Tanquingcen added. “One glaring stats for today’s game was our inability to score. That’s basically the story of the game,” said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.
“We’re taking a rest tomorrow (Monday). I told the boys to return with their legs ready Tuesday and be ready for the war Wednesday,” Gregorio added. Truly, the Beermen employed an efficient defense after being torched by the Giants with their hot shooting in Game Two. Jay Washington, Dondon Hontiveros, Arwind Santos, Jonas Villanueva and Mike Cortez delivered offensively while practically the whole team worked well on the defensive end.
The Beermen limited the Giants to two triples out of 23 tries and held to 36 percent field-goal shooting overall. James Yap was 0-of-6, Paul Artadi 0-of-5, Kerby Raymundo and Roger Yap both 0-of-3 while Rico Maierhofer and PJ Simon both 0-of-1 from the three-point area.
Nino Canaleta was the only Giant to score from the trifecta land, making two of four attempts. “If we can’t shoot from the outside, San Miguel will clog the lane, forcing us to low-percentage shots,” said Gregorio. “Partly, our weariness manifested again. We didn’t have the usual lift from beyond the three-point area.”
With a good job on both ends, San Miguel established control early and led by as many as 17 in the third quarter before holding off a Purefoods rally at endgame. Villanueva and Cortez led the Beermen in closing out the game with eight points each in the final quarter.
Washington, Hontiveros, Santos, Mick Pennisi and Denok Miranda got the Beermen to a strong start, taking the first quarter at 24-12. The Giants drew within six, 34-40, at halftime before the Beermen buckled down to work again, breaking away at 74-57. (SB)
The scores:
San Miguel 88 - Hontiveros 15, Washington 15, Santos 13, Villanueva 10, Cortez 10, Pena 9, Pennisi 8, Miranda 4, Ildefonso 4, Racela 0, Seigle 0.
Purefoods 76 - Yap J. 14, Canaleta 14, Raymundo 11, Yap R. 11, Reavis 8, Maierhofer 6, Simon 4, Allado 4, Artadi 2, Pingris 2, Timberlake 0, Salvador 0.
Quarterscores: 24-12, 40-34, 67-55, 88-76
2-0 FOR ALASKA
source: PBA.PH
Fri, 02/12/2010 - 23:35
Alaska Milk established control against Barangay Ginebra in their semifinals showdown as the Aces kept their domination of the Kings whose woes were compounded by injuries to Eric Menk and Celino Cruz. Despite the absence of Menk and Cruz, the Kings actually had improvement in their game but the Aces were simply better in a 90-82 victory that gave them a commanding two-game-to-nil lead in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal series at the Cuneta Astrodome Friday. "It's hard to believe we could play two good games against Ginebra. By and large, Ginebra just couldn't do what they wanted to do because they're tired," said Alaska coach Tim Cone. "The bottom line, however, is that we've been here and they've been here. We're two-zero against Talk n Text in the last all-Filipino finals and we lost. Ginebra was down zero-two against Talk n Text in their recent quarters and they won. That's why I'm still expecting a long series," Cone added. "At least, we fought tonight. We lost it far better than we lost the last time. We fought despite a depleted lineup, and I think we'll have a better frame of mind in the next game," said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico. Willie Miller put in a game-high 18 points while Tony dela Cruz had a double-double game with 16 rebounds and 14 points as the Aces stepped up their charge fighting with a short nine-men rotation. Sonny Thoss, Joe Devance and Larry Fonacier also tallied huge numbers as the Aces came through with a follow-up on their 104-79 rout in Game One. "The guys were unselfish and they were really looking for each other. I guess that's they key. Defensively, the guys coming off the bench did a good job on the Caguioas, the Intals and the Tubids," said Cone. "Our guards picked it up defensively. I love Willie Miller's composure. He's not rushing it and really showed patience and good leadership," Cone also said. Uichico stressed they've found themselves in a deeper hole but not yet out. "The important for me is that we're no longer out-of-sync. Lumaban kami and I'm sure we'll fight even more with Celino Cruz likely to return in Game Three," said Uichico. Cruz was out in Game Two with a sprained ankle while Menk was sidelined by a groin injury. Menk is still a doubtful starter in Game Three. The Aces shot better and dominated the boards, enabling them to lead by as many as 13. The Kings kept on fighting back but the Aces played with great composure. Coming to within six, 80-86, entering the last two minutes, the Kings hastened their downfall on crucial errors by Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa. (SB) The scores: Alaska 90 - Miller 18, Thoss 17, Dela Cruz 14, De Vance 13, Fonacier 12, Tenorio 6, Borboran 4, Hugnatan 4, Cariaso 2. Ginebra 82 - Villanueva 17, Salvacion 14, Tubid 11, Caguioa 9, Wilson 8, White 7, Helterbrand 6, Mamaril 5, Baguio 3, Intal 2. Quarterscores: 28-19, 46-42, 68-55, 90-82
Fri, 02/12/2010 - 23:35
Alaska Milk established control against Barangay Ginebra in their semifinals showdown as the Aces kept their domination of the Kings whose woes were compounded by injuries to Eric Menk and Celino Cruz. Despite the absence of Menk and Cruz, the Kings actually had improvement in their game but the Aces were simply better in a 90-82 victory that gave them a commanding two-game-to-nil lead in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal series at the Cuneta Astrodome Friday. "It's hard to believe we could play two good games against Ginebra. By and large, Ginebra just couldn't do what they wanted to do because they're tired," said Alaska coach Tim Cone. "The bottom line, however, is that we've been here and they've been here. We're two-zero against Talk n Text in the last all-Filipino finals and we lost. Ginebra was down zero-two against Talk n Text in their recent quarters and they won. That's why I'm still expecting a long series," Cone added. "At least, we fought tonight. We lost it far better than we lost the last time. We fought despite a depleted lineup, and I think we'll have a better frame of mind in the next game," said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico. Willie Miller put in a game-high 18 points while Tony dela Cruz had a double-double game with 16 rebounds and 14 points as the Aces stepped up their charge fighting with a short nine-men rotation. Sonny Thoss, Joe Devance and Larry Fonacier also tallied huge numbers as the Aces came through with a follow-up on their 104-79 rout in Game One. "The guys were unselfish and they were really looking for each other. I guess that's they key. Defensively, the guys coming off the bench did a good job on the Caguioas, the Intals and the Tubids," said Cone. "Our guards picked it up defensively. I love Willie Miller's composure. He's not rushing it and really showed patience and good leadership," Cone also said. Uichico stressed they've found themselves in a deeper hole but not yet out. "The important for me is that we're no longer out-of-sync. Lumaban kami and I'm sure we'll fight even more with Celino Cruz likely to return in Game Three," said Uichico. Cruz was out in Game Two with a sprained ankle while Menk was sidelined by a groin injury. Menk is still a doubtful starter in Game Three. The Aces shot better and dominated the boards, enabling them to lead by as many as 13. The Kings kept on fighting back but the Aces played with great composure. Coming to within six, 80-86, entering the last two minutes, the Kings hastened their downfall on crucial errors by Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa. (SB) The scores: Alaska 90 - Miller 18, Thoss 17, Dela Cruz 14, De Vance 13, Fonacier 12, Tenorio 6, Borboran 4, Hugnatan 4, Cariaso 2. Ginebra 82 - Villanueva 17, Salvacion 14, Tubid 11, Caguioa 9, Wilson 8, White 7, Helterbrand 6, Mamaril 5, Baguio 3, Intal 2. Quarterscores: 28-19, 46-42, 68-55, 90-82
REAVIS-LED PUREFOODS BUCK KERBY LOSS TO EVEN SERIES
source PBA.PH
Sat, 02/13/2010 - 01:06
Kerby Raymundo picked up two quick fouls and was ejected from the game with 4:11 left in the second quarter that almost jolted the entire Purefoods bench.
Fortunately, Rafi Reavis and KG Canaleta raised the level of their games to cushion the impact of Raymundo’s absence and helped the Giants fashion out a 103-84 romp against the San Miguel Beermen Friday that evened their KFC-PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series at the Cuneta Astrodome at one game apiece.
The Giants, who lost the series opener 99-83 last Wednesday, also got a big boost from James Yap, who threw bricks for three quarters but found his offensive rhythm at the most crucial time as Purefoods held off a strong fourth quarter charge by San Miguel and preserved its first win against the Beermen this conference.
“We came out with tremendous effort and tremendous energy. And more importantly, we defended the way we defended other teams in the elims. That’s the only way you can beat a team like San Miguel … defense,” proclaimed Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio during the post-game interview.
“It’s nice to finally win one against San Miguel. But we need three more wins to clinch the series. So there’s really nothing special about this win.”
But it was surely a relief for Gregorio and the Giants they are not down 0-2. It also an added confidence for the team knowing they have momentum going into Sunday’s Game Three.
“Rafi was a monster tonight. He ably filled the shoe of Kerby. KG also gave us a huge lift and James showed once more why he is the leader of this team. He made the big shots at the time when everybody went cold,” Gregorio said.
Reavis collected 20 points to lead all scorers, his highest output since the 2004 Fiesta Conference quarterfinals when he had 22 in a 92-76 win by Coca-Cola over Alaska. He also had 12 rebounds, three assists, one steal and four blocks in 37 minutes on the floor.
Canaleta celebrated his 28th birthday with a splash, finishing with 17 points and four assists while James Yap scored 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Purefoods encountered a minor distraction in the second quarter when Raymundo was called for blocking foul on Jay Washington with four minutes and 11 seconds left in the period.
The veteran center argued the call and earning him a “T”. He was eventually tossed from the game after getting another one for a physical contact with the game official.
Raymundo, who saw action for just eight minutes, walked off the game scoreless, the first time it happened in seven and a half years.
Roger Yap also made his presence felt with 15 points, Paul Artadi added 12 and Marc Pingris grabbed 12 rebounds as Purefoods outrebounded SMB, 51-44.
SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen appeared disappointed when he showed up at the press room for his post-game interview.
“We got kicked in the ass. We came out flat and they played with so much energy. To me that made all the difference tonight,” he said.
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled 6 p.m. on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Beermen opened the game with a 10-7 lead but Purefoods quickly responded by scoring the next seven points to take the lead and never trailed the rest of the way.
Purefoods held a 50-36 advantage at halftime. The margin became 73-52 late in the third.
Danny Seigle came off the bench to lead SMB with 16 points, including a jumper that pulled the Beermen within 70-81 with still 7:08 remaining.
Arwind Santos went 5-of-18 from the field and finished with 13 points, the same score collected by Dondon Hontiveros. (DBC)
The scores:
Purefoods 103 - Reavis 20, Canaleta 17, Yap J. 17, Yap R. 15, Artadi 12, Maierhofer 9, Pingris 7, Simon 2, Adducul 2, Allado 2, Salvador 0, Raymundo 0.
San Miguel Beer 84 - Seigle 16, Santos 13, Hontiveros 13, Washington 10, Custodio 8, Ildefonso 7, Cortez 6, Racela 5, Villanueva 4, Miranda 2, Pennisi 0, Pena 0.
Quarterscores: 28-21, 50-36, 73-59, 103-84.
Sat, 02/13/2010 - 01:06
Kerby Raymundo picked up two quick fouls and was ejected from the game with 4:11 left in the second quarter that almost jolted the entire Purefoods bench.
Fortunately, Rafi Reavis and KG Canaleta raised the level of their games to cushion the impact of Raymundo’s absence and helped the Giants fashion out a 103-84 romp against the San Miguel Beermen Friday that evened their KFC-PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series at the Cuneta Astrodome at one game apiece.
The Giants, who lost the series opener 99-83 last Wednesday, also got a big boost from James Yap, who threw bricks for three quarters but found his offensive rhythm at the most crucial time as Purefoods held off a strong fourth quarter charge by San Miguel and preserved its first win against the Beermen this conference.
“We came out with tremendous effort and tremendous energy. And more importantly, we defended the way we defended other teams in the elims. That’s the only way you can beat a team like San Miguel … defense,” proclaimed Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio during the post-game interview.
“It’s nice to finally win one against San Miguel. But we need three more wins to clinch the series. So there’s really nothing special about this win.”
But it was surely a relief for Gregorio and the Giants they are not down 0-2. It also an added confidence for the team knowing they have momentum going into Sunday’s Game Three.
“Rafi was a monster tonight. He ably filled the shoe of Kerby. KG also gave us a huge lift and James showed once more why he is the leader of this team. He made the big shots at the time when everybody went cold,” Gregorio said.
Reavis collected 20 points to lead all scorers, his highest output since the 2004 Fiesta Conference quarterfinals when he had 22 in a 92-76 win by Coca-Cola over Alaska. He also had 12 rebounds, three assists, one steal and four blocks in 37 minutes on the floor.
Canaleta celebrated his 28th birthday with a splash, finishing with 17 points and four assists while James Yap scored 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Purefoods encountered a minor distraction in the second quarter when Raymundo was called for blocking foul on Jay Washington with four minutes and 11 seconds left in the period.
The veteran center argued the call and earning him a “T”. He was eventually tossed from the game after getting another one for a physical contact with the game official.
Raymundo, who saw action for just eight minutes, walked off the game scoreless, the first time it happened in seven and a half years.
Roger Yap also made his presence felt with 15 points, Paul Artadi added 12 and Marc Pingris grabbed 12 rebounds as Purefoods outrebounded SMB, 51-44.
SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen appeared disappointed when he showed up at the press room for his post-game interview.
“We got kicked in the ass. We came out flat and they played with so much energy. To me that made all the difference tonight,” he said.
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled 6 p.m. on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Beermen opened the game with a 10-7 lead but Purefoods quickly responded by scoring the next seven points to take the lead and never trailed the rest of the way.
Purefoods held a 50-36 advantage at halftime. The margin became 73-52 late in the third.
Danny Seigle came off the bench to lead SMB with 16 points, including a jumper that pulled the Beermen within 70-81 with still 7:08 remaining.
Arwind Santos went 5-of-18 from the field and finished with 13 points, the same score collected by Dondon Hontiveros. (DBC)
The scores:
Purefoods 103 - Reavis 20, Canaleta 17, Yap J. 17, Yap R. 15, Artadi 12, Maierhofer 9, Pingris 7, Simon 2, Adducul 2, Allado 2, Salvador 0, Raymundo 0.
San Miguel Beer 84 - Seigle 16, Santos 13, Hontiveros 13, Washington 10, Custodio 8, Ildefonso 7, Cortez 6, Racela 5, Villanueva 4, Miranda 2, Pennisi 0, Pena 0.
Quarterscores: 28-21, 50-36, 73-59, 103-84.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Giants, Kings try to level semis series
source: Wayon Galvez | mb.com.ph
James Yap, Purefood’s main offensive weapon, was held to eight free throws by San Miguel Beer last Wednesday – a fact not lost on Giants coach Ryan Gregorio.
“James probably went full throttle against Rain or Shine in Game 5; he didn’t have enough gas (in Game 1),” he said. “We really need James to step up for us and consistently score in order for us to compete and eventually win against San Miguel. If he scores eight points, then we’ll have problems.”
Gregorio, however, doesn’t want to pin the blame solely on Yap.
“Other players will have to step up. I know James knows that, he really needs to score and step up his offensive weapon. Hope we can will ourselves to victory in Game 2. We don’t want to dig a deeper hole, which might be hard for us to extricate,” he said.
The Giants, still drained from their five-game series against Rain or Shine, try to level their best-of-seven semifinal series against the Beermen at 5 p.m. this Friday in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Astrodome in Pasay City.
Yap, who was 0-of-8 from the field Wednesday, is expected to come strong after being bottled up by San Miguel’s defense. The former King Warrior poured 28 points against Rain or Shine in Game 5 last Sunday.
Six Beermen scored in double figures to typify the team’s balanced offense in Game 1, which they won, 99-83.
Jayjay Washington and Dondon Hontiveros led the Beermen with 17 points apiece, Arwind Santos chipped in 16, Denok Miranda had 15, and Danny Seigle added 10.
In the other semifinal match at 7:30 p.m., Alaska Milk guns for a repeat victory over Barangay Ginebra, although Aces coach Tim Cone expects it won’t be as easy as the opener.
The Aces shot 50 percent from the field and limited the Kings to 31-of-86 shooting. They also controlled the boards, 59-40.
Cone, however, is aware of what Ginebra can do.
“It’s a seven-game series for a reason. We know it’s going to be a long series. It’s going to be a tough series,” Cone said. “They took this first game to take a kind of a deep breath and they’ll start the series on Game 2, basically.”
“What this equates to winning the series? Probably it had very little to do it except the fact that we’re up and that’s all that counts. That’s all it means. Obviously we all know that Ginebra was down 0-1, then 0-2 in the last series,” he added.
Averaging just eight points this conference, Mark Caguioa sizzled with 23 points in Game 1 but failed to get support from teammates.
Games today (Astrodome, Pasay City)
5:00 p.m. — Purefoods vs San Miguel
7:30 p.m. — Alaska vs Ginebra
James Yap, Purefood’s main offensive weapon, was held to eight free throws by San Miguel Beer last Wednesday – a fact not lost on Giants coach Ryan Gregorio.
“James probably went full throttle against Rain or Shine in Game 5; he didn’t have enough gas (in Game 1),” he said. “We really need James to step up for us and consistently score in order for us to compete and eventually win against San Miguel. If he scores eight points, then we’ll have problems.”
Gregorio, however, doesn’t want to pin the blame solely on Yap.
“Other players will have to step up. I know James knows that, he really needs to score and step up his offensive weapon. Hope we can will ourselves to victory in Game 2. We don’t want to dig a deeper hole, which might be hard for us to extricate,” he said.
The Giants, still drained from their five-game series against Rain or Shine, try to level their best-of-seven semifinal series against the Beermen at 5 p.m. this Friday in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Astrodome in Pasay City.
Yap, who was 0-of-8 from the field Wednesday, is expected to come strong after being bottled up by San Miguel’s defense. The former King Warrior poured 28 points against Rain or Shine in Game 5 last Sunday.
Six Beermen scored in double figures to typify the team’s balanced offense in Game 1, which they won, 99-83.
Jayjay Washington and Dondon Hontiveros led the Beermen with 17 points apiece, Arwind Santos chipped in 16, Denok Miranda had 15, and Danny Seigle added 10.
In the other semifinal match at 7:30 p.m., Alaska Milk guns for a repeat victory over Barangay Ginebra, although Aces coach Tim Cone expects it won’t be as easy as the opener.
The Aces shot 50 percent from the field and limited the Kings to 31-of-86 shooting. They also controlled the boards, 59-40.
Cone, however, is aware of what Ginebra can do.
“It’s a seven-game series for a reason. We know it’s going to be a long series. It’s going to be a tough series,” Cone said. “They took this first game to take a kind of a deep breath and they’ll start the series on Game 2, basically.”
“What this equates to winning the series? Probably it had very little to do it except the fact that we’re up and that’s all that counts. That’s all it means. Obviously we all know that Ginebra was down 0-1, then 0-2 in the last series,” he added.
Averaging just eight points this conference, Mark Caguioa sizzled with 23 points in Game 1 but failed to get support from teammates.
Games today (Astrodome, Pasay City)
5:00 p.m. — Purefoods vs San Miguel
7:30 p.m. — Alaska vs Ginebra
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
San Miguel defeats Purefoods in Game 1
source: PBA.ph
Just like in the other series, the well-rested team played better, pouncing on a spent-out foe in the opener of the San Miguel Beer-Purefoods showdown.
The Beermen returned with aplomb from a 24-day layoff and ripped the Giants, 99-83, for the crucial head start in their KFC PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinals duel at the Araneta Coliseum Wedneday night.
"Our long break became a big advantage for us, giving our injured players time to recover. Danny Seigle and Danny Ildefonso rejoined us in this game and they were of big help," said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.
"However, it's just one game. We must not fall in a wrong sense of security. For sure, Purefoods will play with a lot of energy in the next game," Tanquingcen added. "Their fresh legs worked well to their advantage. They executed very well and they shot well," said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.
"They have a powerhouse lineup and just everybody played well. Their reserves almost matched the production of their starters and that speaks well of their roster power," Gregorio added. Now 0-3 versus San Miguel in the tourney, the articulate Purefoods mentor said they really have to dig deep for them to be able to compete with the Beermen, an outright semifinal qualifiers.
In the series opener, the Giants -- coming from a grueling quarters duel with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters -- dragged the Beermen into a battle only in the first canto. The Beermen established control in the second period and dominated the Giants the rest of the way.
Jay Washington churned out a double-double game with 17 points and 10 rebounds with five other Beermen chipping in double-digit points as they kept their domination of the Giants whom they walloped by an average of 16.5 points in two meetings in the elims.
"San Miguel is really a tough match-up for us with their talent-laden lineup. Their last man can start for other ball clubs, and that's how formidable their lineup is," said Gregorio. "What's worse for us tonight was that most of our players were absent in the game. Only Kerby Raymundo and Marc Pingris carried the fight for us," Gregorio added. Raymundo paced the team with 18 points while Pingris had double-double numbers with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Having a terrible off-night was James Yap who was 0-of-8 from the field. He got his eight points all from the stripe. "James knows that he has to deliver if we're to get a chance in this series," said Gregorio.
Hitting good rhythm in the second period, the Beermen took a 56-43 cushion at halftime. Purefoods rode high on the exploits of Pingris early on as the Giants fought the Beermen toe to toe in the first period of play. Pingris produced 10 points and four rebounds in the first 12 minutes of play. However, Arwind Santos and Seigle came to the fore for San Miguel in the second period, fueling their breakaway. (SB)
The scores:
San Miguel 99 - Washington 17, Hontiveros 17, Santos 16, Miranda 15, Seigle 10, Ildefonso 10, Pennisi 8, Villanueva 4, Cortez 2, Custodio 0, Racela 0, Pena 0.
Purefoods 83 - Raymundo 18, Pingris 17, Yap R. 10, Allado 9, Yap J. 8, Maierhofer 5, Reavis 5, Artadi 4, Simon 4, Canaleta 3.
Quarterscores: 25-23, 56-43, 73-62, 99-83
Just like in the other series, the well-rested team played better, pouncing on a spent-out foe in the opener of the San Miguel Beer-Purefoods showdown.
The Beermen returned with aplomb from a 24-day layoff and ripped the Giants, 99-83, for the crucial head start in their KFC PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinals duel at the Araneta Coliseum Wedneday night.
"Our long break became a big advantage for us, giving our injured players time to recover. Danny Seigle and Danny Ildefonso rejoined us in this game and they were of big help," said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.
"However, it's just one game. We must not fall in a wrong sense of security. For sure, Purefoods will play with a lot of energy in the next game," Tanquingcen added. "Their fresh legs worked well to their advantage. They executed very well and they shot well," said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.
"They have a powerhouse lineup and just everybody played well. Their reserves almost matched the production of their starters and that speaks well of their roster power," Gregorio added. Now 0-3 versus San Miguel in the tourney, the articulate Purefoods mentor said they really have to dig deep for them to be able to compete with the Beermen, an outright semifinal qualifiers.
In the series opener, the Giants -- coming from a grueling quarters duel with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters -- dragged the Beermen into a battle only in the first canto. The Beermen established control in the second period and dominated the Giants the rest of the way.
Jay Washington churned out a double-double game with 17 points and 10 rebounds with five other Beermen chipping in double-digit points as they kept their domination of the Giants whom they walloped by an average of 16.5 points in two meetings in the elims.
"San Miguel is really a tough match-up for us with their talent-laden lineup. Their last man can start for other ball clubs, and that's how formidable their lineup is," said Gregorio. "What's worse for us tonight was that most of our players were absent in the game. Only Kerby Raymundo and Marc Pingris carried the fight for us," Gregorio added. Raymundo paced the team with 18 points while Pingris had double-double numbers with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Having a terrible off-night was James Yap who was 0-of-8 from the field. He got his eight points all from the stripe. "James knows that he has to deliver if we're to get a chance in this series," said Gregorio.
Hitting good rhythm in the second period, the Beermen took a 56-43 cushion at halftime. Purefoods rode high on the exploits of Pingris early on as the Giants fought the Beermen toe to toe in the first period of play. Pingris produced 10 points and four rebounds in the first 12 minutes of play. However, Arwind Santos and Seigle came to the fore for San Miguel in the second period, fueling their breakaway. (SB)
The scores:
San Miguel 99 - Washington 17, Hontiveros 17, Santos 16, Miranda 15, Seigle 10, Ildefonso 10, Pennisi 8, Villanueva 4, Cortez 2, Custodio 0, Racela 0, Pena 0.
Purefoods 83 - Raymundo 18, Pingris 17, Yap R. 10, Allado 9, Yap J. 8, Maierhofer 5, Reavis 5, Artadi 4, Simon 4, Canaleta 3.
Quarterscores: 25-23, 56-43, 73-62, 99-83
Alaska defeats Ginebra in Game 1
source: gmanews.tv
The opener of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series between Alaska and Barangay Ginebra showed the obvious – the Aces looking very much fresh and the Kings appearing to be weary and tired.
Coming off a three-week break, Alaska pounded an exhausted Barangay Ginebra side, 104-79, for a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven duel Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
It’s a good start, definitely," said Alaska coach Tim Cone. “Hopefully we can build momentum on this. It’s not a thing to be excited about. We all know Ginebra was 0-2 down in the last series."
The game came three days after Ginebra completed its big comeback from 0-2 down to eliminate Talk `N Text in their walkout-marred, best-of-five quarterfinals series.
Clearly, the effort took its toll on the Kings as they shot just 36 percent from the field (31-of-86) and 8-of-15 from the foul line.
So one-sided the game was that the Kings even fell behind by as many as 29 points (74-45) on a triple by Larry Fonacier in the third quarter.
In contrast, Alaska shot 49.4 percent from the field, converting 42 of 85 attempts.
Cone, however, cautions everyone against expecting a similar outcome in the next few games of the series.
“We can’t take things easy," said Cone. “That’s the advantage you get when you make it to the semifinals outright. You don’t have to go through emotional, roller-coaster series just like they did."
Sonny Thoss and Joe DeVance came through with double-doubles for the Aces to make up for Willie Miller’s miserable scoring performance.
Thoss scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and DeVance had 20 points and a conference-high 18 rebounds.
Miller was the only starter who failed to finish in twin digits in scoring, finishing with only four points and three rebounds but had five assists.
LA Tenorio ended up with 19 points and Tony De La Cruz with 10.
Mark Caguioa led the Kings with 23 points, including 13 in the third period. At one stretch, he scored 15 of Ginebra’s last 17 points as the Kings threatened to within 78-64.
That was the closest Ginebra could come, though.
Alaska responded well with Reynel Hugnatan hitting two free throws and Tenorio firing a three-point shot as the Aces once more tore the game wide open, 83-64.
“We handled the pressure well when they applied a run," said Cone.
JC Intal was held to seven points on 2-of-12 shooting from the field after averaging 23.75 points and close to 10 rebounds per game for the Kings in the quarterfinals.
Ronald Tubid only came through with eight points while Eric Menk only finished with three points. - GMANews.TV
The scores:
Alaska 104 - Thoss 21, De Vance 20, Tenorio 19, Dela Cruz 10, Borboran 8, Hugnatan 8, Fonacier 7, Miller 4, Cariaso 4, Cablay 3, Ferriols 0.
Ginebra 79 - Caguioa 23, Salvacion 14, Tubid 8, Baguio 8, Intal 7, White 6, Wilson 4, Menk 3, Mamaril 2, Villanueva 2, Helterbrand 2, Cruz 0.
Quarterscores: 29-17, 55-35, 78-62, 104-79.
The opener of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series between Alaska and Barangay Ginebra showed the obvious – the Aces looking very much fresh and the Kings appearing to be weary and tired.
Coming off a three-week break, Alaska pounded an exhausted Barangay Ginebra side, 104-79, for a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven duel Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
It’s a good start, definitely," said Alaska coach Tim Cone. “Hopefully we can build momentum on this. It’s not a thing to be excited about. We all know Ginebra was 0-2 down in the last series."
The game came three days after Ginebra completed its big comeback from 0-2 down to eliminate Talk `N Text in their walkout-marred, best-of-five quarterfinals series.
Clearly, the effort took its toll on the Kings as they shot just 36 percent from the field (31-of-86) and 8-of-15 from the foul line.
So one-sided the game was that the Kings even fell behind by as many as 29 points (74-45) on a triple by Larry Fonacier in the third quarter.
In contrast, Alaska shot 49.4 percent from the field, converting 42 of 85 attempts.
Cone, however, cautions everyone against expecting a similar outcome in the next few games of the series.
“We can’t take things easy," said Cone. “That’s the advantage you get when you make it to the semifinals outright. You don’t have to go through emotional, roller-coaster series just like they did."
Sonny Thoss and Joe DeVance came through with double-doubles for the Aces to make up for Willie Miller’s miserable scoring performance.
Thoss scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and DeVance had 20 points and a conference-high 18 rebounds.
Miller was the only starter who failed to finish in twin digits in scoring, finishing with only four points and three rebounds but had five assists.
LA Tenorio ended up with 19 points and Tony De La Cruz with 10.
Mark Caguioa led the Kings with 23 points, including 13 in the third period. At one stretch, he scored 15 of Ginebra’s last 17 points as the Kings threatened to within 78-64.
That was the closest Ginebra could come, though.
Alaska responded well with Reynel Hugnatan hitting two free throws and Tenorio firing a three-point shot as the Aces once more tore the game wide open, 83-64.
“We handled the pressure well when they applied a run," said Cone.
JC Intal was held to seven points on 2-of-12 shooting from the field after averaging 23.75 points and close to 10 rebounds per game for the Kings in the quarterfinals.
Ronald Tubid only came through with eight points while Eric Menk only finished with three points. - GMANews.TV
The scores:
Alaska 104 - Thoss 21, De Vance 20, Tenorio 19, Dela Cruz 10, Borboran 8, Hugnatan 8, Fonacier 7, Miller 4, Cariaso 4, Cablay 3, Ferriols 0.
Ginebra 79 - Caguioa 23, Salvacion 14, Tubid 8, Baguio 8, Intal 7, White 6, Wilson 4, Menk 3, Mamaril 2, Villanueva 2, Helterbrand 2, Cruz 0.
Quarterscores: 29-17, 55-35, 78-62, 104-79.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
After bruising series, tougher games ahead for Kings, Giants
source: Waylon Galvez | mb.com.ph
After surviving their respective quarterfinal series, the going gets tougher for both Purefoods and Barangay Ginebra.
The Gin Kings and the Giants start their Final Four showdowns this Wednesday against the top two seeds at the end of classification phase, the Alaska Aces and the San Miguel Beermen as the playoff continues in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup.
Purefoods and Barangay Ginebra will enter the semifinals carrying the momentum of their 3-2 victories in the best-of-five quarterfinals series against wildcard survivor Rain or Shine and erstwhile champion Talk ’N Text.
The Jong Uichico-mentored Ginebra came back from a 0-2 in the series with three straight wins including Game 4, which TNT forfeited with a walkout in the first period last Friday, and a convincing 113-100 triumph in the sudden-death Game 5 last Sunday.
The Kings will face the Aces and Uichico knows it’s going to be another tough series considering they are up against the No. 1 team.
“They have the offensive system, they can defend. As always, it’s going to be hard beating Alaska,” Uichico said.
Another thing that concerns Uichico is his roster, with Mark Caguioa and reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) Jayjay Helterbrand, as well as Eric Menk “not a hundred percent” after sustaining injuries early in the conference.
That’s the reason why he had to rely most of the time on second stringers like JC Intal, who proved to be a revelation in the quarterfinals as he averaged almost 25 points per game, Ronald Tubid, Cyrus Baguio, Celino Cruz, Willie Wilson, and Rico Villanueva.
Alaska will come into the series well rested and coach Tim Cone’s Aces led by former two-time MVP Willie Miller are eager to end a 10-year title drought in an all-Filipino conference.
As for Purefoods TJ, Ryan Gregorio’s team blew a 2-0 lead when Rain or Shine leveled the series with back-to-back wins, but the Giants, led by James Yap’s 28 points, scored a 95-85 win in the no-tomorrow Game 5.
Waiting for Purefoods though is San Miguel, which won twice its head-to-head in the classification phase and has the manpower to match the Giants’ firepower.
“They beat us in the elims, so we have to find ways to beat them,” Gregorio said.
After surviving their respective quarterfinal series, the going gets tougher for both Purefoods and Barangay Ginebra.
The Gin Kings and the Giants start their Final Four showdowns this Wednesday against the top two seeds at the end of classification phase, the Alaska Aces and the San Miguel Beermen as the playoff continues in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup.
Purefoods and Barangay Ginebra will enter the semifinals carrying the momentum of their 3-2 victories in the best-of-five quarterfinals series against wildcard survivor Rain or Shine and erstwhile champion Talk ’N Text.
The Jong Uichico-mentored Ginebra came back from a 0-2 in the series with three straight wins including Game 4, which TNT forfeited with a walkout in the first period last Friday, and a convincing 113-100 triumph in the sudden-death Game 5 last Sunday.
The Kings will face the Aces and Uichico knows it’s going to be another tough series considering they are up against the No. 1 team.
“They have the offensive system, they can defend. As always, it’s going to be hard beating Alaska,” Uichico said.
Another thing that concerns Uichico is his roster, with Mark Caguioa and reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) Jayjay Helterbrand, as well as Eric Menk “not a hundred percent” after sustaining injuries early in the conference.
That’s the reason why he had to rely most of the time on second stringers like JC Intal, who proved to be a revelation in the quarterfinals as he averaged almost 25 points per game, Ronald Tubid, Cyrus Baguio, Celino Cruz, Willie Wilson, and Rico Villanueva.
Alaska will come into the series well rested and coach Tim Cone’s Aces led by former two-time MVP Willie Miller are eager to end a 10-year title drought in an all-Filipino conference.
As for Purefoods TJ, Ryan Gregorio’s team blew a 2-0 lead when Rain or Shine leveled the series with back-to-back wins, but the Giants, led by James Yap’s 28 points, scored a 95-85 win in the no-tomorrow Game 5.
Waiting for Purefoods though is San Miguel, which won twice its head-to-head in the classification phase and has the manpower to match the Giants’ firepower.
“They beat us in the elims, so we have to find ways to beat them,” Gregorio said.
Talk ‘N Text fined over P1M for walkout vs Ginebra
source: gmanews.tv
Still reeling from their failure to retain their PBA Philippine Cup title, the Talk `N Text Tropang Texters just became the recipient of the highest-ever penalty in the league’s 35-year history.
For walking out of the playing court and eventually forfeiting Game 4 of their quarterfinals series with Barangay Ginebra Kings last Friday, the Tropang Texters were fined for over P1 million by the PBA commissioner’s office Tuesday.
Commissioner Sonny Barrios penalized the telecommunication franchise P500,000 for the forfeiture, the said amount going to Barangay Ginebra as underlined in section 32 of the PBA Constitution and By-Laws.
Barrios also imposed an additional P500,000 fine, which, he said, will go directly to the Players’ Educational Trust Fund that will benefit the league players and their dependents.
Likewise, the Tropang Texters’ share in the gate receipts and TV revenues for that particular game has also been forfeited in favor of the nine other PBA teams. The amount ranges anywhere between P200,000 to P250,000.
The total fine was the highest ever levied against a team that walked out of a PBA game. Ironically, Ginebra itself got slapped with a P500,000 penalty back in 1990 after the Robert Jaworski-led Añejo Rum left the court due to what the team felt was spotty officiating and never returned in Game 6 of its First Conference Finals with Shell. The Turbo Chargers were awarded the victory and the title.
Red Bull, now Barako Bull, also shelled out P507,000 in 2006 for walking out of its Philippine Cup semifinal series with San Miguel. Unlike the Texters and the Añejo cagers, though, the Red Bull players returned to the court to resume action upon orders from their team manager, the late Tony Chua.
Barrios stressed that the PBA and its teams serve different publics, foremost of which are the paying fans, who happen to be “the lifeblood of the league and whose interest the league has sworn to protect and hold as primordial."
“There are established rules and procedures to properly ventilate a team’s disagreement with officiating so that the fans do not become innocent and unwilling victims of a team’s protest over calls," said the commissioner.
A flagrant foul penalty 2 called on Ranidel de Ocampo sparked Talk N’ Text walkout with still 60 seconds left in the opening period and Ginebra ahead, 27-20.
The forfeiture allowed the Kings to level the series at 2-2.
Barangay Ginebra eventually eliminated TNT by beating the Tropang Texters, 113-100, in the deciding Game 5 last Sunday to advance into the semifinals of the All-Filipino conference opposite top seed Alaska.
The Kings became only the third team to rally back from a 0-2 hole to win a best-of-five series. - GMANews.TV
Still reeling from their failure to retain their PBA Philippine Cup title, the Talk `N Text Tropang Texters just became the recipient of the highest-ever penalty in the league’s 35-year history.
For walking out of the playing court and eventually forfeiting Game 4 of their quarterfinals series with Barangay Ginebra Kings last Friday, the Tropang Texters were fined for over P1 million by the PBA commissioner’s office Tuesday.
Commissioner Sonny Barrios penalized the telecommunication franchise P500,000 for the forfeiture, the said amount going to Barangay Ginebra as underlined in section 32 of the PBA Constitution and By-Laws.
Barrios also imposed an additional P500,000 fine, which, he said, will go directly to the Players’ Educational Trust Fund that will benefit the league players and their dependents.
Likewise, the Tropang Texters’ share in the gate receipts and TV revenues for that particular game has also been forfeited in favor of the nine other PBA teams. The amount ranges anywhere between P200,000 to P250,000.
The total fine was the highest ever levied against a team that walked out of a PBA game. Ironically, Ginebra itself got slapped with a P500,000 penalty back in 1990 after the Robert Jaworski-led Añejo Rum left the court due to what the team felt was spotty officiating and never returned in Game 6 of its First Conference Finals with Shell. The Turbo Chargers were awarded the victory and the title.
Red Bull, now Barako Bull, also shelled out P507,000 in 2006 for walking out of its Philippine Cup semifinal series with San Miguel. Unlike the Texters and the Añejo cagers, though, the Red Bull players returned to the court to resume action upon orders from their team manager, the late Tony Chua.
Barrios stressed that the PBA and its teams serve different publics, foremost of which are the paying fans, who happen to be “the lifeblood of the league and whose interest the league has sworn to protect and hold as primordial."
“There are established rules and procedures to properly ventilate a team’s disagreement with officiating so that the fans do not become innocent and unwilling victims of a team’s protest over calls," said the commissioner.
A flagrant foul penalty 2 called on Ranidel de Ocampo sparked Talk N’ Text walkout with still 60 seconds left in the opening period and Ginebra ahead, 27-20.
The forfeiture allowed the Kings to level the series at 2-2.
Barangay Ginebra eventually eliminated TNT by beating the Tropang Texters, 113-100, in the deciding Game 5 last Sunday to advance into the semifinals of the All-Filipino conference opposite top seed Alaska.
The Kings became only the third team to rally back from a 0-2 hole to win a best-of-five series. - GMANews.TV
PBA governor wants P10-million fine for walkouts
source: Tito S. Talao | mb.com.ph
Robert Non, Barangay Ginebra’s alternate governor to the PBA board, wants future walkouts to be treated more severely by the Commissioner’s Office, recommending no less than a whopping P10 million fine to start the ball-and-chain rolling.
“Half a million pesos is too small at today’s rates. Iba ang scenario noon,” said Non by phone from his office Tuesday afternoon.
“Kung 20 years ago e kaya nang bayaran ng isang team yung five hundred thousand, ngayon pa kaya? Ilang inflation na ba ang nangyari?”
Non was referring to Anejo Rum under playing-coach Robert Jaworski back in 1990.
The 65ers were fined P500,000 – an astronomical amount then – after walking out in the second quarter of Game 6 of the First Conference Finals and forfeiting the championship in favor of Shell Rimula-X, 4-2.
Asked to react to reports that Anejo Rum was already a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation in 1990, Non said: “E hindi pa naman San Miguel ang nasusunod noong mga panahon na ‘yon. Di dapat sana walang walkout.”
Non said the league governors have requested copies of the PBA rules for immediate review.
“We have to revisit and strengthen the rules, especially on walkouts. Kailangan
maging deterrent talaga yung sanctions dahil you’re depriving fans who had paid hard-earned money to watch the game,” he said.
Non stressed he isn’t putting any kind of pressure on PBA Commissioner
Sonny Barrios.
“Suggestion lang naman ‘yon. Di naman cast in stone,” he said. “It’s up to the commissioner naman whatever revisions he thinks are appropriate for these times. Baka lang kasi obsolete na yung ibang rules.”
Non also made it clear he “isn’t zeroing in” on Talk ‘N Text, which walked out of Game 4 of its KFC-PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal series with Barangay Ginebra last Friday and was fined more than P1 million.
“This isn’t about what happened. I’m just looking ahead, kung baga,” he said. “This isn’t about them.”
Robert Non, Barangay Ginebra’s alternate governor to the PBA board, wants future walkouts to be treated more severely by the Commissioner’s Office, recommending no less than a whopping P10 million fine to start the ball-and-chain rolling.
“Half a million pesos is too small at today’s rates. Iba ang scenario noon,” said Non by phone from his office Tuesday afternoon.
“Kung 20 years ago e kaya nang bayaran ng isang team yung five hundred thousand, ngayon pa kaya? Ilang inflation na ba ang nangyari?”
Non was referring to Anejo Rum under playing-coach Robert Jaworski back in 1990.
The 65ers were fined P500,000 – an astronomical amount then – after walking out in the second quarter of Game 6 of the First Conference Finals and forfeiting the championship in favor of Shell Rimula-X, 4-2.
Asked to react to reports that Anejo Rum was already a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation in 1990, Non said: “E hindi pa naman San Miguel ang nasusunod noong mga panahon na ‘yon. Di dapat sana walang walkout.”
Non said the league governors have requested copies of the PBA rules for immediate review.
“We have to revisit and strengthen the rules, especially on walkouts. Kailangan
maging deterrent talaga yung sanctions dahil you’re depriving fans who had paid hard-earned money to watch the game,” he said.
Non stressed he isn’t putting any kind of pressure on PBA Commissioner
Sonny Barrios.
“Suggestion lang naman ‘yon. Di naman cast in stone,” he said. “It’s up to the commissioner naman whatever revisions he thinks are appropriate for these times. Baka lang kasi obsolete na yung ibang rules.”
Non also made it clear he “isn’t zeroing in” on Talk ‘N Text, which walked out of Game 4 of its KFC-PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal series with Barangay Ginebra last Friday and was fined more than P1 million.
“This isn’t about what happened. I’m just looking ahead, kung baga,” he said. “This isn’t about them.”
Monday, February 8, 2010
Ginebra played better than our team – MVP
source: Tito Talao | mb.com.ph
Like the noble captain of a doomed ship, Talk ’N Text team owner Manny V. Pangilinan waited until everyone aboard had been saved before quietly stepping off deck Sunday night.
With a small retinue of business associates, confidants and friends keeping him company, the telecommunications tycoon remained on his ringside seat for more than an hour after the lights had dimmed at the Araneta Coliseum, apparently waiting for the anguished feeling of defeat to pass over.
Eventually, the man majestically known as MVP made his way out through the Big Dome corridor, passing the Talk ’N Text locker room and looking straight ahead.
A lawyer associate inquired reverently if he could give a couple of waiting sportswriters a few minutes, and he stopped to oblige.
He was asked if he regrets walking out in Game 4.
“No, not all,” said the PLDT-Smart Communications chairman. “I thought it was the right decision under the circumstances.”
And his thoughts about Game 5?
“Ginebra played very well and they deserved to win,” Pangilinan said. “We didn’t play as well as we should have, pero ganoon talaga.”
What’s in store for the team in the next couple of weeks?
“We don’t know yet. We’ll probably evaluate the performance of everybody,” he said.
Would there be a top-to-bottom shakeup?
“Mahirap sabihin,” he said. “It’s difficult to say because it has just finished. But we’ll have to review the team’s performance.”
Asked whether Serbian coach Rajko Toroman, who handles the RP-Smart Gilas team, has anything to say about the game, Pangilinan said he hasn’t spoken with him.
Later that night, however, the TNT top brass, who apparently thought the question referred to coach Norman Black who did play-by-play analysis of Game 5 for Solar Sports TV, confirmed via text message, through Smart Sports’ Patrick Gregorio, that indeed “Coach Toroman and I chatted for a while right after the game.”
What it was about, MVP’s text didn’t say. And we didn’t ask.
Like the noble captain of a doomed ship, Talk ’N Text team owner Manny V. Pangilinan waited until everyone aboard had been saved before quietly stepping off deck Sunday night.
With a small retinue of business associates, confidants and friends keeping him company, the telecommunications tycoon remained on his ringside seat for more than an hour after the lights had dimmed at the Araneta Coliseum, apparently waiting for the anguished feeling of defeat to pass over.
Eventually, the man majestically known as MVP made his way out through the Big Dome corridor, passing the Talk ’N Text locker room and looking straight ahead.
A lawyer associate inquired reverently if he could give a couple of waiting sportswriters a few minutes, and he stopped to oblige.
He was asked if he regrets walking out in Game 4.
“No, not all,” said the PLDT-Smart Communications chairman. “I thought it was the right decision under the circumstances.”
And his thoughts about Game 5?
“Ginebra played very well and they deserved to win,” Pangilinan said. “We didn’t play as well as we should have, pero ganoon talaga.”
What’s in store for the team in the next couple of weeks?
“We don’t know yet. We’ll probably evaluate the performance of everybody,” he said.
Would there be a top-to-bottom shakeup?
“Mahirap sabihin,” he said. “It’s difficult to say because it has just finished. But we’ll have to review the team’s performance.”
Asked whether Serbian coach Rajko Toroman, who handles the RP-Smart Gilas team, has anything to say about the game, Pangilinan said he hasn’t spoken with him.
Later that night, however, the TNT top brass, who apparently thought the question referred to coach Norman Black who did play-by-play analysis of Game 5 for Solar Sports TV, confirmed via text message, through Smart Sports’ Patrick Gregorio, that indeed “Coach Toroman and I chatted for a while right after the game.”
What it was about, MVP’s text didn’t say. And we didn’t ask.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
No walkout as Ginebra Kings dethrone Texters
source: gmanews.tv
Barangay Ginebra dethroned Talk 'N Text fair and square Sunday night, 113-100, to advance into the semifinals of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup.
JC Intal pumped in a career-high 28 points, including 16 in the opening half, while adding 10 rebounds in the Game 5 win that clinched for the Kings the controversy-marred quarterfinals series, 3-2.
Waiting for the league’s crowd darling at the other end is top seed Alaska Aces. Game 1 of their best-of-seven semis begins on Wednesday.
Ronald Tubid finally played his best game of the series with 16 points, so did Eric Menk, while Willy Wilson had 14 and Celino Cruz and Enrico Villanueva finished with 13 and 10, respectively for the Kings, who were in control of the sudden-death game majority of the way.
The Kings also became the latest team to climb back from an 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-five duel, sweeping the last three games of the series, including a 27-20 win in Game 4, which the deposed champions forfeited after walking out of the game with one minute left in the first period owing to what they perceived were biased officiating in favor of Ginebra.
Officiating was never an issue in the decisive game as Intal and Tubid came out smoking for the Kings, who raced to an early eight-point lead before settling for a 55-49 edge at the half.
Then came the big third quarter rip-off.
Intal opened the second half by completing a three-point play, before Celino Cruz launched a booming three-pointer for a 61-49 Kings lead, at which time Talk `N Text gunner Mac Cardona was already nursing his fourth personal foul.
A jumper by Wilson at the 7:00 mark of the period stretched the lead to 15, before the Kings made it a 76-59 game midway into the third, prompting Talk `N Text coach Chot Reyes to call a timeout as chants of “Ginebra! Ginebra! Ginebra!" from majority of the 21,422 crowd in attendance reverberated inside the Araneta Coliseum.
The Tropang Texters made a concerted effort to bring down the deficit to 102-96, but the Kings made a short but telling 6-2 run to safely pull away in the final 1:40, 108-98.
Cardona topscored for the Tropang Texters with 21 points – half of them in the first half – while Jason Castro and Jimmy Alapag added 18 apiece.
Talk `N Text had no. 33 printed on their playing shirt in honor of suspended teammate Ranidel de Ocampo. The 6-foot-7 shooting forward out of St. Francis was meted a one-game suspension by the league for committing a flagrant foul 2 on Tubid in Game 4, the controversial call that eventually sparked the Tropang Texters’ decision to walk out of the game. – GMANews.TV
The scores
Ginebra 113 - Intal 28, Tubid 16, Menk 16, Wilson 14, Cruz 13, Villanueva 10, Salvacion 8, Baguio 3, Helterbrand 3, Caguioa 2.
Talk N Text 100 - Cardona 21, Castro 18, Alapag 18, Dillinger 17, Peek 9, Carey 8, Ritualo 5, De Ocampo Y. 4, Belasco 0.
Quarterscores: 30-22, 55-49, 88-79, 113-100.
Barangay Ginebra dethroned Talk 'N Text fair and square Sunday night, 113-100, to advance into the semifinals of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup.
JC Intal pumped in a career-high 28 points, including 16 in the opening half, while adding 10 rebounds in the Game 5 win that clinched for the Kings the controversy-marred quarterfinals series, 3-2.
Waiting for the league’s crowd darling at the other end is top seed Alaska Aces. Game 1 of their best-of-seven semis begins on Wednesday.
Ronald Tubid finally played his best game of the series with 16 points, so did Eric Menk, while Willy Wilson had 14 and Celino Cruz and Enrico Villanueva finished with 13 and 10, respectively for the Kings, who were in control of the sudden-death game majority of the way.
The Kings also became the latest team to climb back from an 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-five duel, sweeping the last three games of the series, including a 27-20 win in Game 4, which the deposed champions forfeited after walking out of the game with one minute left in the first period owing to what they perceived were biased officiating in favor of Ginebra.
Officiating was never an issue in the decisive game as Intal and Tubid came out smoking for the Kings, who raced to an early eight-point lead before settling for a 55-49 edge at the half.
Then came the big third quarter rip-off.
Intal opened the second half by completing a three-point play, before Celino Cruz launched a booming three-pointer for a 61-49 Kings lead, at which time Talk `N Text gunner Mac Cardona was already nursing his fourth personal foul.
A jumper by Wilson at the 7:00 mark of the period stretched the lead to 15, before the Kings made it a 76-59 game midway into the third, prompting Talk `N Text coach Chot Reyes to call a timeout as chants of “Ginebra! Ginebra! Ginebra!" from majority of the 21,422 crowd in attendance reverberated inside the Araneta Coliseum.
The Tropang Texters made a concerted effort to bring down the deficit to 102-96, but the Kings made a short but telling 6-2 run to safely pull away in the final 1:40, 108-98.
Cardona topscored for the Tropang Texters with 21 points – half of them in the first half – while Jason Castro and Jimmy Alapag added 18 apiece.
Talk `N Text had no. 33 printed on their playing shirt in honor of suspended teammate Ranidel de Ocampo. The 6-foot-7 shooting forward out of St. Francis was meted a one-game suspension by the league for committing a flagrant foul 2 on Tubid in Game 4, the controversial call that eventually sparked the Tropang Texters’ decision to walk out of the game. – GMANews.TV
The scores
Ginebra 113 - Intal 28, Tubid 16, Menk 16, Wilson 14, Cruz 13, Villanueva 10, Salvacion 8, Baguio 3, Helterbrand 3, Caguioa 2.
Talk N Text 100 - Cardona 21, Castro 18, Alapag 18, Dillinger 17, Peek 9, Carey 8, Ritualo 5, De Ocampo Y. 4, Belasco 0.
Quarterscores: 30-22, 55-49, 88-79, 113-100.
GINEBRA LEVELS SERIES AS TALK ‘N TEXT WALKS OUT OF GAME 4
source: pba.ph
Fri, 02/05/2010 - 20:49
TALK `N Text forfeited Game 4 of its quarterfinal showdown with Barangay Ginebra Friday night in a stunning twist expected to add drama and emotion to their do-or-die encounter for a semifinal berth in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup.
A disputed flagrant foul-penalty two called on Ranidel de Ocampo sparked off the incident, which turned out to be the last straw for coach Chot Reyes to order the Tropang Texters and his entire coaching staff to walk out of the Araneta Coliseum floor with a minute left in the opening quarter and the Kings leading, 27-20.
De Ocampo was whistled for a foul against Ronald Tubid while the Barangay Ginebra shooting guard was driving for a basket.
The entire Tropang Texters immediately proceeded to their dugout, dressed up, and never returned to the court again.
As standard operating procedure, Talk `N Text was given a five-minute grace period to go back to the playing court. When the buzzer sounded, a pair of one-minute grace periods was again given them.
But to no avail.
And so, the Kings walked off with another win to level the best-of-seven series at two games apiece, with the decisive Game 5 set on Sunday also at the Big Dome.
Winner of the Kings-Tropang Texters duel will meet the Alaska Aces in the semifinals, a best-of-seven affair.
“I’m happy, they gave the game to us. We will take any win, and we are here to win,” said Barangay Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.
“I’m not going to talk about exactly what happened. That’s their (Talk `N Text) decision and we abide by it,” Uichico added.
League Commissioner Sonny Barrios tried to talk out the Tropang Texters from finishing the game through Talk `N Text Board representative Ricky Vargas and team manager Virgil Villavicencio, but failed to convince both officials.
Later, following an extensive meeting with team officials of both Talk `N Text and Ginebra, Barrios announced that a minimum fine of P500,000 will be slapped on the Tropang Texters and more if he finds there is a need.
The Commissioner has also called Villavicencio for a meeting at his office Saturday afternoon.
“As sportsmen and gentlemen, we will have a Game 5,” Barrios announced. “I’d rather not think that there won’t be a Game 5.”
The incident marked the first time in the last 20 years that a team walked out and forfeited a PBA game.
Then known as Anejo, Barangay Ginebra and playing coach Robert Jaworski Sr were fined P500,000 for forfeiting Game 6 of the 1990 First Conference championship series against Formula Shell, which went on to win the title after the Rhum Makers refused to go back to the playing court.
Red Bull also did the same during the 2006 Philippine Cup semifinals opposite San Miguel, although the Barakos returned to the playing court upon the order of the late team manager Tony Chua and finished Game 4 of the series, which the Beermen won, 106-82. (GR)
Fri, 02/05/2010 - 20:49
TALK `N Text forfeited Game 4 of its quarterfinal showdown with Barangay Ginebra Friday night in a stunning twist expected to add drama and emotion to their do-or-die encounter for a semifinal berth in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup.
A disputed flagrant foul-penalty two called on Ranidel de Ocampo sparked off the incident, which turned out to be the last straw for coach Chot Reyes to order the Tropang Texters and his entire coaching staff to walk out of the Araneta Coliseum floor with a minute left in the opening quarter and the Kings leading, 27-20.
De Ocampo was whistled for a foul against Ronald Tubid while the Barangay Ginebra shooting guard was driving for a basket.
The entire Tropang Texters immediately proceeded to their dugout, dressed up, and never returned to the court again.
As standard operating procedure, Talk `N Text was given a five-minute grace period to go back to the playing court. When the buzzer sounded, a pair of one-minute grace periods was again given them.
But to no avail.
And so, the Kings walked off with another win to level the best-of-seven series at two games apiece, with the decisive Game 5 set on Sunday also at the Big Dome.
Winner of the Kings-Tropang Texters duel will meet the Alaska Aces in the semifinals, a best-of-seven affair.
“I’m happy, they gave the game to us. We will take any win, and we are here to win,” said Barangay Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.
“I’m not going to talk about exactly what happened. That’s their (Talk `N Text) decision and we abide by it,” Uichico added.
League Commissioner Sonny Barrios tried to talk out the Tropang Texters from finishing the game through Talk `N Text Board representative Ricky Vargas and team manager Virgil Villavicencio, but failed to convince both officials.
Later, following an extensive meeting with team officials of both Talk `N Text and Ginebra, Barrios announced that a minimum fine of P500,000 will be slapped on the Tropang Texters and more if he finds there is a need.
The Commissioner has also called Villavicencio for a meeting at his office Saturday afternoon.
“As sportsmen and gentlemen, we will have a Game 5,” Barrios announced. “I’d rather not think that there won’t be a Game 5.”
The incident marked the first time in the last 20 years that a team walked out and forfeited a PBA game.
Then known as Anejo, Barangay Ginebra and playing coach Robert Jaworski Sr were fined P500,000 for forfeiting Game 6 of the 1990 First Conference championship series against Formula Shell, which went on to win the title after the Rhum Makers refused to go back to the playing court.
Red Bull also did the same during the 2006 Philippine Cup semifinals opposite San Miguel, although the Barakos returned to the playing court upon the order of the late team manager Tony Chua and finished Game 4 of the series, which the Beermen won, 106-82. (GR)
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Pressure mounts on TNT, Giants
source: Waylon Galvez | philstar.com
For Talk 'N Text and Purefoods, Friday night’s objectives are the same. They are determined to win and avoid a fifth and deciding game in which the momentum is likely to switch to their respective opponents in the quarterfinals, Ginebra, and Rain or Shine.
The Texters and the Giants took 2-0 leads in the best-of-five series but lost the third game last Monday allowing the Gin Kings and the Elasto Painters to live another day.
Not only that, the Kings and Painters now enjoy a slight momentum in tonight’s fourth game as they try to force the rubber match.
The fourth game is set at the Araneta Coliseum with Ginebra facing TNT at 5 p.m. and Purefoods playing Rain or Shine at 7:30 p.m.
“Masyadong nanggigigil,” said TNT team manager Virgil Villavicencio Thursday in assessing the Wednesday setback. (We badly wanted to win.)
Besides that, however, Villavicencio, who is just in his second week as team manager replacing Frankie Lim, said the team was surprised by the energetic performance of Jayjay Helterband and Mark Caguioa.
“We didn’t expect them to play that well,” he said as the two Ginebra stars contributed nine points each but provided an intimidating presence on the court in the Kings’ 102-97 win over TNT.
Villavicencio said they expect to end the series today.
“Having to play a fifth game against a team like Ginebra is dangerous,” he said, noting that the Kings enjoy tremendous crowd support which can tilt the balance in a close game.
Rain or Shine also survived its must-win match but, like Ginebra, also faced a similar situation tonight.
Purefoods, however, is likewise determined to end the series.
“Must win situation for us,” said Ryan Gregorio whose team still leads the best-of-five series, 2-1, after winning Games 1 (90-85) and 2 (95-94).
“We are not looking beyond Friday. The sense of urgency must be present from the tip till the end,” he added.
Rain or Shine’s victory last Wednesday proved enabled the Painters to redeem themselves after blowing away a 20-point lead in Game 2.
One thing going for Rain or Shine is that veteran forward Kerby Raymundo and rookie wingman Rico Maierhofer may not play again due to injuries. The 6-foot-6 Raymundo has a thigh injury and the 6-foot-6 Maierhofer is still recuperating from a sprained right ankle.
Although the Giants controlled the boards in Game 3, 55-43, the extended minutes of Gregorio’s starters like James Yap (43 minutes) and Niño Canaleta (40 minutes) proved to be the key factor in the endgame.
“They didn’t have fresh legs to close-out the game,” he said.
Purefoods shot 7-of-27 (25.9%) from the field in the fourth to Rain or Shine’s 11-of-20 (55%). Overall, the Painters shot better, 33-of-72 (45.8%) including 13-of-29 from the three-point territory (44.8%) with Jeff Chan going 5-of-11, while the Giants were 35-of-83 (42.2%). Yap was 0-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Games Friday (Araneta Coliseum)
5 p.m. — Talk ’N Text vs Ginebra
7:30 p.m. — Rain or Shine vs Purefood
For Talk 'N Text and Purefoods, Friday night’s objectives are the same. They are determined to win and avoid a fifth and deciding game in which the momentum is likely to switch to their respective opponents in the quarterfinals, Ginebra, and Rain or Shine.
The Texters and the Giants took 2-0 leads in the best-of-five series but lost the third game last Monday allowing the Gin Kings and the Elasto Painters to live another day.
Not only that, the Kings and Painters now enjoy a slight momentum in tonight’s fourth game as they try to force the rubber match.
The fourth game is set at the Araneta Coliseum with Ginebra facing TNT at 5 p.m. and Purefoods playing Rain or Shine at 7:30 p.m.
“Masyadong nanggigigil,” said TNT team manager Virgil Villavicencio Thursday in assessing the Wednesday setback. (We badly wanted to win.)
Besides that, however, Villavicencio, who is just in his second week as team manager replacing Frankie Lim, said the team was surprised by the energetic performance of Jayjay Helterband and Mark Caguioa.
“We didn’t expect them to play that well,” he said as the two Ginebra stars contributed nine points each but provided an intimidating presence on the court in the Kings’ 102-97 win over TNT.
Villavicencio said they expect to end the series today.
“Having to play a fifth game against a team like Ginebra is dangerous,” he said, noting that the Kings enjoy tremendous crowd support which can tilt the balance in a close game.
Rain or Shine also survived its must-win match but, like Ginebra, also faced a similar situation tonight.
Purefoods, however, is likewise determined to end the series.
“Must win situation for us,” said Ryan Gregorio whose team still leads the best-of-five series, 2-1, after winning Games 1 (90-85) and 2 (95-94).
“We are not looking beyond Friday. The sense of urgency must be present from the tip till the end,” he added.
Rain or Shine’s victory last Wednesday proved enabled the Painters to redeem themselves after blowing away a 20-point lead in Game 2.
One thing going for Rain or Shine is that veteran forward Kerby Raymundo and rookie wingman Rico Maierhofer may not play again due to injuries. The 6-foot-6 Raymundo has a thigh injury and the 6-foot-6 Maierhofer is still recuperating from a sprained right ankle.
Although the Giants controlled the boards in Game 3, 55-43, the extended minutes of Gregorio’s starters like James Yap (43 minutes) and Niño Canaleta (40 minutes) proved to be the key factor in the endgame.
“They didn’t have fresh legs to close-out the game,” he said.
Purefoods shot 7-of-27 (25.9%) from the field in the fourth to Rain or Shine’s 11-of-20 (55%). Overall, the Painters shot better, 33-of-72 (45.8%) including 13-of-29 from the three-point territory (44.8%) with Jeff Chan going 5-of-11, while the Giants were 35-of-83 (42.2%). Yap was 0-of-8 from beyond the arc.
Games Friday (Araneta Coliseum)
5 p.m. — Talk ’N Text vs Ginebra
7:30 p.m. — Rain or Shine vs Purefood
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Ginebra live to fight another day, avoid Texters sweep
source: PBA.ph
Barangay Ginebra squandered a 13-point halftime lead but outfought Talk n Text in a battle down the stretch, foiling the Tropang Texters’ sweep bid with a 102-97 victory Wednesday night in their KFC PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals showdown at the Araneta Coliseum.
“It’s really hard to play Talk n Text. You have to find a way on both ends to beat them,” said coach Jong Uichico as they squeezed through to narrow their deficit to 1-2 in the best-of-five quarters series.
The Texters take their second crack at the semis clincher while the Kings go for the equalizer in Game Four in the same venue Friday. “We now have a semblance of a shot. Hopefully, we can get through again on Friday to force a sudden death,” said Uichico.
JC Intal, Eric Menk and Ronald Tubid played key roles as the Kings frustrated the Texters in their first attempt at closing out the series. Intal came through with a career-high 25 points on top of 10 rebounds, three assists and one steal while Eric Menk added 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Tubid, a contender for the Best Player of the Conference, struggled in the first three quarters but delivered when needed the most in the crunch. Jayjay Helterbrand chipped in eight points, three rebounds and the same number of assists.
Willy Wilson, Mark Caguioa and Cyrus Baguio also put in significant contributions but the Kings still had a hard time shaking off the gutsy Texters. The Kings eventually escaped with the win only on three missed three-pointers by Jimmy Alapag and Renren Ritualo in the closing seconds. Ginebra led by 13 at the half but TnT returned from the break smoking, racing ahead at 63-60. The two teams figured in a fierce battle to the finish.
The Kings could have sealed the win earlier if not for their poor free-throw shooting. Ginebra missed nine charities in the payoff period. Ginebra gave Talk n Text one final chance at forcing overtime after Intal muffed two foul shots with the Kings holding a three-point lead at 100-97 with 16.3 seconds to go.
Alas, Alapag misfired a trey. With eight points on perfect shooting, Celino Cruz led Ginebra’s strong second-quarter surge that gave them a 13-point spread, 56-43, at the turn.
JC Intal and Eric Menk carried the cudgels for the Kings early on as they took a 26-23 lead in the opening quarter. The Kings pulled away right in the opening half with a 51.4-percent shooting as against the Texters’ 35.4-percent clip. (SB)
The scores:
Ginebra 102 - Intal 25, Menk 20, Cruz 11, Wilson 9, Caguioa 9, Helterbrand 9, Baguio 8, Villanueva 5, Tubid 4, Salvacion 2, White 0.
Talk N' Text 97 - Cardona 18, De Ocampo R. 17, Alapag 16, Peek 12, Dillinger 10, Castro 10, Carey 10, De Ocampo Y. 2, Belasco 2, Escobal 0, De Guzman 0, Ritualo 0.
Barangay Ginebra squandered a 13-point halftime lead but outfought Talk n Text in a battle down the stretch, foiling the Tropang Texters’ sweep bid with a 102-97 victory Wednesday night in their KFC PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals showdown at the Araneta Coliseum.
“It’s really hard to play Talk n Text. You have to find a way on both ends to beat them,” said coach Jong Uichico as they squeezed through to narrow their deficit to 1-2 in the best-of-five quarters series.
The Texters take their second crack at the semis clincher while the Kings go for the equalizer in Game Four in the same venue Friday. “We now have a semblance of a shot. Hopefully, we can get through again on Friday to force a sudden death,” said Uichico.
JC Intal, Eric Menk and Ronald Tubid played key roles as the Kings frustrated the Texters in their first attempt at closing out the series. Intal came through with a career-high 25 points on top of 10 rebounds, three assists and one steal while Eric Menk added 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Tubid, a contender for the Best Player of the Conference, struggled in the first three quarters but delivered when needed the most in the crunch. Jayjay Helterbrand chipped in eight points, three rebounds and the same number of assists.
Willy Wilson, Mark Caguioa and Cyrus Baguio also put in significant contributions but the Kings still had a hard time shaking off the gutsy Texters. The Kings eventually escaped with the win only on three missed three-pointers by Jimmy Alapag and Renren Ritualo in the closing seconds. Ginebra led by 13 at the half but TnT returned from the break smoking, racing ahead at 63-60. The two teams figured in a fierce battle to the finish.
The Kings could have sealed the win earlier if not for their poor free-throw shooting. Ginebra missed nine charities in the payoff period. Ginebra gave Talk n Text one final chance at forcing overtime after Intal muffed two foul shots with the Kings holding a three-point lead at 100-97 with 16.3 seconds to go.
Alas, Alapag misfired a trey. With eight points on perfect shooting, Celino Cruz led Ginebra’s strong second-quarter surge that gave them a 13-point spread, 56-43, at the turn.
JC Intal and Eric Menk carried the cudgels for the Kings early on as they took a 26-23 lead in the opening quarter. The Kings pulled away right in the opening half with a 51.4-percent shooting as against the Texters’ 35.4-percent clip. (SB)
The scores:
Ginebra 102 - Intal 25, Menk 20, Cruz 11, Wilson 9, Caguioa 9, Helterbrand 9, Baguio 8, Villanueva 5, Tubid 4, Salvacion 2, White 0.
Talk N' Text 97 - Cardona 18, De Ocampo R. 17, Alapag 16, Peek 12, Dillinger 10, Castro 10, Carey 10, De Ocampo Y. 2, Belasco 2, Escobal 0, De Guzman 0, Ritualo 0.
Rain or Shine defeats Purefoods in QF Game 3
source: pba.ph
Jeff Chan made four three-pointers in the fourth quarter as Rain or Shine rallied to beat Purefoods, 95-92, in Game 3 of their KFC PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal series at the Araneta Coliseum.
One loss away from being swept in their best-of-5 showdown, the Elasto Painters summoned all their energy and never gave up even when the shorthanded Giants had seized control after three quarters.
Chan, a non-factor in Games 1 and 2, finally found his rhythm in the fourth quarter, going 4-of-5 from the trifecta zone as the Elasto Painters turned the game around.
The Elasto Painters fell behind by as many as 11 points late in the third quarter but they never gave up until Chan came up with two jolting threes that put the ROS ahead to stay, 76-72, with 10:18 to play.
“I was shooting badly in the first half but coach told me to keep shooting. I really felt good in the second half,” said Chan, who finished with a team-high 17 points that went with his six assists.
Purefoods still leads the series 2-1 but Rain or Shine head coach Caloy Garcia believes the win will give his troops added confidence when they attempt to tie the series on Friday.
Game 4 of the best-of-5 series is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.
“Before the game I told my players all we have to do is compete and not look at the standing. I thought we played good basketball the past six games so I’m confident we can still pull this off. We just have to take it one game at a time,” Garcia said.
Garcia also acknowledged that his team needs to mature, citing the closing minutes when the Elasto Painters made poor shot selections and bad decisions that almost cost them the game again.
Purefoods played without injured big men Kerby Raymundo and Rico Mierhoffer and continued to miss PJ Simon but Garcia said he felt they would have still won Game 3 even if the two frontliners had played.
Gabe Norwood added four assists, two steals and 16 points including a two-handed follow-up slam of a Chan missed lay-up with 4.6 seconds remaining to seal the win. Mike Hrabak scored 15 points and Sol Mercado added 11 but was erratic all game with a team-high six turnovers.
It was disappointing loss for the Giants, who raced to a 12-point lead early in the first period, built another 11 point margin in the third before ending the quarter up 72-68.
But they made just 25 percent of their shots (7 of 27) in the fourth with James Yap going 0 of 4 from 3-point range.
James Yap eventually finished with 17 points on a 6 of 20 shooting while going 0 of 8 from three.
Nino Canaleta led all scorers with 18 points while Roger Yap, a key figure when P{urefoods dominated Games 1 and 2, also had 17 but managed just four points in the fourth quarter. (DBC)
The scores:
Rain or Shine 95 - Chan 17, Norwod 16, Hrabak 15, Mercado 11, Tang 10, Arana 8, Laure 7, Telan 5, Cruz 4, Reyes 2, Ibanes 0.
Purefoods 92 - Canaleta 18, Yap J. 17, Yap R. 17, Artadi 14, Reavis 13, Pingris 9, Fernandez 2, Adducul 1, Allado 1, Timberlake 0, Salvador 0.
Quarterscores: 29-25, 50-49, 68-72, 95-92.
Jeff Chan made four three-pointers in the fourth quarter as Rain or Shine rallied to beat Purefoods, 95-92, in Game 3 of their KFC PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinal series at the Araneta Coliseum.
One loss away from being swept in their best-of-5 showdown, the Elasto Painters summoned all their energy and never gave up even when the shorthanded Giants had seized control after three quarters.
Chan, a non-factor in Games 1 and 2, finally found his rhythm in the fourth quarter, going 4-of-5 from the trifecta zone as the Elasto Painters turned the game around.
The Elasto Painters fell behind by as many as 11 points late in the third quarter but they never gave up until Chan came up with two jolting threes that put the ROS ahead to stay, 76-72, with 10:18 to play.
“I was shooting badly in the first half but coach told me to keep shooting. I really felt good in the second half,” said Chan, who finished with a team-high 17 points that went with his six assists.
Purefoods still leads the series 2-1 but Rain or Shine head coach Caloy Garcia believes the win will give his troops added confidence when they attempt to tie the series on Friday.
Game 4 of the best-of-5 series is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.
“Before the game I told my players all we have to do is compete and not look at the standing. I thought we played good basketball the past six games so I’m confident we can still pull this off. We just have to take it one game at a time,” Garcia said.
Garcia also acknowledged that his team needs to mature, citing the closing minutes when the Elasto Painters made poor shot selections and bad decisions that almost cost them the game again.
Purefoods played without injured big men Kerby Raymundo and Rico Mierhoffer and continued to miss PJ Simon but Garcia said he felt they would have still won Game 3 even if the two frontliners had played.
Gabe Norwood added four assists, two steals and 16 points including a two-handed follow-up slam of a Chan missed lay-up with 4.6 seconds remaining to seal the win. Mike Hrabak scored 15 points and Sol Mercado added 11 but was erratic all game with a team-high six turnovers.
It was disappointing loss for the Giants, who raced to a 12-point lead early in the first period, built another 11 point margin in the third before ending the quarter up 72-68.
But they made just 25 percent of their shots (7 of 27) in the fourth with James Yap going 0 of 4 from 3-point range.
James Yap eventually finished with 17 points on a 6 of 20 shooting while going 0 of 8 from three.
Nino Canaleta led all scorers with 18 points while Roger Yap, a key figure when P{urefoods dominated Games 1 and 2, also had 17 but managed just four points in the fourth quarter. (DBC)
The scores:
Rain or Shine 95 - Chan 17, Norwod 16, Hrabak 15, Mercado 11, Tang 10, Arana 8, Laure 7, Telan 5, Cruz 4, Reyes 2, Ibanes 0.
Purefoods 92 - Canaleta 18, Yap J. 17, Yap R. 17, Artadi 14, Reavis 13, Pingris 9, Fernandez 2, Adducul 1, Allado 1, Timberlake 0, Salvador 0.
Quarterscores: 29-25, 50-49, 68-72, 95-92.
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