SOURCE: PBA.PH
Thu, 12/03/2009 - 21:56 — junior
A TEAM's place in the standings is no real gauge of its mettle.
Take it from Barangay Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.
“They remain a very dangerous team,” noted the veteran mentor on the eve of his Kings' clash with the Barako Bull Energy Boosters Friday in the 2009-10 KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
The perennial crowd favorites are eyeing a second straight win that will keep them firmly entrenched at at least third-running spot behind idle leader Alaska and San Miguel Beer.
Barako Bull, meanwhile, is trying to snap out of a six-game slide that is currently the tournament's worst. But that doesn't mean spirit has seeped out of the George Chua-owned franchise.
“The boys remain optimistic,” said Energy Boosters coach Leo Isaac. “They have come to realize they can play against anybody in this league and this realization gives them the confidence we need against a tough team like Ginebra.”
Barako's latest loss was via an 88-99 count to Alaska last Sunday in a game where the Energy Boosters rallied back to within five points after trailing by as many as 21 points.
Prior to that, Isaac's charges bowed to the Sta. Lucia Realtors 77-80, but only in overtime.
“They just lose games in the end,” Uichico pointed out. “We must not be in a position to make them be in the game at the end.”
For its part, Ginebra bucked its manpower woes to beat Coca-Cola 113-104 last Friday.
The Kings drew a personal conference-high 33 points from Ronald Tubid and 22 from Cyrus Baguio, plus 11 points and six assists from 39-year-old Johnny Abarrientos, to withstand the absence of point guards Jayjay Helterbrand (pinched nerve) and Celino Cruz (sore back).
A victory by Ginebra and a loss by SMB to Sta. Lucia later in the evening could even move the Kings to a tie for second with their sister team.
Realtors coach Boyet Fernandez is determined to avenge his team's 69-88 loss to the Beermen the first time they met and move his wards up into a share of fourth with idle Talk N Text and Purefoods.
To achieve those goals, Sta. Lucia must stop SMB's tournament-best winning streak at eight.
“It will be a tough game,” said Fernandez. “San Miguel is one of the top teams with a star-studded lineup. We have to show up with lots of intensity and mental toughness to win tomorrow. We are always ready every game and the SMB game is no exception.”
The Realtors have already shown they can hold down the Beermen.
In SMB's streak, it won by an average margin of close to 17 points with a score ratio of 100.1-83.6. Only the Realtors held them below 100.
“Our defense will be crucial tomorrow,” reiterated Fernandez. (NC)
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
PUREFOODS DOWNS COKE, GAINS SHARE OF 4TH
SOURCE: PBA.PH
Wed, 12/02/2009 - 22:39 — junior
The Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants had their contribution making their special company event more meaningful.
The Giants scored their first back-to-back victories in the 35th PBA season, following up their 68-63 win over the Sta. Lucia Realtors Saturday with an 88-79 whipping of the Coca-Cola Tigers at the Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.
"We really prepared hard to break our win-loss-win-loss ride. It came at the right time when we're celebrating a special event," said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.
The Giants chalked up a sixth win in 10 games in the 2009-2010 KFC Philippine Cup on the day Purefoods and Hormel Foods International Corp. celebrated their 10th year of partnership.
Company bigwigs stood as witnesses as the Giants got back at the Tigers, nailing the win that tied them with the Talk n Text Tropang Texters at third place behind the Alaska Milk Aces (9-1) and the San Miguel Beermen (8-2).
"We're well within the leaders. This is sweet for us but definitely there's still a lot to be done," said Gregorio.
Purefoods was the lone team beaten by Coca-Cola in the first round. The Giants exacted revenge even with Kerby Raymundo confined on the bench with a sore knee.
Wing men James Yap and Peter June Simon both played well, combining for 40 points, six rebounds and four assists.
The two themselves presided over a key fourth-quarter run that shattered Coca-Cola's bid.
The Giants broke away from a 68-70 count, handing the Tigers a ninth loss against a lone win.
"I'm happy both James and PJ, who struggled in the first round, came out and dished out excellent games tonight. They stepped in a special game. I think it's a good sign for us," said Gregorio.
"Kerby is negative on MCL and negative on ACL. But something is hurting inside his knee. It's been my philosophy as a coach that if someone's hurting, I won't jeopardize his career," said Gregorio on Raymundo's status.
Don Allado assumed Raymundo's role as starting big forward and the former La Salle Archer came through with 11 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 31 minutes of action.
He had 10 as the Giants took the half at 40-36.
Yap and Simon, however, stood out in the end as they starred in Purefoods' back-breaking run at the finish.
Simon had 11 of his 18 points while Yap made nine in the final canto. (SB)
The scores:
Purefoods 88 - Yap J. 22, Simon 18, Yap R. 11, Allado 11, Artadi 6, Artadi 6, Maierhofer 5, Reavis 4, Adducul 3, Timberlake 2, Salvador 0.
Coca-Cola 79 - Rodriguez 21, Ross 13, Cabagnot 12, Macapagal 11, Espino 7, Rizada 6, Gonzales N. 6, Bono 2, Gonzales W. 1, Allera 0, Calimag 0.
Quarterscores: 21-18, 40-36, 63-58, 88-79
Wed, 12/02/2009 - 22:39 — junior
The Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants had their contribution making their special company event more meaningful.
The Giants scored their first back-to-back victories in the 35th PBA season, following up their 68-63 win over the Sta. Lucia Realtors Saturday with an 88-79 whipping of the Coca-Cola Tigers at the Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.
"We really prepared hard to break our win-loss-win-loss ride. It came at the right time when we're celebrating a special event," said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio.
The Giants chalked up a sixth win in 10 games in the 2009-2010 KFC Philippine Cup on the day Purefoods and Hormel Foods International Corp. celebrated their 10th year of partnership.
Company bigwigs stood as witnesses as the Giants got back at the Tigers, nailing the win that tied them with the Talk n Text Tropang Texters at third place behind the Alaska Milk Aces (9-1) and the San Miguel Beermen (8-2).
"We're well within the leaders. This is sweet for us but definitely there's still a lot to be done," said Gregorio.
Purefoods was the lone team beaten by Coca-Cola in the first round. The Giants exacted revenge even with Kerby Raymundo confined on the bench with a sore knee.
Wing men James Yap and Peter June Simon both played well, combining for 40 points, six rebounds and four assists.
The two themselves presided over a key fourth-quarter run that shattered Coca-Cola's bid.
The Giants broke away from a 68-70 count, handing the Tigers a ninth loss against a lone win.
"I'm happy both James and PJ, who struggled in the first round, came out and dished out excellent games tonight. They stepped in a special game. I think it's a good sign for us," said Gregorio.
"Kerby is negative on MCL and negative on ACL. But something is hurting inside his knee. It's been my philosophy as a coach that if someone's hurting, I won't jeopardize his career," said Gregorio on Raymundo's status.
Don Allado assumed Raymundo's role as starting big forward and the former La Salle Archer came through with 11 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block in 31 minutes of action.
He had 10 as the Giants took the half at 40-36.
Yap and Simon, however, stood out in the end as they starred in Purefoods' back-breaking run at the finish.
Simon had 11 of his 18 points while Yap made nine in the final canto. (SB)
The scores:
Purefoods 88 - Yap J. 22, Simon 18, Yap R. 11, Allado 11, Artadi 6, Artadi 6, Maierhofer 5, Reavis 4, Adducul 3, Timberlake 2, Salvador 0.
Coca-Cola 79 - Rodriguez 21, Ross 13, Cabagnot 12, Macapagal 11, Espino 7, Rizada 6, Gonzales N. 6, Bono 2, Gonzales W. 1, Allera 0, Calimag 0.
Quarterscores: 21-18, 40-36, 63-58, 88-79
ARANA-LED RoS BATTLES BACK FROM 20 DOWN TO BEAT TNT
SOURCE: PBA.PH
Wed, 12/02/2009 - 20:35
Jeffrei Chan scored in traffic with 13 seconds remaining as Rain or Shines upset defending champion Talk ‘N Text, 95-93 Wednesday night in the 2009-10 KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
But it was Ryan Arana who led all scorers with 20 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter to spark a last-ditch rally by the Elasto Painters, who trailed by 20 points early in the third quarter and by 12 with six and a half minutes left to play.
It marked the first time that RoS had won back-to-back in the conference but it raised the hopes of coach Caloy Garcia with regards to their chances of advancing to the quarters.
“We are the worst 3-point shooting team and the worst free throw shooting team. But the good thing is we are not the last team in the standings. I hope things will get better in the second round and we’ll be able to make it to the quarterfinals,’ Garcia said.
Although he was visibly celebrating the win, Garcia didn’t forget to commend Eddie Laure for his defensive effort.
“Eddie did a good job slowing down Jimmy (Alapag) and that was the key,” Garcia noted. “It was a big win for us.”
Gave Norwood poured 10 of his 13 points in the second half, Mike Hrabak added 12 and Jay-R Reyes had 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Painters, who improved to 3-7 (win-loss) record without starting guard Sol Mercado, who was nursing a fever, and rookie Marcy Arellano who rested a hurting right shin.
It was disappointing defeat for the Tropang Texters, who appeared to have the game in control by the time Nic Belasco made two free throws to give TnT a 54-34 lead early in the third period.
But they shot just 18 percent (3-of-16) throughout the period while the Painters made 50 percent of their field goals enabling them to cut the deficit to just 65-71 going into the fourth.
Harvey Carey scored all his 14 points in the fourth and Ali Peek had as many for TNT, which snapped a two-game winning streak and fell to 6-4.
With Carey asserting his huge frame in the lane, Talk 'N Text stretched the lead to 85-73 four minutes into the fourth and it looked like the Tropang Texters had it all wrapped up.
But the Painters refused to go away. With Arana and Chan (14 points) scoring mostly on drives, RoS slowly got back into the game.
Arana’s put RoS ahead, 92-91, with a three point play with 1:21 left to play. But Ranidel de Ocampo sank two freebies in the next play to give TNT a one point lead.
The two teams traded turnovers before Chan got a pass from the right corner. He quickly attack the lane scored on a reverse shot to put the Elasto Painters ahead to stay.
Jimmy Alapag scored 13 and Macmac Cardona added 12 but the two of them accounted for nine of TNT’s 16 turnovers. (DBC)
The scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 95 - Arana 20, Chan 14, Norwood 13, Hrabak 12, Reyes 11, Telan 11, Laure 6, Cruz 3, Ibanes 3, Tang 2, Dulay 0.
TALK ‘N TEXT 93 - Carey 14, Peek 14, De Ocampo R. 13, Alapag 13, Cardona 12, Dillinger 8, Castro 6, De Ocampo Y. 6, Ritualo 4, Belasco 3.
QUARTERSCORES: 14-23, 34-52, 65-71, 95-93.
Wed, 12/02/2009 - 20:35
Jeffrei Chan scored in traffic with 13 seconds remaining as Rain or Shines upset defending champion Talk ‘N Text, 95-93 Wednesday night in the 2009-10 KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.
But it was Ryan Arana who led all scorers with 20 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter to spark a last-ditch rally by the Elasto Painters, who trailed by 20 points early in the third quarter and by 12 with six and a half minutes left to play.
It marked the first time that RoS had won back-to-back in the conference but it raised the hopes of coach Caloy Garcia with regards to their chances of advancing to the quarters.
“We are the worst 3-point shooting team and the worst free throw shooting team. But the good thing is we are not the last team in the standings. I hope things will get better in the second round and we’ll be able to make it to the quarterfinals,’ Garcia said.
Although he was visibly celebrating the win, Garcia didn’t forget to commend Eddie Laure for his defensive effort.
“Eddie did a good job slowing down Jimmy (Alapag) and that was the key,” Garcia noted. “It was a big win for us.”
Gave Norwood poured 10 of his 13 points in the second half, Mike Hrabak added 12 and Jay-R Reyes had 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Painters, who improved to 3-7 (win-loss) record without starting guard Sol Mercado, who was nursing a fever, and rookie Marcy Arellano who rested a hurting right shin.
It was disappointing defeat for the Tropang Texters, who appeared to have the game in control by the time Nic Belasco made two free throws to give TnT a 54-34 lead early in the third period.
But they shot just 18 percent (3-of-16) throughout the period while the Painters made 50 percent of their field goals enabling them to cut the deficit to just 65-71 going into the fourth.
Harvey Carey scored all his 14 points in the fourth and Ali Peek had as many for TNT, which snapped a two-game winning streak and fell to 6-4.
With Carey asserting his huge frame in the lane, Talk 'N Text stretched the lead to 85-73 four minutes into the fourth and it looked like the Tropang Texters had it all wrapped up.
But the Painters refused to go away. With Arana and Chan (14 points) scoring mostly on drives, RoS slowly got back into the game.
Arana’s put RoS ahead, 92-91, with a three point play with 1:21 left to play. But Ranidel de Ocampo sank two freebies in the next play to give TNT a one point lead.
The two teams traded turnovers before Chan got a pass from the right corner. He quickly attack the lane scored on a reverse shot to put the Elasto Painters ahead to stay.
Jimmy Alapag scored 13 and Macmac Cardona added 12 but the two of them accounted for nine of TNT’s 16 turnovers. (DBC)
The scores:
RAIN OR SHINE 95 - Arana 20, Chan 14, Norwood 13, Hrabak 12, Reyes 11, Telan 11, Laure 6, Cruz 3, Ibanes 3, Tang 2, Dulay 0.
TALK ‘N TEXT 93 - Carey 14, Peek 14, De Ocampo R. 13, Alapag 13, Cardona 12, Dillinger 8, Castro 6, De Ocampo Y. 6, Ritualo 4, Belasco 3.
QUARTERSCORES: 14-23, 34-52, 65-71, 95-93.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Santos shows way in race for PBA’s best player honors
source: gmanews.tv
Now with San Miguel Beer, Arwind Santos is again making a case for a first ever Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy.
The lanky former Far Eastern University King Tamaraw showed the way in the race for the Best Player of the Conference (BPC) award at the halfway mark of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup elimination round.
Santos garnered a leading average statistical points (SPs) of 38.9 after coming in second in scoring and in rebounding, while ending up as the only non Fil-Am to average in double figures in the said departments.
He normed 18.22 points and 10.22 rebounds through nine games to take the No. 1 spot in the BPC race.
Acquired by the Beermen in the off-season, Santos had been a perennial Best Player of the Conference and MVP contender in his three seasons with Burger King, but never got to win either of the individual plum.
Sta. Lucia Realty’s Kelly Williams, who’s the top rebounder (13.44) and fifth-best scorer (16.89), came in second in the SPs with an average of 38.1.
Alaska’s Willie Miller, the first guard to win the MVP twice, occupied third in the BPC derby with 35.6 SPs while Mac-Mac Cardona of Talk ‘N Text stood at fourth spot with his 33.4 SPs average.
Rounding out the Top 10 contenders for the BPC were LA Tenorio of Alaska (31.3 SPs); Ronald Tubid of Ginebra (30.0); Joe DeVance of Alaska (29.6); Jimmy Alapag of Talk ‘N Text (29.1); Dondon Hontiveros of San Miguel (28.6); and Jay-Jay Helterbrand of Ginebra (28.4).
A career best 40-point output against Burger King last Nov. 27 allowed Cardona to become the leading scorer so far with his 21.0 average.
Helterbrand, on the other hand, emerged as the leading assist man with 6.2 per game while teammate and 1996 MVP Johnny Abarrientos, who played three games in the first round, showed the way in steals (2.33).
Tenorio got the distinction as the top free-throw shooter with a 90.32 percent clip (28-of-31) while Ali Peek came out as the best shot blocker (2.22).
In the race for Rookie of the Year honors, Purefoods’ Rico Maierhofer, the second pick in the draft, enjoyed a commanding lead over the rest of the pack.
The ex-La Salle slotman has normed 23.1 SPs on the strength of his 9.44 points an outing and 7.22 rebounds a game. Coming in second was Realtor Joshua Urbiztondo, who logged an average SP of 16.2, followed by Roger Menor of Barako Bull (14.0 SPs) and former UAAP MVP Jervy Cruz of Rain or Shine (13.6).
Now with San Miguel Beer, Arwind Santos is again making a case for a first ever Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy.
The lanky former Far Eastern University King Tamaraw showed the way in the race for the Best Player of the Conference (BPC) award at the halfway mark of the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup elimination round.
Santos garnered a leading average statistical points (SPs) of 38.9 after coming in second in scoring and in rebounding, while ending up as the only non Fil-Am to average in double figures in the said departments.
He normed 18.22 points and 10.22 rebounds through nine games to take the No. 1 spot in the BPC race.
Acquired by the Beermen in the off-season, Santos had been a perennial Best Player of the Conference and MVP contender in his three seasons with Burger King, but never got to win either of the individual plum.
Sta. Lucia Realty’s Kelly Williams, who’s the top rebounder (13.44) and fifth-best scorer (16.89), came in second in the SPs with an average of 38.1.
Alaska’s Willie Miller, the first guard to win the MVP twice, occupied third in the BPC derby with 35.6 SPs while Mac-Mac Cardona of Talk ‘N Text stood at fourth spot with his 33.4 SPs average.
Rounding out the Top 10 contenders for the BPC were LA Tenorio of Alaska (31.3 SPs); Ronald Tubid of Ginebra (30.0); Joe DeVance of Alaska (29.6); Jimmy Alapag of Talk ‘N Text (29.1); Dondon Hontiveros of San Miguel (28.6); and Jay-Jay Helterbrand of Ginebra (28.4).
A career best 40-point output against Burger King last Nov. 27 allowed Cardona to become the leading scorer so far with his 21.0 average.
Helterbrand, on the other hand, emerged as the leading assist man with 6.2 per game while teammate and 1996 MVP Johnny Abarrientos, who played three games in the first round, showed the way in steals (2.33).
Tenorio got the distinction as the top free-throw shooter with a 90.32 percent clip (28-of-31) while Ali Peek came out as the best shot blocker (2.22).
In the race for Rookie of the Year honors, Purefoods’ Rico Maierhofer, the second pick in the draft, enjoyed a commanding lead over the rest of the pack.
The ex-La Salle slotman has normed 23.1 SPs on the strength of his 9.44 points an outing and 7.22 rebounds a game. Coming in second was Realtor Joshua Urbiztondo, who logged an average SP of 16.2, followed by Roger Menor of Barako Bull (14.0 SPs) and former UAAP MVP Jervy Cruz of Rain or Shine (13.6).
Alaska-SMB rematch up
source: Joaquin Henson | philstar.com
The PBA’s top two teams Alaska and San Miguel Beer will slug it out in a possible finals preview at the Araneta Coliseum on Dec. 9, leaving oddsmakers scratching their heads not knowing whom to pick as the favorite.
It will be their second meeting in the Philippine Cup. Alaska thrashed San Miguel, 85-74, in the first round last Oct. 17 but since the setback, the Beermen have been unbeatable.
San Miguel’s 109-96 loss to Smart-Gilas last Friday was no-bearing, meaning it had no impact on the Beermen’s scorching streak. The game, however, gave San Miguel a lot to think about, particularly as the Beermen missed 27 free throws and had 11 less fastbreak points.
San Miguel has another game to play – against Sta. Lucia Realty on Friday – before the Alaska rematch. The Aces play Gilas on Friday but the outcome won’t be reflected in the standings.
At the moment, Alaska and San Miguel are on top of the roost. The Aces have won their last three. The only blemish in coach Tim Cone’s record was an unexpected 86-81 loss to Rain Or Shine, No. 9 in the ladder with a 2-7 slate.
San Miguel started the conference on the wrong foot, yielding back-to-back decisions to Barangay Ginebra by 12 and Alaska by 11. But coach Siot Tanquingcen has rebounded in a big way and the Beermen are now the league’s hottest team with eight wins in a row.
Even as Alaska and San Miguel are 1-2 in the honor roll, neither is a shoo-in for the semifinals – yet. Talk ‘N’ Text, Ginebra and Sta. Lucia tote only three losses apiece and aren’t far behind in the race. Purefoods, in sixth spot at 4-4, is also in contention for an outright semifinals slot.
At the lower end are Burger King, Barako Bull, Rain or Shine and Coca-Cola, in that order, with at least seven defeats each.
* * * *
Willie Miller and ex-San Miguel guard L. A. Tenorio struck hardest against San Miguel in the first encounter as they combined for 33 points with no other Ace in twin digits. In contrast, ex-Alaska star Mike Cortez and Denok Miranda went scoreless.
Alaska and San Miguel are neck-to-neck in the battle for supremacy in the department of defense. The Beermen are now No. 1 in the league, allowing 85.2 points a game but the Aces are just a whiff away at No. 2 with 85.5. In offense, San Miguel is No. 2 with 96.1 and Alaska, No. 3 with 95.8. Talk ‘N’ Text is ahead in the production derby with a 98.2 clip.
It’s the same tight situation in the assists category. Alaska picked up 27 dishes in its 99-88 win over Barako Bull last Sunday to boost the Aces’ conference-high average to 21.4. San Miguel relinquished the driver’s seat in assists by accounting for only 15 in its 100-85 victory over Burger King last Sunday, lowering the Beermen’s average slightly to 20.7.
In other departments, San Miguel was tops in rebounding (54.0), turnover points (21.5) and steals (7.5) while Alaska was No. 1 in free throw percentage (.703), three-point percentage (.351) and second chance points (12.2).
The stats show that San Miguel’s biggest chink in the armor is a tendency to commit errors – the Beermen are averaging a league-high 20.4 turnovers. Another indication from the stats is Alaska’s controlled tempo as a key to its attack. The Aces are getting the job done defensively without taking too many risks in going for steals – they’re only No. 9 in average swipes, No. 9 in least opponents’ turnovers and No. 9 in turnover points, meaning that while Alaska isn’t forcing a truckload of miscues, rivals find it difficult to shoot a high percentage against a team-oriented clamp-down. Another indicator of Alaska’s deliberate style is the Aces’ No. 8 ranking in fastbreak points.
* * * *
The duel between San Miguel and Alaska should be a humdinger. San Miguel will try to dictate the pace by controlling both boards and playing up-tempo while Alaska will slow it down and lean on half-court execution.
Matchups will be vital. Do-it-all star Arwind Santos played in only his second game with San Miguel in the initial bout against Alaska but now, he’s a lot more familiar with Tanquingcen’s system and his teammates. Spiderman has been nothing less than a superhero in his last four games, including the Gilas loss, with an average of 24.8 points. Against Alaska, he’ll be a major headache for Cone with his versatility allowing shifts from position to position, depending on where to capitalize on his mismatch. Defensive specialist Tony de la Cruz will likely get the assignment to shadow Santos at No. 2, 3 or 4.
Another interesting matchup is Tenorio versus Cortez who were swapped in a trade between the two teams. Cortez still isn’t at 100 percent, nursing a shoulder injury, but may be up for the challenge next Wednesday particularly as he went zero in the first encounter. The Cool Cat wants redemption.
If Tanquingcen plays Danny Seigle, the question is what position the Fil-Am will settle in – at No. 3, he’ll clash with Santos for minutes unless Spiderman slides to No. 2 and at No. 4, he’ll be a little slow for Joe DeVance.
Ultimately, the winner will be the team that is able to impose its defensive will. Just like Seigle’s status, that, too, is a question mark – which only makes the coming showdown even more intriguing.
The PBA’s top two teams Alaska and San Miguel Beer will slug it out in a possible finals preview at the Araneta Coliseum on Dec. 9, leaving oddsmakers scratching their heads not knowing whom to pick as the favorite.
It will be their second meeting in the Philippine Cup. Alaska thrashed San Miguel, 85-74, in the first round last Oct. 17 but since the setback, the Beermen have been unbeatable.
San Miguel’s 109-96 loss to Smart-Gilas last Friday was no-bearing, meaning it had no impact on the Beermen’s scorching streak. The game, however, gave San Miguel a lot to think about, particularly as the Beermen missed 27 free throws and had 11 less fastbreak points.
San Miguel has another game to play – against Sta. Lucia Realty on Friday – before the Alaska rematch. The Aces play Gilas on Friday but the outcome won’t be reflected in the standings.
At the moment, Alaska and San Miguel are on top of the roost. The Aces have won their last three. The only blemish in coach Tim Cone’s record was an unexpected 86-81 loss to Rain Or Shine, No. 9 in the ladder with a 2-7 slate.
San Miguel started the conference on the wrong foot, yielding back-to-back decisions to Barangay Ginebra by 12 and Alaska by 11. But coach Siot Tanquingcen has rebounded in a big way and the Beermen are now the league’s hottest team with eight wins in a row.
Even as Alaska and San Miguel are 1-2 in the honor roll, neither is a shoo-in for the semifinals – yet. Talk ‘N’ Text, Ginebra and Sta. Lucia tote only three losses apiece and aren’t far behind in the race. Purefoods, in sixth spot at 4-4, is also in contention for an outright semifinals slot.
At the lower end are Burger King, Barako Bull, Rain or Shine and Coca-Cola, in that order, with at least seven defeats each.
* * * *
Willie Miller and ex-San Miguel guard L. A. Tenorio struck hardest against San Miguel in the first encounter as they combined for 33 points with no other Ace in twin digits. In contrast, ex-Alaska star Mike Cortez and Denok Miranda went scoreless.
Alaska and San Miguel are neck-to-neck in the battle for supremacy in the department of defense. The Beermen are now No. 1 in the league, allowing 85.2 points a game but the Aces are just a whiff away at No. 2 with 85.5. In offense, San Miguel is No. 2 with 96.1 and Alaska, No. 3 with 95.8. Talk ‘N’ Text is ahead in the production derby with a 98.2 clip.
It’s the same tight situation in the assists category. Alaska picked up 27 dishes in its 99-88 win over Barako Bull last Sunday to boost the Aces’ conference-high average to 21.4. San Miguel relinquished the driver’s seat in assists by accounting for only 15 in its 100-85 victory over Burger King last Sunday, lowering the Beermen’s average slightly to 20.7.
In other departments, San Miguel was tops in rebounding (54.0), turnover points (21.5) and steals (7.5) while Alaska was No. 1 in free throw percentage (.703), three-point percentage (.351) and second chance points (12.2).
The stats show that San Miguel’s biggest chink in the armor is a tendency to commit errors – the Beermen are averaging a league-high 20.4 turnovers. Another indication from the stats is Alaska’s controlled tempo as a key to its attack. The Aces are getting the job done defensively without taking too many risks in going for steals – they’re only No. 9 in average swipes, No. 9 in least opponents’ turnovers and No. 9 in turnover points, meaning that while Alaska isn’t forcing a truckload of miscues, rivals find it difficult to shoot a high percentage against a team-oriented clamp-down. Another indicator of Alaska’s deliberate style is the Aces’ No. 8 ranking in fastbreak points.
* * * *
The duel between San Miguel and Alaska should be a humdinger. San Miguel will try to dictate the pace by controlling both boards and playing up-tempo while Alaska will slow it down and lean on half-court execution.
Matchups will be vital. Do-it-all star Arwind Santos played in only his second game with San Miguel in the initial bout against Alaska but now, he’s a lot more familiar with Tanquingcen’s system and his teammates. Spiderman has been nothing less than a superhero in his last four games, including the Gilas loss, with an average of 24.8 points. Against Alaska, he’ll be a major headache for Cone with his versatility allowing shifts from position to position, depending on where to capitalize on his mismatch. Defensive specialist Tony de la Cruz will likely get the assignment to shadow Santos at No. 2, 3 or 4.
Another interesting matchup is Tenorio versus Cortez who were swapped in a trade between the two teams. Cortez still isn’t at 100 percent, nursing a shoulder injury, but may be up for the challenge next Wednesday particularly as he went zero in the first encounter. The Cool Cat wants redemption.
If Tanquingcen plays Danny Seigle, the question is what position the Fil-Am will settle in – at No. 3, he’ll clash with Santos for minutes unless Spiderman slides to No. 2 and at No. 4, he’ll be a little slow for Joe DeVance.
Ultimately, the winner will be the team that is able to impose its defensive will. Just like Seigle’s status, that, too, is a question mark – which only makes the coming showdown even more intriguing.
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