Postgame Wrap

Talking points

2006-08-07T08:12:00.000+08:00

THE BASKETBALL tournament of the National Collegiate Athletic Association has generated a lot of fanfare this year, so much so that it is giving the University Athletic Association of the Philippines a run for its money in terms of popularity. Here are four of Season 82’s biggest talking points thus far:

Surprising Knights: Colegio de San Juan de Letran entered this year’s campaign with a depleted lineup, having lost six veterans and five of its seven leading scorers. Despite that, the defending champions from Intramuros started the year at 6-0, and have only lost to the San Beda Red Lions thus far.

Whatever happens to the Knights this year, Louie Alas should be named Coach of the Year. The multi-titled mentor has transformed an inexperienced squad with six rookies into one of the league’s most efficient teams down the stretch. Because of him, Mark Balneg, Fiel Daa, RJ Jazul and Hafer Mondragon have become big-game youngsters.

Alas has given rebuilding a whole new meaning, and veterans Boyet Bautista and Aaron Aban have to be credited for taking a young and underrated bunch of neophytes on their shoulders.

New rivalries: A mammoth crowd witnessed the Letran-San Beda first round matchup and ushered in (or rekindled, as some people have traced the rivalry of these two institutions to the 1950 NCAA championship, captured by the Knights) an intense 21st century rivalry, something the league needs to reestablish its image in the same way the UAAP has done through the enmity between Ateneo and La Salle.

An equally interesting rivalry is brewing between Mapua and Jose Rizal University, thanks to the audacious preseason prediction of Cardinals coach Horacio Lim that his team won’t finish in last place because the Heavy Bombers are in the same league.

The hot seat: The Cardinals aren’t supposed to be just a 5-4 team, no matter how much Lim downplays his team’s chances. Mapua is supposed to be slugging it out with the big boys for the top two spots, not fighting to protect the no. 4 position.

So what’s going wrong? There has been no drastic improvement in the basketball program of the Mapua Cardinals since Lim took the job. Final Four appearances won’t suffice for a school that has had a realistic shot at the title every year since he started coaching. This program isn’t going anywhere, and that’s why Lim has to go somewhere else.

The same can be said for College of Saint Benilde’s tactician. Caloy Garcia is only in his second year, but things are getting even worse for his program. Sure, recruitment has hit a roadblock and they had more players disqualified for academic reasons before the season began than wins this year. But after copping a championship with Welcoat in the Philippine Basketball League, he’s expected to produce, and produce fast.

San Beda’s “Ekwelizer:” Everyone’s talking about him. Some people even want him to play in the pros despite being a pure Nigerian. He’s a rebounding machine and an athletic big man who’s in love with the slam dunk.

With Samuel Ekwe’s stellar play, it’s no surprise that every San Beda alumnus and fan is expecting the 28-year title drought to end in Season 82.

But the toast of San Beda is also the toast of the league. To a large extent, Ekwe has helped bolster the league’s popularity, which is now arguably on the same level as that of its UAAP counterpart.

Myth of the Tamaraw

2006-07-31T02:10:00.000+08:00

WHEN a favored team starts losing games, people tend to justify the defeats, make excuses and create this impression that the team wasn’t supposed to be good to begin with.

Such is the case with the Far Eastern University Tamaraws. The defending University Athletic Association of the Philippines basketball champions have won just one game this year. But already, observers, fans and even personnel within the team are beginning to shed the tag of favorite (many pundits tipped the Tams to march to the Final Four) by citing far-fetched reasons to say, “We’re not supposed to be winning a lot anyway.”

Here are just some of the myths about the Tams going around town.

Myth #1: “Santos, Isip and Rizada are gone, so how did we become favorites?” Losing three key players isn’t an excuse to lose the first four games of the year. And besides, the Tams did a good job recruiting good players, not necessarily to fill the void left by Arwind Santos and Mark Isip, but to keep the team afloat.

FEU coach Bert Flores said, “Kulang kami sa piyesa [We lack the quality players].” Sorry coach, but this is far from reality. Jeff Chan, Jonas Villanueva and RB Mangahas were solid contributors from last year’s team who are still in the lineup; Benedict Fernandez has improved tremendously; and rookies Macmac Baracael and JR Gerilla are delivering. That’s a good lineup off the bat.

Just to drive the point home, the National Collegiate Athletic Association defending champions Letran Knights lost five of their top seven scorers from last year, but have posted a 6-1 record. Arguably, the Tams brought in even better rookies than the Knights, so it seems some people are just overstating the loss of Arwind Santos, Mark Isip and RJ Rizada.

Myth #2: “We’re burly, so we can’t rebound.” Yeah, right. Mangahas and Francis Barcellano are heftier than Isip and Santos. Using common sense, hefty players occupy more space underneath the basket, are harder to push around and thus have an easier time establishing position to get a rebound.

So what’s being dead last in rebounding (39.2 caroms a game) all about? The Tams can’t rebound, not because their two big men from last season are gone, but because they don’t want to rebound. The desire isn’t there, and the plays aren’t set up to give their best rebounders the chance to do their job.

A case in point: Against Ateneo, Mangahas spent a lot of his time setting up for three pointers instead of banging bodies near the basket. Sure, he hit three treys, but isn’t rebounding a bigger concern for this team than hitting outside shots? He should be fighting for loose balls, not jacking up threes.

Myth #3: “Closing out games is tough because we’re young.” Young men who’ve won a championship, that is. Villanueva played like a fifth year standout in last year’s finals, Chan made the clutch shots and Fernandez was dependable down the stretch.

Building character comes with winning a title. Losing four games by an average of 5.5 points is indicative of the absence of maturity.

To address this, Flores must start pushing the right buttons. He was humble enough to say in Tagalog: “Coaches lose games. It’s my fault.” To a large extent, there is truth to this statement. Flores carries much of the responsibility of losing close games, and he has to accept the fact that he is this team’s leader.

“The Tamaraw has become a carabao. The morale is low, but we’ll just stay positive,” Flores remarked. The change has to start with him because the Tamaraws aren’t supposed to be losing games. Beating the University of the Philippines is a step forward, but the run has to be sustained.

Anyone who says FEU isn’t good enough is just as inutile as someone who can’t tell the difference between a tamaraw and a carabao.

The new Bomb squad

2006-07-24T01:07:00.000+08:00

CHANGE is the byword in the Jose Rizal University campus these days. And its basketball team, the Heavy Bombers, is making that extra effort to dispel misconceptions and create a solid hoops program.

Leading the way is the squad’s 33-year-old coach, Ariel Vanguardia. The highly regarded tactician, hired just five days before the team’s opening game in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, is gradually instilling a winning attitude to a program that lost 12 of its 14 games last season by an average of 14.6 points.

“The team had no winning attitude, so that’s the first thing I tried to change. We’re in the race not just to participate but to win the championship,” Vanguardia, who sports a tie during games to manifest the team’s desire for positive change, said.

What makes the task of the rookie tactician from Calamba City is the fact that he took over a team with just three holdovers from last season’s lineup, which ironically had 10 rookies to start with. Even the school’s president, Vincent Fabella, lamented the situation but noted that this year was the start of something big.

“Last year’s team broke up for a variety of reasons. The recruitment process has been [strained], but we’re doing well this year,” Fabella explained.

Despite being mired in the bottom of the team standings at 1-5, the Heavy Bombers aren’t actually doing well; they’re doing great. The squad, composed mostly of former team “B” players, has given the big boys a scare, losing by only four points to defending champions Letran and Philippine Christian University, and by a solitary point to Perpetual Help.

Vanguardia believes, however, that the time has come for his wards to finish off other teams. “The problem has always been the fourth quarter. We have to start winning.”

Perhaps, the first step to finding that killer instinct can be taken this Wednesday when the Bombers take on Mapua in a game that already has the makings of a rivalry. Cardinals coach Horacio Lim was quoted by Vanguardia to have said in a pre-season press conference that, “Basta JRU kulelat, kami pangalawa sa kulelat [as long as JRU is last, we won’t finish last].”

Looking to the future, the JRU coach has drawn up a three-year plan that will hopefully build a competitive program. “It’s not just in the usual food or dorm allowance. My selling point is my desire to make players better players, better students and better people. That way, my players aren’t going to leave the program, and other teams won’t make us their farm team anymore.”

True enough, the stellar play of Floyd Dedicatoria, Jayson Nocom, James Sena and John Wilson has attracted the attention of scouts from other colleges. Nocom and Sena have become targets of recruiting wars in the same way that guys like present University of the East Red Warriors Mark Borboran and Elmer Espiritu (both previously from JRU, although Espiritu was never listed in an official lineup) were.

But Vanguardia is convinced that, “if they love their school, they won’t leave.”

Outside the court, the Heavy Bombers have become a tightly knit group. The players hear mass together every Sunday, and practices at the Reyes Gym give the impression that, unlike the JRU teams of the past, this bunch won’t just split up for the shallowest of reasons.

Vanguardia and his 15-man bomb squad are doing a great job shedding whatever tarnished image the school has built over the past few years. With the way the basketball team is playing, JRU will soon be known for its cage exploits than accusations like conspiring with De La Salle to field ineligible players.

A championship may be a bit too farfetched at this point. But whatever happens along the way, the Heavy Bombers and their fans will always remember Season 82 as the detonating cord for a loud winning bang sure to be felt beyond Shaw Boulevard.

The hard fall

2006-07-17T18:24:00.000+08:00

WHEN merely fielding a national team becomes a big source of joy, something just isn’t right.
That was my initial reaction when the draw for the seventh Asean Football Championship (formerly the Tiger Cup), to be held in 2007 in Singapore and Thailand. This year’s tournament format is quite different, with only eight countries participating in the main competition and a qualifying round to determine two of those eight teams (the region’s top six squads are already seeded into the main competition, or the final round in football jargon).

The qualifying round will feature five of the region’s lowest-ranked teams—the Philippines included—and will be held in Bacolod City. If the country plays as good as it did in the Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup in Bangladesh (where it drew 1-1 with both Afghanistan and defending South Asian champions India), it will likely capture one of the two slots up for grabs at the expense of fellow minnows Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Timor Leste.

It is just unfortunate to note that the Philippines has not fielded its senior team in big international tournaments lately (for the record, Tajikistan, an obscure ex-Soviet republic, won the Challenge Cup). We did not participate in the qualifying rounds of the 2004 Asian Cup and 2006 World Cup. The qualifying round of the 2007 Asian Cup, to be hosted by four Southeast Asian countries, does not feature the national side either.

But that’s how low Philippine football has sunk. Many people have this notion that the sport never gained popularity in the country. Contrary to that belief, the Philippines actually has a proud footballing tradition.

Founded in 1907, the Philippine Football Federation is the oldest in Asia, and the country thus has the oldest football team in the continent. Our biggest victory on the international stage was a 15-2 thrashing of Japan in the 1917 Far Eastern Games in Tokyo.

Part of that team was Paulino Alcantara, undoubtedly the greatest Filipino player ever. Born to Spanish parents in Iloilo, Alcantara played for both the Philippines and Spain. But he is known around the world for being the leading goal-scorer in the history of FC Barcelona, with 357 goals in 357 matches (this 1:1 ratio is unheard of today). This is the same Barcelona squad that has captured 18 Spanish League titles, 24 Spanish Cups and 2 European Cups, with players like Maradona, Ronaldo, Romario and Hagi donning the Barça jersey throughout the years.

That’s how rich the country’s football heritage is. In the early part of the 20th century, the Philippines was making minced meat out of today’s regional superpowers. However, something happened (something serious) along the way to football glory, and the country is now ranked a dismal 192nd out of 204 countries (even the little country of Bhutan is ranked higher).

The national team’s tragic fall is really pathetic. And with nothing being done to boost the popularity of the sport (having to pay as much as P6,000 to see all 64 World Cup matches won’t help), the widely held attitude that football, ignorantly called soccer here despite the fact that the only countries that call it such have their own type of football (American football, Aussie Rules football, etc.), is a boring game will never be eradicated.

Something’s gotta be done to fix up this mess. Football, whether we like it or not, is the way of the world. It would be so stupid of us not to appreciate the game and help boost its image. That’s the first step we have to take in order to start winning again.
* * *
Purefoods has taken a commanding 3-1 lead in the PBA Philippine Cup finals. The Giants demonstrated that they can win in both up-tempo and grind-it-out games, something that they couldn’t do last conference and one factor that has given Red Bull’s coaching staff tons of problems.

The Bulls, with the way the series is going, have to slow down the game’s pace and play better defense. The fastbreak hasn’t done many wonders for them, and they have to keep that in mind if they want to extend this series.

Game on (2)

2006-07-10T01:08:00.000+08:00

THE second part of our University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 69 basketball tournament looks at the remaining four teams in action this year, followed by a set of predictions on who’s going to strike big and who's going home.

National University Bulldogs: Every time NU is mentioned, people laugh. The Bulldogs have become the league’s perennial butt of jokes, and it has become irritating even for the neutrals.
That’s why coach Manny Dandan has to start winning. It’s not as if the Bulldogs have a bad lineup. If you’ve got one of the best players in school history (Edwin Asoro) and arguably the league’s emerging shooters (Jonathan Fernandez), you have to win games.

Dave Catamora, Howard Flor and Cyrus Malagueño make up a supporting cast that can help shed the team’s mediocre image. The squad isn’t necessarily final four quality, but it has enough talent and potential to beat quality teams. One thing the team has to stop doing, though, is jacking up threes as if the three-point line was introduced yesterday (NU fired 360 attempts, and made only 74).

This isn’t your typical NU team. So if it still can’t win, the jokes will be justified.

University of the East Red Warriors: The masters of the art of disappointing are now the favorites to win the title. If the Red Warriors are looking for a time to claim the big prize and not just go near it, this is the year.

The troika of Marcy Arellano, Mark Borboran and Bonbon Custodio returns to anchor an athletic, up-and-down and pesky lineup that also includes the high-flying Elmer Espiritu, James Martinez, Jorel Cañizares and rookie-to-watch Jun Bandaying. The team’s depth is unparalleled, and the skill to match is just as equal.

Only the ghosts of the past (and there are many, starting with Gec Chia and the 2002 Ateneo championship team) and a lack of heft at the frontcourt can defuse UE’s hopes of winning the crown. This team has to believe it’s the best, or run the risk of having Recto renamed “Choke Street.”

University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons: Rewind to last year, where the State University recruited a handful of players in their final year of eligibility (Axel Doruelo, Mike Gavino, Mike Padolina, Mika Vainio) with the belief that a championship was at-hand.

The result: a rag-tag team of transferees that had ex-coach Lito Vergara seeing red every game. And the other result: breaking what otherwise would have been a more solid and long-term looking recruitment program. Now, UP is left with no choice but to field a team with nine rookies.

New coach Joe Lipa is definitely the right man to teach a bunch of kids the game of hoops. Marvin Cruz and Nestor David will be the guys to watch. Expect rookies Woody Co, Miguel de Asis and Martin Reyes to be thrown into pressure situations right away.

The mistakes of 2005 may very well serve as a blessing in disguise for a team that may just find its identity through a bunch of video game-playing cagers.

University of Santo Tomas Tigers: If you had a fantasy team, Pido Jarencio may not be your first choice head coach (the guy hasn’t even coached on a competitive level). But in UST, anyone seems better than Nel Parado, who did a great job making his average team look like a juniors “B” team.

Jarencio actually has a good team. The 2006 Tigers could well be the league’s surprise package. The youthful trio of Dylan Ababou, Jojo Duncil and Allan Evangelista already served notice that they’re no pushovers. And with the return of bona fide scorer and ball-hogging guard Jemal Vizcarra, UST has the tools to go all the way to the Final Four.

* * *
Projected standings: 1-UE. 2-Ateneo. 3-FEU. 4-UST. 5-UP. 6-NU. 7-Adamson. Final Four: UE over UST, Ateneo over FEU. Finals: UE over Ateneo.
* * *
Purefoods has taken a commanding 2-0 lead in the PBA Philippine Cup finals because it has gotten practically everyone involved. Kerby Raymundo and James Yap are getting their points—that’s a given—but Marc Pingris, Richard Yee and Roger Yap are making the Red Bull defense look so bad.

The Chunkee Giants, especially in Game 1, proved they can win even if Red Bull runs the floor. So the Bulls’ options are now limited. Perhaps, Red Bull can try slowing down the game and play to the Giants’ style in the succeeding games.
* * *
ERRATA: Patrick Tiongco played out his final year of eligibility with Adamson last year and is no longer in the team, as suggested by this column last week. Also, FEU’s rookie is Macmac Baracael, not Baraquel.

Game on (1)

2006-07-03T02:01:00.000+08:00

IT’S that time of the year again when students get those occasional breaks from studies, and when alumni feel—sometimes pathetically—like students again. Yes, the 69th Season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines basketball tournament kicks off next week, and here’s a preview of what may happen in 2006, minus De La Salle University, of course.

Adamson Soaring Falcons: The Falcons are quite a unique bunch. They talk a lot, yet lose more often. When the San Marcelino-based cagers play, the game mutates into a slugfest.

Last year, Adamson lost 11 games by an average of 14.6 points. Save for the hunger to fight, it’s this loser’s mentality that holds the team together. Soaring or not, the Falcons have to start taking basketball a little more seriously so as not to make a fool out of the school they represent.
Veteran coach Leo Austria seems to be a step in the right direction. The former PBA tactician is a no-nonsense guy, and Adamson’s players will have to do something they’ve never done before… respect. He’ll have a handful, though, in making achievers in Ken Bono, Patrick Cabahug, Leo Canuday and Roel Hugnatan, who form the nucleus of an all-hype team.

Adamson returns with 11 holdovers from last year. Typically, that means an experienced squad with the talent to match. If games were played on paper, the Falcons would be written all over it. But word is, they’ll be played in Manila, and that doesn’t bode well for these guys.

Ateneo Blue Eagles: Ateneans are said to be intellectually proficient. So here’s a theory: No more LA Tenorio, no Japeth Aguilar, no championship. It sounds like a really simple equation, but if coach Norman Black can’t make stars out of Loyola’s erstwhile blue-chip recruits, they’ll be beaten black and blue.

JC Intal fills the void as the Eagles’ go-to-guy. If you’ve got amnesia, that sounds good. The ex-Letran Squire has the talent to tear the league apart. But if you remember what he did—or didn’t do—last year, you’ll cry.

Two possibilities emerge. If the supporting quartet of Ken Barracoso, Macky Escalona, Doug Kramer and Zion Laterre step up, Ateneo will be in a position to win. But if these guys, along with the overhyped recruitment class of ’03—Ford Arao, Martin Quimson, Chris Tiu and Johan Uichico—play like softies (which has slowly become a Blue Eagle trademark), they can expect school alumni to start whining again.

Ateneo was miserable on the offensive end last year, no thanks to a lack of support from Tenorio’s teammates. Intal has to score at least 15 points a contest, and the class of ’03 has to play more physical basketball for the Eagles to contend for the title.

A plus is having arguably the best player from the high school ranks. Yes, Ateneo must be thankful they plucked Eric Salamat, the 2005 NCAA Juniors Finals Most Valuable Player. He’s Rookie of the Year caliber. And he’s not soft, so that’s great news across the Marikina Valley.

A championship is realistic for Ateneo. But it’s not because they’ve beefed up (this lineup isn’t even a shadow of last year’s team, which underachieved). It’s because other teams are a tad weaker, and De La Salle is suspended. The Blue Eagles will need a big-time effort from their otherwise small-time performers.

Far Eastern University Tamaraws: The defending champions have a huge void to fill (Arwind Santos, Mark Isip and RJ Rizada are gone), and that may be good news for the rest of the league. But the Tamaraws still have solid players who can win ugly, but win.

Stepping into the limelight is Jeff Chan. He’s a good spot-up shooter and a pesky defender—as almost all Tamaraws are. It’s this work ethic that can very much carry the Morayta cagers to the finals once again.

Chan will be supported by skillful playmaker Jonas Villanueva and the 21st century version of the Bash Brothers, Francis Barcellano and RB Mangahas. Shooting guard Benedict Fernandez can very well be the revelation of the league this year, and rookie Macmac Baracael will be asked to contribute from the perimeter.

The Tams’ weakness may be on the tactical side. Coach Bert Flores won the title last year, but can he respond to pressure situations with a younger batch of players? This time, Flores has to do something he didn’t have to as much last year, and that’s coach. In the Tams’ championship run last year, it was evident that the players made the smart decisions because they were veterans. Now, Flores has to do make the right moves.
***
Both semifinal series in the PBA Philippine Cup have been extended to Game 7s. When this reaches print, the two finalists shall have been known. Purefoods and San Miguel are heavily favored because the momentum is on their side. But for that momentum to be translated to victory, they’ve got to play their trademark game and not even attempt to experiment against adventurous Alaska and Red Bull.

That trademark is a slow-tempo game. If the games’ tempo pick up, Alaska will defeat Purefoods, and Red Bull, the masters of the fastbreak, will not only beat but blow out San Miguel.

The Taft Transition

2006-06-26T16:04:00.000+08:00

NATIONAL Collegiate Athletic Association Season 82 hosts College of Saint Benilde got off to the worst possible start in this year’s basketball competition, bowing to the depleted Letran Knights by 21 points.

The Blazers, unfortunately, are confronted with the same problem that’s been hounding them since they won the cage plum in 2000: the lack of continuity. The Taft Transition is such that Saint Benilde’s current lineup is an obscure mix of transferees and rookies. But the more bizarre twist to this puzzle is that once again, the Blazers are missing key players still eligible this year.

Last year’s surprise Most Valuable Player Jay Sagad, leading scorer Paolo Orbeta, utility man Harvey Porras and Abdel Glang are not in this year’s lineup. Whether or not their absence is due to academic ineligibility is not the issue here. These four players were expected to provide stability to a team that has the talent to go places.

Now, the Blazers have nine rookies and just six holdovers. Their roster includes a former point/shooting guard for the De La Salle Green Archers (Martin Urra, who incidentally is Saint Benilde’s key player his year), an ex-Adamson Falcon (William Johnston), one-time University of the Philippines forward (Jacob Manlapaz) and even a former Ateneo Blue Eaglet (Stan Aldover).

No recruit since 2000 has played all five years for the school. And since 2001, only Jay-A Coching, Titus Mendoza, Bernardino Perlas and Unik Reyes played out their fifth or final year of eligibility. Not even the more heralded Sunday Salvacion, Jondan Salvador, Ron Capati and Al Magpayo managed to, either because they jumped to the pros right away or were just too old to be playing in the collegiate ranks.

It seems that Saint Benilde does not have a long-term strategy in terms of recruiting players. For a school that has an abundance of resources, that’s sad. The Blazers have been left scavenging for players who fit short-term needs, a recipe for failure.

The transition of players in Saint Benilde looks anything but smooth.
***
Alaska and Red Bull have taken the advantage going into the homestretch of their Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup best-of-seven series. Holding 2-1 leads, both the Aces and Bulls need to remember just a few more things in order to finish off Purefoods and San Miguel, respectively.

The Aces lost Game 3 because their defense didn’t know who to pay attention to. Roger Yap and Jun Limpot, two unlikely sources of points, combined for 34 points. Coach Tim Cone has to have his wards play tougher defense. I’m sure they can afford to have Kerby Raymundo and James Yap score 20 or more and still win in the end, so long as the other guys are contained.

Red Bull, for its part, has to be wary of two things: running and rabbits. The Bulls may be the league’s most lethal running team, but the Beermen, especially in Game 2, showed that they aren’t too old to put up 114 points. Also, San Miguel coach Jong Uichico has pulled a rabbit out of the hat in the form of Wesley Gonzales, who’s playing more extensive minutes. Lordy Tugade and Co. may have a deeper bench, but the advantage is getting smaller.
***
I never had the chance to meet Bert Cuevas, but I am saddened by his death. The Sports section of Standard Today will surely draw inspiration from the life he’s lived.
***
Stats of the week: Colegio de San Juan de Letran’s sophomore, RJ Jazul, scored a career-high 12 points in his team’s 65-44 win over College of Saint Benilde… In that game, the Blazers scored a measly 14 points in the opening half… Red Bull center Enrico Villanueva put up double-figures in points for the first time in his team’s seven-game semifinal series, chipping in 14 markers in the Bulls’ 99-95 Game 3 win over San Miguel… Purefoods has failed to hold Alaska below 40 percent shooting in its two losses to the Aces.

The logic behind trades (In Retrospect 29)

2006-05-16T01:34:00.000+08:00

MIDSEASON trades are hard to come by in the Philippine Basketball Association. But when they happen, they either make or break a team’s final push.

Such is the case involving Air21, Alaska and Talk N Text. The Phone Pals initiated two trades, one that netted Air21’s big-game shooter Renren Ritualo and veteran point guard Patrick Fran in exchange for Leo Avenido and two future first round picks, and another deal sending Willie Miller and John Ferriols to Alaska for Don Allado and a first round pick.

With all the changes, these three teams took to the floor, generating mixed results. Air21 played and split both their games this week sans Ritualo. In a game that saw a combined 56 turnovers committed, Purefoods prevailed, 93-86, and held an opponent under 40 percent shooting for the 9th time in 12 games.

The Express, though, got the better of the Alaska Aces, 99-88. In spite of the game’s high-scoring nature, Air21 looked more serious on the defensive end, forcing the Aces to commit a conference-high 30 turnovers, while scoring a whopping 40 points off them. Both Ferriols and Miller scored 8 points apiece, while Avenido is averaging 8.5 points as a member of the Lina-owned franchise.

Two different Talk N Text quintets saw action this week, but both incurred three-point defeats. The pre-trade Phone Pals bowed to Red Bull, 84-81, while failing to execute offensively most of the way, while the reloaded version gave up a considerable lead in the fourth quarter and lost a winnable game, 124-121, against Barangay Ginebra.

It’s important to note the logic behind the trade. Air21 couldn’t trap with Ritualo; Alaska has been sick and tired of having Allado on the team and Talk N Text wanted a big man who could fill Mark Telan’s shoes better than Poch Juinio.

On paper, it seems like Air21 lost and Talk N Text won. In reality, however, one team, by way of the logic behind the deals, won big, and one lost big, while the third one would have to start from scratch, just as it has been doing since entering the league.

By getting rid of Allado, Alaska is a clear winner. The former De La Salle stalwart has made it clear as early as two years ago that he wanted out, and I still have faith in Tim Cone’s capacity to discipline Miller and Ferriols.

And by reloading, Talk N Text looks as if it’s on the wrong side of decision-making, again. Allado and Telan are two different players, the latter being more of a finisher on the break and the former fitting well in a half-court setup.

Talk N Text likes to run, and Allado is quite a liability up and down the floor. Ritualo, meanwhile, is the best shooter this side of the planet. He’ll contribute, but Miller was a better defensive player. Plus, do they need another 20-point scorer? Sure, they look great on paper, but when did they ever look bad?

Air21, for its part, looks good inasmuch as obtaining the rights to first round picks and the next two years. But they’ve always had first round picks…and never used them. The past two years, they’ve traded four of their six lottery picks. I don’t know what direction management has in store for the team, but after giving up its franchise player, it looks quite bleak.

In other games this week, San Miguel swept its assignments and booked the first automatic semifinals seat by defeating Sta. Lucia, 98-87, and thwarting Coca Cola, 95-92, in La Union. The Tigers have lost five in a row, opening the week with an 84-72 loss to Alaska.

Stats of the week: Ginebra and Talk N Text both shot over 50 percent and combined for the most number of points, 245, in their Friday matchup…Another Ginebra shock trooper, Mark Macapagal, registered a career-high with 16 points against the Pals…Niño Canaleta scored 27 points versus Alaska, a season-high for rookies…San Miguel scored 18 fastbreak points against Sta. Lucia, another season-high for the squad.

Raging Bulls, sputtering Tigers (In Retrospect 28)

2006-05-08T02:51:00.000+08:00

TWO squads going in opposite directions are shaking up the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup team standings in a big way.

The Red Bull Energy Drink Bulls, once three games below the .500 mark, are now 6-6 after winning three straight, including a big 113-87 blowout against an Air21 team that looked as if it left its guns at home. Assistant coach Gee Abanilla took the helm after Yeng Guiao’s ejection, and proved why he was the better man for the De La Salle University job, seeing the Bulls through a three-point deficit en route to a 26-point triumph.

Key for the Bulls is limiting turnovers and executing well on the offensive end. In Red Bull’s first four games this season, they turned the ball over 20-plus times. In their last eight games, they’ve only done that twice, a testament to the team’s dedication towards correcting what’s wrong and doing it gradually.

At the same time, Red Bull is stamping its authority on the break. Tops in fastbreak points a game, the Bulls are finally starting to use their tools by increasing the tempo of the game. And why not, even their big men, notably Enrico Villaneuva and Rich Alvarez, are great athletes who can run up and down alongside the smaller guys.

Sliding down the ladder, meanwhile, is Coca Cola. After a 4-0 start, the Tigers have lost five of their last seven games. This week, the Tigers lost a close 99-95 decision to the Sta. Lucia Realtors, a result that clearly doesn’t bode well for a team that has its eyes on a top four finish.

In their past seven games, coach Binky Favis’ Tigers gave their opponents leeway as to what they wanted to do, particularly regarding the games’ tempo. Gone are the days when Coca Cola dictated how the game would shape up. Against the Realtors, they allowed Jimwell Torion and company to run, and establish a game pattern that would most likely see them lose. And that’s precisely what happened.

The Tigers must again reassert themselves on the defensive end, and pull teams to play the kind of game they’ll have a better of chance of winning. Even in a conversation during the preseason, Ali Peek told me most of their games will be “ugly,” and that his teammates would make other squads grind it out all game long.

In a top of the table clash, the Purefoods Chunkee Giants continued their winning ways by holding off San Miguel in the clutch, 82-75. The Giants shot 45 percent from the field while limiting the Beermen to 37 percent shooting, in the process holding their own, once again, on the defensive end.

One team groping for wins is the Alaska Aces. In their game against Talk N Text, they finally pulled one off with a 92-89 triumph. Every time Alaska wins a game this season, it looks like a catalyst for a winning streak. For the Aces’ own good, I hope coach Tim Cone knows what almost always follows an Alaska win…bad form and losses.

Finally, the week’s out-of-town matchup featured a beleaguered Barangay Ginebra quintet taking advantage of horrendous shot selection on the part of Sta. Lucia in the endgame to carve out a 101-84 demolition of the Realtors.

Stats of the week: Air21 gave up a conference-high 113 points to Red Bull…Ginebra’s Ervin Sotto scored 15 points versus Sta. Lucia, a new career-high…The Realtors are the only team this conference that has yet to post back-to-back wins…Purefoods continued its remarkable record of holding opponents under 40 percent shooting, doing it for the 9th time in the Philippine Cup against the Beermen.

Midterm marks (In Retrospect 27)

2006-05-01T01:43:00.000+08:00

SCHOOL may be out, but with the league taking a timeout for the all-star break, it’s time for this professor to hand out each time their grades.

Air21 Express (4-7): The Express can score. We all know that. But in the first half of this conference, that’s all they did, much to the detriment of the defense they play. On second thought, do they play defense? The lowest output they’ve given up all conference is 88 points in a win versus Coca Cola. But being last in opponents scoring and opponents field goal percentage won’t get them that far in the Philippine Cup. Topping the league in rebounding may ease the bleeding, but coach Bo Perasol’s wards have to realize that you don’t always have the ball in basketball. Grade: C+

Alaska Aces (4-6): Disappointment. In one word, this sums up the Aces’ first half of the Philippine Cup, and entire season for that matter. While being one of only two teams to hand league-leading San Miguel a loss so far, they’re also one of only two teams to be beaten by Sta. Lucia. Inconsistency is indicative of a deeper problem, and Alaska is certainly plagued by some sort of system fatigue. Seems like the triangle offense, a surefire recipe for good shot selection, isn’t making the players happy anymore. The Aces are eighth in turnovers and seventh and field goal shooting. Grade: D

Barangay Ginebra Kings (4-6): Winning four games with four fifths of the starting lineup nursing injuries is an achievement in itself. However, don’t let the numbers fool you, but the Kings have a penchant for giving up easy baskets, especially when playing zone despite ranking second in the league in opponents field goal shooting. If the squad’s shock troopers can play better zone since coach Siot Tanquingcen finds it better to give opponents different looks, this team may just pull off a few more surprises. Grade: C+

Coca Cola Tigers (6-4): Coca Cola is looking good heading into the playoffs. Aside from playing great defense, the Tigers seem to always stick around in games, having only lost twice in double-digits and managing to pull off close games. They’re 3-1 in games decided by five points or less. Once they get 2 to 3 more consistent offensive options aside from John Arigo and Ali Peek, they’ll be championship-caliber. Grade: B+

Purefoods Chunkee Giants (8-3): Much has been said about Purefoods’ defense. The only team holding opponents below 80 points per game, however, is showing everyone how deep they are, with guys like Eugene Tejada and Richard Yee playing big these days. Come playoff time, though, they’ll be all about Kerby and James. And soon enough, teams will find out about it. So far, however, so good. Grade: B+

Red Bull Energy Drink Bulls (5-6): For Red Bull fans, a sub-.500 record may seem unacceptable, especially after a championship. Despite this, it seems as if the Bulls treat the classification round as a feeling out process. In the Fiesta Conference, they were 9-8 in the eliminations. In the playoffs, they were 11-5, a sign that coach Yeng Guiao’s best comes out when playing a single opponent in a long period of time. The Bulls will win more games, that’s a certainty. Grade: C+

San Miguel Beermen (9-2): Danny Seigle is dynamite, Dorian Peña is a monster on the boards and Dondon Hontiveros is clutch. The Beermen have all the ingredients for a championship run. Grade: A

Sta. Lucia Realtors (2-8): One of my colleagues said the Realtors need a complete overhaul if they’re to win. I concur. Grade: F

Talk N Text Phone Pals (5-5): It’s both good and bad for the Phone Pals. Even with a new coach and relatively new system, they’re supposed to win games, and lots of them. Their shooting (44.7 percent, tops in the league) is remarkable. Yet, I have doubts about the simpler system they’re running. A championship is long overdue, but there’s something about this core of players. I can’t see them winning it all. Grade: B

Why they're winning (In Retrospect 26)

2006-04-23T03:10:00.000+08:00

THE Purefoods Chunkee Giants, at least in the classification round of the Philippine Cup, are doing something I didn’t expect them to do…win games.

Through a sweep of their games this week, the Giants are now in second place in the team standings. In both games, Purefoods also did what I didn’t think they were capable of…win ugly games.

So what makes this relatively small, inexperienced and point guard-less squad click? First of all, the Chunkee Giants are clearly the league’s best defensive team. With a system that switches from zone to man-to-man and the signature of assistant coach Koy Banal all over it, the Giants are tops in the league in opponents points per game (80.8 points) and opponents field goal percentage (37.1 percent).

This week, Purefoods also displayed nerves of steel in the endgame. Both their wins were come-from-behind victories. In their 79-75 defeat of Coca Cola, the Chunkee Giants outscored the Tigers 29-13 in the third quarter, while limiting them to a conference-low 32.9 percent team shooting. Against the Alaska Aces, Purefoods’ 2-3 zone forced guys like Nic Belasco and Mike Cortez to shoot from the outside while capitalizing on the offensive end through simple yet effective plays executed by Kerby Raymundo, who canned two baskets in the final two minutes to help seal the game, 69-64.

Despite not having a true point guard, Purefoods is committing the second least number of turnovers a ballgame at 16.9, an indication that even converted off-guards like Roger Yap can orchestrate a more or less simple offense making use of picks at the elbow and post-kickout plays.

So are the Giants for real? The classification round says yes, but the playoffs are, again, another story. But for now, kudos to coach Ryan Gregorio and his wards.

Meanwhile, moving in the opposite direction are the wild and out-of-sorts Air21 Express. The Express lost by a combined 32 points this week. And for the umpteenth time, the reason is defense. Coach Bo Perasol once told me that since his team is an offensive-minded squad, their “defense flows with their offense.” In effect, Air21 will continue to run until they drop in the hope that their opponents drop first, while letting their defense settle in with the transition type of basketball they have a penchant for.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case. After absorbing a 103-88 drubbing at the hands of Talk N Text due in part to their lackluster rebounding (-15), fastbreak points, believe it or not (-12) and free throws made (-13), the Express were outgunned by a much older San Miguel quintet, 117-100.

A team surprisingly groping for form is Red Bull. In a battle of pre-season favorites with disappointing records, the Bulls defeated Barangay Ginebra, 83-68. Before that, the Fiesta Conference champions bowed to Alaska in a thriller they themselves could have won, 83-82. Areas of concern for Red Bull lie in their lackluster defense (7th in opponents field goal shooting) and problems moving the ball around (7th in turnovers committed).

In the week’s other game, Talk N Text, which is now on a three-game winning run, thwarted the listless Sta. Lucia Realtors, 98-90. It seems as if the Realtors are even better without their overpaid big three, two of whom returned to competitive play only to combine for 23 points. If they were still reeling from their injuries, they should have been benched. Marlou Aquino, Kenneth Duremdes and to a certain degree, Dennis Espino, only stall the Realtors’ offense.

Stats of the week: Air21 gave up more than 100 points in both games this week, and have allowed opponents to exceed the century mark for the four games running…Coca Cola set a conference-high 17 fastbreak points in their loss to Purefoods…Jayjay Helterbrand and Eric Menk combined for an awful 9 points in their defeat against Red Bull…No team in any of the seven games this week shot beyond 50 percent from the field…San Miguel’s Brandon Cablay registered his highest output in a Beermen uniform, scoring 14 points in their game versus Air21.

Rebirth (In Retrospect 25)

2006-04-15T01:02:00.000+08:00

EASTER is a time when Catholics commemorate the resurrection of their Messiah from the dead. In the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup, several teams need to resurrect their campaigns before their seasons are nailed to the cross…permanently.

One team I expected so much from is the Barangay Ginebra Kings. While the statistics aren’t that frightening (tops in rebounding and committing the fewest turnovers, 2nd in opponents field goal percentage), what’s scary is outside the numbers.

The Kings have tried all sorts of defenses, from the basic man-to-man to the 2-3 zone, box and 1 and even the 3-2, which is rarely used nowadays. While the Kings have gifted defenders in the likes of Jayjay Helterbrand, Mark Caguioa at the backcourt and Romel Adducul inside, they just can’t play zone defense. Quite honestly, when the Kings shift to zone, it’s tantamount to giving the opposing teams easy baskets.

Take for instance a specific play from their stinging 103-94 defeat at the hands of San Miguel. When the Kings had a three-guard lineup, Helterbrand, Caguioa and Sunday Salvacion extended to the outside and the team played 3-2 zone. Unfortunately, the three players seemed confused, and all positioned themselves near or even beyond the three-point line, leaving practically the whole perimeter, elbow and key open to cutters. As a result, the Beermen exploited this error, and scored off a gimme.

I’ve been harping on the Kings’ defense for as long as they’ve been losing games because of their amateur-like rotation on zone. If their intention is to give opponents different looks by changing defenses, all they’ve succeeded in is confusing each other. Ginebra looks more formidable when playing straight up man.

Another team on the rocks is Red Bull Barako. My take on this team is that it is too deep for its own good. While coach Yeng Guiao managed to win a title without having a starting and finishing five and instead resorting to a “who’s hot” endgame lineup, it seems that it’s giving them fits this conference.

As an outsider looking in, I feel that several of the players on the team don’t know their roles that well, partly because on any given night, a different set of players start and another quintet finishes. The Bulls have only had the same starting five twice this conference, against Coca Cola and Sta. Lucia. A more consistent rotation is the only way that will make this team more cohesive and confident in the endgame.

Meanwhile, a squad I feel very sorry for as each game passes is Alaska. What’s happening to the Aces? Has multi-titled coach Tim Cone lost the respect of his players? Is a core unit of players (Don Allado, Mike Cortez, Reynel Hugnatan) getting tired of the triangle? One can only speculate, but speculate well at that since there is no other reason to justify this unit’s lack of desire to win games.

The only unit I see rising from the ashes from the rest of the bottom rung teams is Talk N Text. Mac Cardona isn’t surprising me at all. He’s a talented player and is showing it. The system also looks good, perhaps not as well-oiled as Joel Banal’s or even Bill Bayno’s, but enough to see the Phone Pals through to at least a shot at the number five slot.

Expecting a rebirth from Air21 and Sta. Lucia? Don’t get your hopes that high. The Express are scoring “just” 96.1 points a game while giving up a whopping 103.1 per contest. As for the Realtors, well, they’re simply the Realtors, and that’s more than enough reason not to hope.

Tried and tested (In Retrospect 24)

2006-04-09T02:04:00.000+08:00

THESE days, the San Miguel Beermen are flowing like wine.

They opened the week with a 94-90 triumph over Talk N Text. Despite giving up 47.4 percent from the field, San Miguel did the little things to keep the Phone Pals away. By outrebounding the Pals by eight and making all but four of their 19 free throws while executing their offense and taking the smart shots, SMB succeeded in putting off a run and gun Phone Pals quintet.

In their 93-77 victory over Purefoods, SMB put the clamps on the league’s erstwhile leader in fastbreak points, while shellacking the Chunkee Giants’ leading scorers. After limiting the Kerby Raymundo-James Yap connection to just 22 points, the Beermen pulled away, with four of their starters hitting double-figures.

The league-leading Beermen are sitting atop the team standings with a 6-2 mark, and they’re winning with the same tried and tested lineup that brought the franchise a string of championships this decade. Also, they’re beating opponents in the typical unorthodox Beermen way. Despite having an 8-9 man rotation, a starting lineup with the oldest average age in the league and ranking last in fastbreak points, San Miguel is showing that not having the most stifling defense, the deepest bench or a run-and-gun assault can still lead to victories.

Indeed, the Beermen are getting better with age, just like good old wine.

At the other end of the spectrum, meanwhile, Red Bull and Alaska, two teams I expected to wreck havoc in this year’s Philippine Cup, have been on the receiving end of sour losses. The Bulls lost a close 89-85 decision to Coca Cola, which got its groove back on the defensive end. Also, Red Bull just couldn’t run the floor and get the easy shots they’ve been used to after being held to just 7 points off the break, roughly half of their season average.

Against Talk N Text in Dumaguete City, the Bulls just couldn’t execute their gameplan on the offensive end and got pummeled in the rebounding department en route to a 99-93 defeat. All Red Bull could do was jack up treys and commit turnovers, an indication that things aren’t going as smoothly on the offensive end.

As for Alaska, their three-game losing streak seems like a result of an attitude problem more than a talent deficit. Their 91-88 setback against Barangay Ginebra may be considered a game that could have gotten either way, but the Aces had a lot of chances to put the game away. Nic Belasco missed two crucial free throws in the final minute, a sight reminiscent of his days in San Miguel last conference.

Over in Antipolo City, the Sta. Lucia Realtors, who were missing the services of Kenneth Duremdes and Dennis Espino and fielding in an injured Marlou Aquino, made the Aces look, quite honestly, like an amateur team. The Realtors sank all the treys and executed an efficient 2-1-2 zone defense, with the seldom-used Oliver Agapito moving up from the center and getting his hands on the passing lanes of a triangle offense the Aces seem to despise by the day.

The Aces’ 89-82 loss to the Realtors gave me a glimpse of something a box score can’t display. Their body language spoke for themselves. Alaska looked like a beaten team from the second half onwards, where a mere 8-0 run appeared to be an insurmountable mountain to climb. Coach Tim Cone needs to rid this team of the same disease that plagued them last conference.

In the week’s other game, Purefoods gave Air21 a dose of its own medicine, scoring 26 points off the break and converting half their shots from the field to derail the Express, 105-94.

Stats of the week: It was a rookie display this week, with Phone Pal Mac Cardona registering a career-high 21 points versus SMB…Coca Cola’s Dennis Miranda went 7 for 10 shooting and also set a career-best with 21 points…After a bad performance last week, Larry Fonacier of Red Bull also made 7 out of 10 shots and scored 19 points while hauling down 7 rebounds…Red Bull posted a conference-low 7 fastbreak points versus the Tigers…Two of the top three teams in the standings, Purefoods and Coca Cola are committing the least number of turnovers in the game, averaging 16.6. and 16.7 respectively.

Convincing enough? (In Retrospect 23)

2006-04-02T03:11:00.000+08:00

THIS week was a tale of three teams who exhibited the best, the worst and ultimately, what’s to come, as this writer perceives it.

The Purefoods Chunkee Giants now stand atop the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup team standings. Not only are the Giants beating opponents to the pulp, but tightening up on the defensive end. In their 91-73 win over Alaska, Purefoods made more than half of their shots while limiting a deliberate Aces quintet to 38.6 percent shooting from the field.

Five days later, coach Ryan Gregorio’s troops trampled Red Bull in a rematch of last conference’s championship series, 93-80. Noteworthy was how the Giants managed to stop Red Bull’s vaunted transition game, limiting the league’s top-ranked fastbreaking squad to just 9 points.

Gregorio was quoted to have told his wards that they have to live up to their billing as the league’s “best defensive team.” Going by the numbers, they’re number one in opponents field goal percentage (36.9 percent) and opponents points per game (77.5). So far, the Chunkee Giants are proving me wrong (They were nowhere near my preseason top four).

However, I am not backing down from my earlier assessment. I have my doubts about Purefoods. First and foremost, the Giants aren’t shooting the ball well. Last conference, they led the league in field goal shooting. Last conference as well, the top two seeds heading into the playoffs were the two best shooting teams after the classification round. In the Philippine Cup, Purefoods is ranked 5th.

This is partly due to the fact that the team does not have a true point guard running the offense and setting plays. Paul Artadi and Egay Billones aren't starting lineup-caliber players, and their reliance on a point guard by committee will hurt them in the long run.

Also, the Giants haven’t won an “ugly” game. They’ve won all four of their games by double-digits at an average of 16 points. While this is indicative of their dominance, the gods of mathematics, or laws of average, or a combination of both, will see Purefoods figure in a close match. Also, not all four wins were necessarily a product of the Giants’ brilliance (Ginebra scored a season-low 56 points, while one of the four teams they beat was the lethargic Sta. Lucia Realtors).

Meanwhile, one of the squads that impressed me in the pre-season, the Coca Cola Tigers, is mired in a two-game losing streak. After getting trampled by the Talk N Text Phone Pals, 100-82, the Tigers lost a close 84-81 decision to Barangay Ginebra.

After looking at both of Coca Cola’s losses this week, only one common denominator emerges. The Tigers just couldn’t find the bottom of the net. And frankly, this is the glaring weakness of coach Binky Favis’ wards. Towards the end of their four-game winning streak, the team was already struggling to find offensive options. Now, they have to go back to the drawing board, and execute more efficiently, especially in the half court, to pave the way for the shots guys like John Arigo, Ali Peek and Dale Singson used to sink.

As for the only team that lost both their games this week, what’s new? The Sta. Lucia Realtors’ two losses, a 100-89 defeat at the hands of San Miguel and a 113-100 drubbing from Air21, follow the same pattern. In both games, the Realtors actually found themselves leading in the fourth quarter. Their fold-ups can be attributed to a horrible execution of a 2-3 zone that has become so easy to break.

Coach Alfrancis Chua has expressed his intent to turn the Realtors into a running team. By the looks of it, they resemble a poor man’s version of the Air21 Express.

Also during the week, Red Bull outgunned the Express in a battle of the league’s top two fastbreaking quintets, 112-98.

Stats of the week: Against Purefoods, leading Rookie of the Year contender Larry Fonacier went 0 for 8 shooting in 22 minutes of play…In that same game, Chunkee Giant and former University of Sto. Tomas Growling Tiger Richard Yee registered a career-high 19 points…Alaska set an obvious season-low for fastbreak points in a game against the Giants, 0 points…Air21’s Yancy de Ocampo grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds in Isabela versus Sta. Lucia.

Views on the PBL's opening round of games

2006-03-28T00:36:00.000+08:00

I CAN’T blame people, especially avid Manila Standard Today readers for thinking that I am purely a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) writer. My column, In Retrospect, exclusively focuses on that. But one thing I like about this blog is that it will give me a chance to speak my mind about anything sports-related, cause trust me, I practically watch and have opinions about a lot of sports.

The Philippine Basketball League (PBL) Unity Cup kicked off last weekend, with four games spread over two days. By the looks of things, those four games may more or less be indicative of certain patterns that will most likely hold sway for the rest of the season.

The season’s first game pitted the Montaña Jewels and the Teletech Titans, perhaps two of the most underrated teams in the league. While it was no surprise to see Alex Compton hit clutch baskets to lift the Jewels to a 65-62 win over Jerry Codiñera’s wards, it was more surprising to see how gritty the Titans were.

Definitely, Teletech has a more talented core of players than the team it replaced, the Far Eastern Insurers. With ex-pro Niño Gelig leading the way, and young scrappy players such as Ronnie Bughao, Axel Doruelo, Francis Mercado and Donn Rez Vilamin surrounding him, it will be a fun team to watch.

Granny Goose’s upset of Magnolia, meanwhile, startled me as much as it surprised fans and pundits alike. While there is no denying that the Spinners of coach Koy Banal will most likely vie for the championship, the Snackmasters picked up a gem in the off-season, a fundamentally sound player that holds the key to their success – Mapua Cardinal and 2005 NCAA Rookie of the Year Kelvin dela Peña. Against Magnolia, dela Peña hit the crucial baskets to help Granny Goose thump Magnolia, 64-55.

Dela Peña is a smart player. He has a knack for the ball, a dependable jump shot, a wide array of moves particularly on the way to the basket, and is a hard-nosed defender. It was, honestly, quite dumb of Harbour Centre to let this prized Cardinal go.

And speaking of Harbour Centre, the Portmasters, resembling some sort of an Ateneo-La Salle consortium, couldn’t hit their stride. If you can’t get things going against Rain or Shine, you’ll lose. And of course, that’s what happened. In their 70-64 loss to Rain or Shine, one player stood out for the right reasons, while one, in typical fashion, basked in the limelight of mediocrity.

First, the good news. Ryan Araña, a hardworking small forward from de la Salle University, imposed his will on the game and almost single-handedly led Harbour Center to a victory. However, his more celebrated teammate, Joseph Yeo, once again obstructed the team’s flow, especially on the offensive end. With a 2-for-12 shooting clip, Yeo continually shows why he is one of the most overrated players to come out of the collegiate ranks.

While credit is due to Rain or Shine, particularly for holding the Portmasters to a 28.9 percent field goal shooting clip, it was a game Harbour Center could have won. If the team perhaps still had dela Peña or University of the East deadshot Marcy Arellano in the fold, they could have beaten the Elasto Painters. These two shooting guards made things easier for point guards LA Tenorio and Earn Saguindel last conference since they never maintained a shoot-first mentality. The ball moved more freely, and oftentimes led to more high percentage shots converted by big man Robert Reyes. Coach Jorge Gallent will have his hands full in explaining to Yeo that basketball is a team game.

In the tournament’s other game, the Toyota-Otis Sparks leaned on the endgame heroics of Boyet Bautista and the efficiency of Joe Devance en route to a 77-73 win over archrivals Hapee-Philippine Christian University. I expect these two squads to be more competitive this conference, and the game was indicative of the brand of basketball they’re capable of dishing out.

Getting their groove back (In Retrospect 22)

2006-03-25T23:58:00.000+08:00

THEY’RE finally winning.

Coming off one of the most disappointing campaigns in a decade last conference, the Alaska Aces seem to be hitting their stride in an attempt to evoke memories of past success. Coach Tim Cone’s wards may not be on top of any statistical category, but his squad is getting the job done beyond the box score.

In their 99-84 thumping of Air21, the Aces took a page out of the Express’ playbook by scoring a conference-high 30 fastbreak points, while putting up a +8 advantage in rebounds and +7 in points of turnovers, with five Aces scoring in double-digits. Five days later, Alaska left it late but eventually won a game they deserved by keeping the Talk N Text Phone Pals scoreless in the final four minutes of the game to seal an 86-79 win.

Cone, in a conversation with Standard Today, said the team’s chemistry is improving, and expressed optimism despite some things he’s tweaking. “I like our chemistry, it’s getting better. Also, we’re using Willy [Wilson] as a two, while turning Reynel [Hugnatan] into someone like Lamar Odom, using him outside to hit jump shots.”

The multi-titled mentor explained that even the team’s attitude is more positive. “Last conference, we had some players complaining about playing time. That’s why we decided to cut our depth by trading Rich [Alvarez] and Brandon [Cablay]. We have less guards, but it’s okay. This time, we have a five that can start and finish games, and players who don’t have to look at the bench when they make mistakes.”

On the other end of the spectrum, things are looking quite dim for the Barangay Ginebra Kings, who are on a three-game losing skid as they followed up their 59-point performance against San Miguel with a 56-point output versus the Purefoods Chunkee Giants, who put up 73 to win their contest. Air21 split their games this week at the expense of the Kings, who, despite managing to score 98 points, gave up 109 in the process.

Again, defense seems to be the Kings’ problem. When they shift from a zone to a man-to-man, spaces emerge, allowing opponents to capitalize. Players don’t know their roles in the defensive scheme. When the Kings played a box and 1 against Air21, only Mark Caguioa knew he was guarding Renren Ritualo, while the rest of his teammates didn’t know if they were playing man or zone.

Perhaps, the Kings can learn a thing or two from the Coca Cola Tigers, whose expertise lies in the smooth transition of shifting from one type of defense to another and back at will. Speaking of the Tigers, they remain the only unbeaten team in the league after beating San Miguel, 75-72.

The Beermen, meanwhile, won the league’s first provincial game this conference with a come-from-behind 95-90 triumph against Red Bull. Noteworthy was the way the Beermen destroyed the Bulls’ interior, with Danny Ildefonso and Dorian Peña combining for 47 points and 24 rebounds. Red Bull, meanwhile, defeated the lethargic Sta. Lucia Realtors, 104-90, behind the stellar play of Mick Pennisi and Paolo Bugia, who made up for the sub-par performances of their more celebrated teammates like Enrico Villanueva.

In the league’s second sanctioned overseas game ever, Talk N Text, which is mired at the bottom of the team standings with Sta. Lucia and is in the middle of its worst start since the 2001 All-Filipino Conference with Louie Alas at the coaching helm, defeated Purefoods, 88-66. Against the Chunkee Giants, Talk N Text held Purefoods to season-lows in scoring and field goal percentage.

Stats of the week: Barangay Ginebra beat its season-low scoring output of 59 points with 56 against Purefoods…Contrary to what I wrote last week, the all-time league scoring low is 47 points, while Ginebra’s franchise-low is 54 points…The Kings’ main gun, Eric Menk, scored a measly 4 points on 2 for 14 shooting in 30 minutes of play against the Chunkee Giants…Purefoods shot a conference-low 27.8 percent from the field against Talk N Text in Hong Kong…After scoring 19 points in his first game this conference, Dondon Hontiveros of San Miguel has chipped in just 13 points total over his next four games.

Where's the D? (In Retrospect 21)

2006-03-20T15:43:00.000+08:00

IT may be too early to foretell how things will pan out in this year’s Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup, but certain patterns are gradually emerging and may be indicative of more serious problems.

In particular, my pre-tournament picks to clinch the classification round’s top spot, the Barangay Ginebra Kings, may be in a relatively good position at 2-1 by splitting their games this week, but coach Siot Tanquincen’s wards aren’t playing good defense.

The stats may show otherwise, but the Kings, who had to rally from a 15-point deficit to defeat the Sta. Lucia Realtors, 98-93, struggled in their defensive sets. While Ginebra can be credited for alternating between the 2-3 zone and man-to-man defenses, it seemed as if the players had problems rotating and spacing, particularly in the zone.

The Realtors hit 11 three pointers not because they set effective picks to free up shooters, but because the Kings and the two perimeter defenders in the 2-3 zone couldn’t choose whether to sag in the paint to prevent an inside incursion or give up the paint and challenge the shooters.

In their 77-59 loss to San Miguel, the Kings had problems rotating within the zone, failing to stretch to the corner, which is the closest outside shot to the basket, and oftentimes the zone breaker.

Tanquincen is a master tactician and the Kings are a talented team. They ought to be playing better defense.

Meanwhile, a team not known for playing defense, the Air21 Express, has to realize that to a certain extent, a balance between running the break and tightening up on defense must be struck. While the Express managed to outgun the Talk N Text Phone Pals, 105-102, they gave up 22 fastbreak points, which made the game closer than it should have been. Prior to that, the Pals scored just 3 points off the break in their opener against Ginebra.

In their heartbreaking 102-100 defeat against the Realtors, Air21 allowed Sta. Lucia to put up conference-highs in points scored and field goal percentage, aside from letting Kenneth Duremdes tear them up with 30 points in the first three quarters of the game.

Although the reintroduction of high octane basketball has become a source of excitement for fans and even players alike, it is, once again, not an excuse for failing to lock up on defense.

In the week’s other games, Fiesta Conference champions Red Bull broke into the win column with a 99-87 win over Alaska. The Bulls were simply unstoppable on the offensive end, hitting a team season-high 55.3 percent from the field, while the Aces, on the other hand, did not manifest a desire to win, something that was very evident in last conference’s disastrous outing.

The Coca-Cola Tigers remain on the top of the heap, being the only undefeated team in the league through an 80-72 triumph over Purefoods. Despite top guns, John Arigo and Ali Peek being silenced on the scoring end, the Tigers showed everyone how efficient defense can result to wins. This is one team that can alternate between a 2-3, man-to-man and even 2-3 matchup zone to stifle opponents.

Stats of the week: After giving up 102 points against Sta. Lucia, Air21 has yet to keep opponents below the century mark this conference... Red Bull has shot above 50 percent in both their games in the Philippine Cup... Dennis Espino of the Realtors recorded his third straight double-double with a 24 point, 12 rebound performance... Barangay Ginebra was just a point away from tying the league’s all-time scoring low in a game after their 59-point performance versus San Miguel.

Look who's growling now (In Retrospect 20)

2006-03-13T06:52:00.000+08:00

THE Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup may be just a week old. But as early as now, one team is roaring loudly and making its presence felt where it counts the most—on defense.

When I visited one of the Coca-Cola Tigers’ practices back in the preseason, coach Binky Favis stressed that his team was still trying to find its “identity.” After his squad’s first two games, however, it seems as if the identity crisis has ended. Coca-Cola, which limited teams to the fewest points per game in the league last conference, is making squads bleed for points.

Against the run and gun Air21 Express, the Tigers limited the Fiesta Conference third placers to 38.9 percent field goal shooting from the field, and only 30 second half points after coach Bo Perasol’s wards put up 53 in the first half alone in typical Air21 fashion. Coca-Cola’s 104-83 shellacking of the Express showed that once the Tigers impose their will on the defensive end, they’re a tough team to beat.

In their 81-69 victory over the Alaska Aces, Coca-Cola’s defensive stance (the Aces were limited to 34.2 percent shooting from the field) again took center stage, alongside power forward Ali Peek’s historical 12 for 12 clip from the field, which eclipsed the mark he set back when he played for Alaska in 2001. In both games, the Tigers rotated perfectly on defense, helping out in the post and sagging on slashers. The paint, all of a sudden, has become a point of no return for opponents.

Meanwhile, the Aces, before bowing to Coca-Cola, chalked up a win early on in the week with a victory over San Miguel, 103-90. Former Beerman Nic Belasco was hitting on all cylinders in a seemingly effortless fashion, scoring 30 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Alaska also had a +15 advantage on the boards, translating to a +14 edge in second chance points.

Likewise, San Miguel won its first game this week by defeating Red Bull, 101-93. Without taking anything away from the sharp-shooting Beermen and how balanced their attack was (six players scored in double figures), it was a game the Bulls could have won. I think the buck stops with Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao, who took out Celino Cruz and Larry Fonacier in the home stretch.

The problem here was that Cruz, Fonacier and Lordy Tugade hit three consecutive treys each to help Red Bull build a three-point lead in the fourth canto. When Cruz and Fonacier left the game, the Bulls were a much smaller and more vulnerable defensive team, which helped the Beermen score more easily in the endgame.

In the week’s two other games, Purefoods, led by James Yap’s 34 points, helped destroy a listless and lethargic Sta. Lucia Realtors, 104-88. The Chunkee Giants hit their stride on the scoring end, shooting 50 percent as a team. Defending champions Barangay Ginebra, meanwhile, dismantled the Talk N Text Phone Pals, 98-81. The Phone Pals may still be adjusting to new coach Derick Pumaren’s system, but giving up 50.6 percent shooting from the field and scoring just 3 fastbreak points cannot be attributed to any form of adjusting, particularly because Pumaren has emphasized that this conference’s team will be a defensive-oriented and running team.

Stats of the week: Sta. Lucia’s lumbering big man, Marlou Aquino, scored just 2 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 38 minutes of play... the Realtors redefined shot selection by throwing up 28 attempts from rainbow country, and converting on just 4... Talk N Text, who succumbed by 17 against Ginebra, never lost in double digits last conference... Three players, Yap, Red Bull’s Paolo Bugia and Alaska’s Willie Wilson, registered respective career-highs of 34, 12 and 10 points... San Miguel’s 55.7 percent field goal shooting clip is a 2005-06 season high, not just a conference high.

My 4 picks (In Retrospect 19)

2006-03-06T10:50:00.000+08:00

WITH the 2006 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup looming, now is the perfect time to make another batch of predictions, this time as to who I think will fill up the Top 4 slots after the double-round classification round. (Note: This pertains to the Top 4 teams after the eliminations and does not in any way indicate how they will perform come playoff time)

1. Barangay Ginebra Kings. The Kings will actually be a better All-Filipino team sans an import, who becomes the center of attention and makes locals ponder on what their role in the team is. Ginebra lost in the playoffs last conference because certain plays were specifically drawn up for Chris Porter. By the time opposing teams like Red Bull hit the game tapes, Porter was scouted, and the locals were left second-guessing each other.

Despite the injuries to Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand, the Kings will top the classification round because they have an imposing frontline anchored by Eric Menk and Romel Adducul, and potent shooters and slashers, in effect giving the team three different options to put points on the board. Also, the Kings can effectively run the break. They are almost impossible to stop when they impose this kind of tempo on a game.

Key for the Kings will be to limit turnovers. Without an import, Ginebra has a group of players, who know how to play with each other, so expect the TOs to dwindle, even if a guy like Egay Echavez starts at the point. Even with a battery of injuries, this team is deep, and good.

2. Red Bulls. Fresh off a championship, the Bulls are naturally as confident and upbeat as ever. Red Bull, with the bargain acquisition of Rich Alvarez, is deep and loaded. Despite leading in fastbreak points, the Bulls can also play and win a slow and even ugly game. It is this flexible approach to the game that spells trouble for opponents.

Alvarez will beef up the frontline and reunite with three of his Ateneo de Manila teammates. He will aptly assist Enrico Villanueva and Mick Pennisi crash the boards, and open the lane as he is a shifty slasher. Add to this the fact that Red Bull has a group of tenacious perimeter defenders in Larry Fonacier, Lordy Tugade and Junthy Valenzuela.

Ginebra will edge out Red Bull by way of a quotient, or at most, one win.

3. Alaska Aces. Something tells me that coach Tim Cone will never allow his players not to play on one page as what happened last conference. Just like Ginebra and Red Bull, Alaska has a strong and deep frontline (six players can play the four spot) with the addition of Nic Belasco.

Although it is smaller than other squads’ frontcourts, it will hold its own, primarily because it is quicker, and better off guarding face-up. Opposing big men will be able to push guys like Sonny Thoss quite easier than other defenders, but he and teammates like Don Allado and Reynel Hugnatan will be faster in helping out in double teams and switching back.

As I mentioned in Standard Today’s conference preview, the Aces will be needing a fourth guard to complement the backcourt rotation. Brandon Cablay’s absence will not be missed, even if he is an excellent basketball player. With that being the only potential chink in their armor, Alaska will be a team to reckon with.

4. Coca-Cola Tigers. I am not kidding, nor are you blind or misreading this. Coca-Cola will be this conference’s surprise package. The Tigers, despite not having a household name in their lineup, are actually one of the league’s scariest defensive teams. And in a conference, where locals are expected to penetrate the hole and kick out more often, there’s Billy Mamaril, Ali Peek and Rafi Reavis to give them a warm welcome.

I know the Tigers lack scorers. Save for Peek, John Arigo and even Dale Singson, this team, it seems, won’t be able to score. But that’s all right. They’ll get it done on the defensive end. Coach Binky Favis’ wards will make teams bleed for their points, then capitalize on them.

Expect San Miguel and Talk N Text to battle for fourth. It will be tight, but I like the Tigers’ chances.

The 10 best (In Retrospect 18)

2006-02-28T09:06:00.000+08:00

RED Bull’s scintillating 83-73 championship-clinching win over Purefoods caps off one of the more memorable Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) conferences in recent years. As the Bulls celebrate their first championship in four years, In Retrospect reviews the 10 biggest stories of the San Mig Coffee Fiesta Conference.

10. Welcoat’s entry into the PBA. The league reverts to a 10-team format next season after Welcoat Paints purchased Shell’s franchise early this conference. It will be interesting to see yet another young team, anchored by big men Jay-R Reyes and Junjun Cabatu (who will most likely be lifted by the team from the amateur ranks) take the court and add a little more spice (think Ronjay Enrile) and ruggedness (Jojo Tangkay and Marvin Ortiguerra) to a league that always welcomes both.

9. “L-Dubb” and what might have been. Because of the team’s forgettable performance this year, many fans may have forgotten about the Sta. Lucia Realtors. On hindsight, however, they could have been a more competitive team had they kept their import Luke “L-Dubb” Whitehead. The former Louisville Cardinal was averaging 30 points and 14.7 rebounds, while leading the Realtors to a 2-1 slate, before surprisingly being dismissed. Sta. Lucia’s list of erroneous judgments seems to be getting longer, and the decision to get rid of Whitehead manifests that to the tee.

8. Oh, Larry! Initially, many people were not surprised to see Larry Fonacier picked 14th overall in the 2005 PBA Draft. After suffering an ACL and MCL tear, many pundits thought the ex-Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagle’s days were over. Well, sorry for the six teams that overlooked one of the most fundamentally sound and versatile rookies in the draft, as Fonacier is currently leading the Rookie of the Year race after playing a key role in Red Bull’s championship run.

7. The fans are back. The Fiesta Conference registered the highest average attendance in eight years. Kudos to league commissioner Noli Eala and his crew for a job well done. Perhaps, his next challenge is to help increase the fan bases of teams like Sta. Lucia, Coca-Cola and even Air21 to further boost the league’s image.

6. The aging Beermen. San Miguel Beer coach Jong Uichico thought he could get by and win games with a team that wasn’t getting younger. The defending champions racked up just six wins in the classification round. Much worse, they couldn’t run the ball nor score off transition. The off-season additions of Brandon Cablay and Wesley Gonzales will give the team the literal lift it needs.

5. Run and gun Express. For the first time in recent memory, a PBA team stamped its identity in the league through a vaunted fastbreak attack. The Air21 Express, who claimed a franchise-best third-place finish this conference, reintroduced a system that injected both excitement and energy by way of running, and running, and running.

4. Wrong number. In arguably the most mysterious tale of the conference, preseason favorite Talk N Text was simply out of sync all season long. What made matters worse was that management pointed the finger at coach Joel Banal, the league’s winningest coach since 2003, instead of some players who were clearly not on the same page. Banal’s resignation is just the tip of an iceberg new coach Derick Pumaren must be wary of.

3. Spilled milk. If a team coached by Tim Cone gets swept in the playoffs, something must be wrong, and I mean terribly wrong. Just like Talk N Text, the Alaska Aces seemed to be out of their element all season long. Notwithstanding a bad choice of imports (Tee McClary never got his teammates involved and Odell Bradley will most likely be remembered as one of the worst imports to play in the PBA), the Aces were just pummeled in the playoffs as their locals never played with the vigor and intensity the Uytengsu-backed franchise has been known for.

2. A Chunkee step. The conference’s biggest surprise is undoubtedly the Purefoods Chunkee Giants. With a solid import and a dynamic duo, the Chunkee Giants redefined the term rebuilding, and took themselves to within two games of the championship. Once again, however, the question arises: Can they duplicate the feat or go one step further this conference without their import and a glaring lack of ceiling?

1. A bull-strong showing. Naturally, the first conference’s biggest story belongs to its conquerors, Red Bull. The Bulls proved to be potent on the offensive end with a great post presence in Most Valuable Player Enrico Villanueva, and terrific perimeter players such as Fonacier, Celino Cruz and Lordy Tugade. Add to this mix the perfect import in James Penny, who helped all these players realize their potential.

'The war' (In Retrospect 17)

2006-02-20T08:43:00.000+08:00

AFTER his team’s series-tying Game 4 win, Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio said: “It’s going to be a war. Nobody is going to give an inch.” These statements could have perhaps sparked Red Bull, which has prided itself in rising to mental challenges in its six years in the Philippine Basketball Association.

And true enough, Red Bull answered the call with an ugly yet convincing 91-86 victory that puts the Photokina franchise within a game of copping its third championship in the league.
But before that, the Bulls gave up a 2-0 series lead to an emotional Purefoods quintet that first fed off the intensity of import Marquin Chandler, then used Red Bull center Enrico Villanueva’s Most Valuable Player triumph over Kerby Raymundo to transform the series from a potential sweep to, in Gregorio’s terms, “a war.”

In the Chunkee Giants’ 103-97 Game 3 triumph, Purefoods did what it failed to do the first two games: take it strong to the hole. Purefoods big men Kerby Raymundo and Jondan Salvador posted up more often, and slashed the Bulls’ defense en route to imposing their will in the interior, in the process taking a page from Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao’s playbook. The win, though, showed Purefoods’ efficiency as it did Red Bull’s mental breakdown, a manifestation of which was the 26 turnovers they committed.

The Chunkee Giants, particularly in the final 12 minutes of Game 4, seemed to have discovered “the formula for beating Red Bull” Guiao was referring to in Game 2’s post-game conference. The Bulls looked in sync in the first three quarters of Game 4, practically toying with Purefoods’ interior and perimeter defense and forcing the Chunkee Giants to settle for isolation plays and bad outside shots.

But in that fourth quarter, Purefoods forced Red Bull into turning the ball over a couple of times with a zone-press, and moved the basketball around in a crisp fashion. All of a sudden, the lane was owned by Raymundo and Chandler, with the latter not forcing his shots from the perimeter and even posting up Red Bull’s big men — and converting at that. The result: a 96-91 win that saw the momentum swing Purefoods’ way.

In arguably the sloppiest game of the series, though, Red Bull proved to be tougher down the stretch, etching out a five-point win that shows which team among the two emerges victorious in “wars.” I agree with Guiao that Red Bull has an advantage when the game gets physical. Purefoods is treading dangerous ground should they continue to engage in a war of attrition against a team that resembles the rugged Robert Jaworski-led Ginebra teams of the ’90s.

The match was sloppy in the sense that both teams could not execute the way they wanted to. Whenever Red Bull would go to Villanueva on the post, a quick double team met him. His passes — which leaves much to be desired — were slow, and as a result, Red Bull’s shooters failed to space out and free themselves as they would have wanted. For Purefoods, Raymundo had the right idea of taking it strong, and Chandler erupted big time. The problem, though, was that nobody supported the two big guns. James Yap had 13 points, but bled for them most of the way.

In the end game, Larry Fonacier proved that his endgame heroics in his college days weren’t about to be sent to the dustbins of history, scoring 7 points that buried Purefoods.

As a side note, I’d like to thank Maria Anna Cruz and Kathleen Kate Songco for sending their comments, as well as those of Honeylou de Guzman and a man who just introduced himself as Rowan Atkinson. Thanks for reading, and keep sending those letters — and invectives — in. Keep cheering for your teams!

Stamping their authority (In Retrospect 16)

2006-02-13T10:36:00.000+08:00

IT was both a classic case of living, and dying, by the outside shot and a lesson on the cruelties of an inside game that simply punished the opposition.

In taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven finals of the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference, Red Bull imposed its will in the interior while countering every move Purefoods made in two chess-like matches where the Bulls emerged victorious.

In their 107-102 Game 1 win, Red Bull exploited Purefoods’ porous interior as the Bulls pounded the inside. Enrico Villanueva practically made minced meat out of defenders Kerby Raymundo and Jondan Salvador en route to a 25-point, 12-rebound performance.

The exploits of Villanueva and the versatile James Penny inside the paint and around the post allowed Red Bull’s snipers to free themselves from their defenders. Time and time again, Purefoods’ perimeter defenders couldn’t decide whether to help out in the post, or check their men on the outside. As a result, Larry Fonacier and Lordy Tugade proved to be more efficient by hitting the big baskets in a nip-and-tuck affair.

For their part, Purefoods relied heavily on outside shooting as they failed to break down Red Bull’s defense. Noy Castillo and James Yap managed to hit their threes, but all these threes were contested. Inside the paint, Raymundo couldn’t get Villanueva to face up and instead resorted to posting him up, a move that proved futile.

A key stat in Game 1 was the 32 turnovers Purefoods committed, a manifestation of how confused the Chunkee Giants were on the offensive end. With the thought that living by the outside shot was close to fatal, Purefoods’ attempts at breaking Red Bull’s interior were foiled, thus accounting for the miscues.

In Game 2, the Chunkee Giants managed to make some key adjustments, such as double-teaming Villanueva on the post, but still failed to keep another man in check, in this instance Tugade, who, in Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio, was putting up “import-like numbers.”
With the 98-84 victory, Red Bull proved to be as lethal outside as it was inside. Villanueva couldn’t tear up Purefoods’ interior, particularly in the second half, because of the help defense coming mostly from Castillo. But in double-teaming the ex-Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagle, Gregorio took a gamble, which, from a coaching standpoint, was a good gamble.
Problem was, Tugade, along with Fonacier and even Mick Pennisi, simply waxed hot. On the offensive end, Purefoods was hitting its outside shots in the first half. Again, problem was, the Chunkee Giants were skating on thin ice by again relying too much on outside shooting. In the second half, Purefoods checked this dilemma, and drew up plays that had Chandler and Salvador post up and operate from the elbow. This time around, Raymundo couldn’t even catch the ball properly, while Chandler’s forays were foiled by the stifling man-to-man defense played by the Bulls.

Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao said that “once Purefoods finds the formula, they can beat us four straight games.” In my opinion, the first two games have shown that Gregorio’s options have significantly been narrowed down. What’s hurting them, too, is the fact that their bench hasn’t been used as much.

As to relying too much on Chandler, especially when the ship is sinking, well, I can only stop and wonder...why?

In the third place knockout game, Air21 Express captured their best ever finish in a regular PBA conference by thwarting the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 108-98. The Kings seemed out of their element as Air21 pounced on Barangay Ginebra’s 22 turnovers by scoring 25 points off them.

A tale of two defenses (In Retrospect 15)

2006-02-07T05:57:00.000+08:00

THE two protagonists in the finals of the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference proved to be more than just offensive machines. When the smoke cleared, both Purefoods and Red Bull showed how defense is played, and how games are won through it.

Purefoods, the league’s second-best shooting team, ended Air21’s dream conference with a 4-2 series victory. After Renren Ritualo erupted for 40 points in the Express’ Game 3 win, the Chunkee Giants held Air21 below 40 percent shooting in their Game 4 and 6 victories. At times throughout the series, Purefoods ran a box and 1, with Ritualo being shadowed by his satellite defender.

In Purefoods’ 100-90 Game 4 triumph, the Express were held to 35.4 percent shooting from the field, and its run-and-gun offense limited to just 7 fastbreak points. Air21 responded with a 100-99 Game 5 victory in typical Express fashion: outscoring the opponent. Despite giving up almost 50 percent shooting against Purefoods, the Express managed to win by way of a shootout.

Game 5 was ominous for the Express, which failed to take the cue that Purefoods couldn’t be beaten for a second straight game by merely engaging in an offensive battle and ignoring the importance of defense. In Game 6, the Chunkee Giants pulled out all the stops, held Ritualo to zero for 11 shooting from rainbow country, and limited coach Bo Perasol’s wards to a season-low 34.5 percent from the field to march to the finals for the first time since 2002.

Hats off to Perasol and the Air21 Express for upsetting defending champions San Miguel and pretournament favorites Talk N Text en route to its best finish in franchise history. The Express have shown that they truly belong in the PBA.

In the other semifinal series, Red Bull, league leaders in fastbreak points, overcame a pesky Barangay Ginebra squad and horrible officiating to make their first finals appearance since 2004. After their 88-85 Game 4 triumph, which saw Larry Fonacier rewrite a career-high he had just set in their previous game with 25 big points, Red Bull seemed all set for a finals berth. Games 5 and 6, however, went Barangay Ginebra’s way, with Kings import Chris Porter playing as big as ever.

The Kings capitalized on an import-less Red Bull squad that broke down in the final canto of Game 5 with a 97-83 win as James Penny served a one-game suspension for being ejected in the previous game. Game 6 followed the exact same pattern, as the Kings punished Red Bull defensively, which led to another fourth-quarter meltdown and an 85-77 victory.

Game 7, however, was a Red Bull defensive show. The Bulls shifted from a 2-3 “matchup” zone that played Porter — and not the ballhandler — man-to-man to plain man-to-man and back. In that 2-3 zone, Porter was guarded either by Penny or Mick Pennisi. Every time Porter took it strong to the hole, help defense was on the way. The Kings managed to score only through second-chance points, capitalizing on Red Bull’s lack of ceiling. Celino Cruz and Penny’s treys may have broken the Kings’ backs, but it was Red Bull’s defense that held its own en route to an 83-79 series-clinching win.

As a side note, though, the game was unfortunately marred by bad officiating, particularly in the final minute, where all the breaks seemed to have gone Ginebra’s way. Mark Caguioa was given a four-point play on account of hand contact that didn’t even hit his arm, while Jayjay Helterbrand was sent to the foul line even if he was not fouled in the act of shooting nor in penalty situation, and Enrico Villanueva was called for double dribble on the way to the basket. Three crucial calls in the final minute, three calls that could have altered everything.

Refs, just because Ginebra is a crowd darling, doesn’t mean that they have to be given a finals appearance on a silver platter.

And since I bungled my playoff prediction by picking Talk N Text over Red Bull, it wouldn’t be fun if I stopped at that. So here’s my chance to vindicate myself. I’m going with Red Bull in six.

A step ahead (In Retrospect 14)

2006-01-30T10:20:00.000+08:00

HALFWAY through the semifinal round of the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference, two pretournament underdogs are making headway with steady and composed play that could well be enough to send them to the finals.

Purefoods and Red Bull have taken 2-1 leads in their best-of-seven matchups against Air21 and Barangay Ginebra, respectively. Despite etching out close wins to take considerable advantages in their playoff rounds, the Chunkee Giants and Bulls (formerly the Barakos) have stuck to their tried and tested styles of play to move a few steps closer to the finals.

Top-seeded Purefoods, which has drawn considerable criticism for relying too much on import Marquin Chandler, has done nothing but give him the ball and let the offense revolve around him, to the team’s success. In a fight-marred Game 1, Chandler scored a conference-high 46 points to help the Chunkee Giants stave off an Air21 team that has yet to show signs of slowing down despite competing since the wild card round with a 94-89 victory.

Game 2 witnessed another showcase performance from the once Western Athletic Conference All-Second Team member in the US NCAA, with Chandler scoring 29 points, grabbing 19 rebounds and hitting the go-ahead basket with 12 seconds left to lift Purefoods to an 88-87 win. In taking a 2-0 lead in the series, the Chunkee Giants were aptly supported by arguably the most explosive scoring tandem in the league. Most Valuable Player candidate Kerby Raymundo scored 18 points, 8 of which came in the payoff period, and James Yap adding 11 markers, 9 coming from the second half.

With their backs to the wall, Air21 rallied behind sharp-shooting Renren Ritualo, who scored a career-high 40 points as the Express defeated Purefoods, 101-87. Raymundo was a marked man in this game, bleeding for only 9 points as Air21 tightened the post and locked up the passing lanes.

The Express, who were stifled offensively in the first two games of the series, scored above their classification round average of 97 points per game in their Game 3 win. Defense seems to be the order of the day in this series, as Purefoods, in their two wins, managed to hold Air21 below 90 points.

Outside the box scores, several patterns have emerged in this intriguing series. Air21, the league’s worst defensive team in the elimination round, has managed to cool off the conference’s second-best shooting team, limiting them to an average of 39.3 percent shooting from the field. Before the playoffs began, the Express gave up over 46 percent opponents’ field goal percentage.

In the other fiercely contested semifinal series, it seems that Red Bull has seized the momentum by averting a 0-1 deficit with two straight victories against Barangay Ginebra. In Game 1, the Barangay Ginebra Kings needed overtime to stave off the Bulls, 105-100. Red Bull, which trailed almost the whole game, failed to capitalize on Kings import Chris Porter’s sub-par performance. Porter fouled out in the final canto, and was pulled out of the game numerous times due to foul trouble.

The next two games, though, saw a different Red Bull team take the hardwood. As if to take a cue from their sweep of the Alaska Aces in the quarterfinal round, the Bulls spread the floor and let reinforcement James Penny operate only when he needed to. In Game 2, Penny hit two back-to-back treys to anchor an 86-83 triumph. With local support, Game 3 epitomized why coach Yeng Guiao tapped the former Texas Christian University Horned Frog, as the Bulls averted a late Ginebra surge to emerge victorious, 93-85.

Penny not only hits big shots, but changes Ginebra’s offensive sets, which often rely on inside incursions and dribble penetrations. Offensively, particularly in Game 3, the Gin Kings’ defense was focused primarily on Penny, thus freeing up shooters like ex-Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagle Larry Fonacier, who scored a career-high 22 points on 8 for 10 shooting from the field.

What frustrates Barangay Ginebra’s coaching staff all the more is the fact that the Bulls’ locals, besides Lordy Tugade, are picking up steam and changing the course of the game. If it’s not Enrico Villanueva, it’s Cyrus Baguio, who has scored in double-digits in both of Red Bull’s wins. Fonacier, perhaps an invisible man in the Gin Kings’ scouting report prior to Game 3, is now a marked man. Bottom line is, Guiao’s players are stepping up at the right time.

The fall of the giants (In Retrospect 13)

2006-01-23T08:25:00.000+08:00

A WAR and a broom highlighted quarterfinal action this week at the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference as the tourney saw the exit of two pretournament favorites and the resurgence of an underrated quintet.

The Air21 Express marched into their first semifinals appearance in franchise history after edging out the Talk N Text Phone Pals in a series that went the distance. Despite the box scores suggesting down-the-wire games, Air21, in winning Games 2 and 3, imposed its will on the game, setting the tone and opening the floor. Its balanced offensive attack proved lethal in Game 2, while the Express’ defense, known more for its holes and gaps than its toughness, held TNT to just 39.8 percent from the field on the way to a 90-87 triumph.

In Game 3, Air21 raced to an early third-quarter lead and capitalized on the 27 turnovers the Phone Pals committed en route to a 98-93 decision. Using either a high screen to free up shooters or going to Shawn Daniels on the post to utilize his passing skills and spread the floor, coach Bo Perasol’s wards made half of its two-point attempts, while taking advantage of the inefficiency of new TNT reinforcement Darvin Ham, who seemed more lost in coach Joel Banal’s quite intricate offensive set than Tom Hanks (who, in the movie, was an employee of FedEx, Air21’s corporate partners) in “Cast Away.”

A momentum shift seemed in the offing after Talk N Text annihilated the Express in Game 4, 99-89. With their backs against the wall, the Phone Pals finally looked like a team playing with a sense of urgency, sticking their hands in passing lanes and swarming over Air21’s snipers.

That momentum swing was evident in the opening minutes of Game 5, where the Phone Pals raced to an early 10-point lead. TNT seemed to be the more comfortable team entering the fourth quarter, where they led, 83-79, with just the payoff period left. As if to defy all odds, the younger and less-experienced Express leaned on yet another hero in Ronald Tubid, whose inside incursions gave them an 11-point lead with under three minutes left. A vicious run, capped off by a trey with 2 seconds left by Jimmy Alapag to send the game into overtime, again gave the momentum to TNT.

But once again, Daniels, Tubid and Gary David scored the crucial points as the Express ended the game and the series on a 9-0 run to win, 117-110. David and Tubid each tallied 19 points, with the sweet-shooting Renren Ritualo and Ranidel de Ocampo helping the Express’ cause.

Not to take anything away from the explosive Express, but the series was Talk N Text’s to win or lose. The first nail in their coffin lay in the switching of imports. Damien Cantrell was doing a great job, and save for TNT management saying that he was suffering from a hamstring injury, the move was simply wrong. Ham isn’t a slasher, and couldn’t take Cantrell’s place in the scheme of things. It was too late to adjust to the loss of a versatile Cantrell. My pick to go all the way to the championship really dug themselves a hole so deep against a fiery and hardworking Air21 squad.

A second postulate is embedded in the frequent mental lapses and moments of lethargy the players exemplified. All in all, this is TNT’s worst finish in the Joel Banal era. And perhaps, management can start thinking of overhauling the team’s roster. Their coaching staff has held its own, but I think it’s about time to tweak their lineup.

In contrasting fashion, Red Bull Barako handed Alaska a 3-0 sweep. James Penny, Red Bull’s new import, turned as many heads as he did scouting reports of a Barako offense that once revolved around erstwhile import Quemont Greer. In Game 2, four locals scored in double-digits as the Barakos cruised to a quite comfortable 80-73 win.

Game 3 was yet again a local show, as Lordy Tugade anchored a 31-13 second quarter blitz that obliterated the Aces, eventually leading to an 81-65 decision. With Penny in the fold, Red Bull has had more fastbreak attempts, and points from that department. As for Alaska, which actually had ample support from the locals, the main problem was, put simply, their lackadaisical import, Odell Bradley.

The best-of-seven semifinals begin this week, with no. 1 seed Purefoods taking on Air21, and no. 2 seed Barangay Ginebra clashing with bitter rivals Red Bull.

Not at all surprising (In Retrospect 12)

2006-01-16T11:59:00.000+08:00

BY all accounts, the wild card round of the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference was not as shocking, as it saw two of the most inconsistent and erratic teams bow out of the tournament.

Many observers expected an exciting best-of-three series between the Alaska Aces and Sta. Lucia Realtors after it took the former two overtime periods to dispose of coach Alfrancis Chua’s wards. Game 2, though, was more of a massacre than the box score suggested. The Aces’ 95-90 victory was not in any way indicative of the way they trounced the Realtors.

With Tony dela Cruz and import Odell Bradley firing on all cylinders, the Aces dominated the second half from the get-go, beginning it with a 10-0 blitz and keeping Sta. Lucia’s main guns in check. Alaska’s offensive execution was near-perfect, with the post giving Don Allado and Sonny Thoss room to score and hit open teammates, who were spread out by way of the triangle.

Dela Cruz ended the game with 28 points, with Bradley and Allado registering 16 and 14, respectively.

What compounded things was the listless and lethargic stance the Realtors put up. Despite having six players score in double-digits, none of them, or the rest of the team for that matter, played with a sense of urgency. The squad’s spacing was awful, and even seasoned veterans like Kenneth Duremdes and Dennis Espino settled for high percentage shots with defenders hounding them in the process. Worse, their offensives ended with shots taken hurriedly after just one or two passes.

The Aces effectively ended quite an agonizing conference for Sta. Lucia, who, despite witnessing the growth of players like Chester Tolomia and Adonis Sta. Maria, groped for form with four different imports and an aging group of veterans who simply failed to execute, if there was anything chalked up to execute in the first place.

Meanwhile, defending champion San Miguel Beer’s run of good luck finally ended against arguably the most overachieving team of the tourney, the Air21 Express. In Game 2 of the series, only two bungled charities by Shawn Daniels and a last-second putback by Dorian Peña sealed the Express’ demise, 104-103, forcing a decisive Game 3. To the Beermen’s credit, Danny Seigle and Dondon Hontiveros spearheaded an effective scoring attack that kept the Express at bay particularly in the third period, where they led as much as 20, 71-51.

In Game 3, though, the Express displayed how fast they can put up points. A dizzying 18-0 run, orchestrated by Wynne Arboleda and Renren Ritualo’s rare four-point play helped seal the Beermen’s fate. The 100-86 scoreline showcased Air21’s capacity to dictate a game’s tempo at will as much as it exposed the SMB’s inclination to keep scoring points from the post or set pick and rolls to free up shooters in a predictable fashion.

Alaska and Air21 then advanced to the best-of-five quarterfinal round, with Red Bull Barako and the Talk N Text Phone Pals waiting in the wings.

In the first game of a rare Saturday doubleheader, Red Bull, behind new import James Penny, banked on its locals in a rare display of balanced scoring to defeat the Aces, 100-92. Anchoring the performances of Lordy Tugade, Enrico Villanueva, Junthy Valenzuela and Cyrus Baguio who all scored in double figures was the feisty display of Jimwell Torion, who aptly directed a Red Bull offense that seemed to grope for direction every time Alaska hatched points on its own.

Willie Miller, for his part, converted back-to-back gamebreaking treys to lift Talk N Text past Air21, 110-109. Despite getting outrebounded by a smaller Express quintet, the Pals pounced on Air21’s porous defense to erect a 12-point lead in the third canto. Gary David, who repeated his Game 2 second-half outburst against SMB with 19 points in the payoff period of this game, single-handedly brought the Express back to life. Miller, though, was a time bomb waiting to explode. Air21 coach Bo Perasol’s benching of the tall Wesley Gonzales, who hounded Miller well enough to finish the game, gave the ex-Letran Knight room to unleash his treys at the endgame.

Playoff time (In Retrospect 11)

2006-01-10T10:45:00.000+08:00

TWO wild card games, a nail-biting survivor round and a couple of knockout games to determine playoff seedings ushered in the start of the playoffs in this year’s San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference.

In the first of two wild card best-of-three showdowns, the no. 6 Alaska Aces needed two overtime periods before disposing of the seventh-seeded Sta. Lucia Realtors, 108-104, in Game 1 of their series. Down 10 points in the payoff period, Mike Cortez did what is infamous for: breaking down defenses. Cortez slashed and shot his way to a career-high 27 points, making up for another sub-par performance from import Odell Bradley.

Ominous for Alaska, though, is the ease in which they allowed the Realtors to hammer the Aces’ interior. Realtors point guard Alex Cabagnot ran circles around the defense, while Dennis Espino and Damian Owens pounded the post and elbow that spread the floor and gave more space for off-the-ball movement. Only in the four-minute mark — when Alaska began its comeback — did the Aces shore up their defense.

The fifth-seeded Air21 Express, meanwhile, leaned on a triple from Renren Ritualo and a four-point play from Ronald Tubid to finally quell defending champions and eighth seed San Miguel Beer, 97-88, and capture Game 1. Despite the ejection of coach Bo Perasol for excessive complaining late in the third period, the Express capitalized on a fatigue-stricken SMB side that played its third game in the same number of days.

The Express managed to hold off the league’s most potent defensive unit in terms of opponents’ field-goal percentage through their half-court sets. The final score may show that an up-tempo game occurred. But truth be told, the Express actually scored a lot of points by settling into their half-court game, which has shown a stark improvement in terms of more movement and crisp passing, particularly with import Shawn Daniels drawing defenses to the post.

In the survivor round that preceded the wild card phase, Coca-Cola took SMB to the distance by winning the first do-or-die game, 85-82 in overtime, before succumbing with a 69-67 heartbreaker the day after.

The Omar Thomas show in Game 1 was derailed by both fatigue and SMB’s league-leading defense in the second encounter. After exploding for 34 points last Friday, the Coca-Cola reinforcement was held to 18 points in the playoff-deciding second game.

In a survivor round marked by spurts, the Beermen were, at the very least, fortunate to go through. SMB’s offensive sets, in particular, were very predictable. Through most of the second game, the multititled Beermen kept going to the post with Kwan Johnson, Dorian Peña and Danny Ildefonso, who scored the winning basket also from the post.

More variety and movement in the weak side is what the Beermen need to make it past the Air21 Express. In a series, coach Jong Uichico should know all too well that being too predictable is a crime that merits the punishment of being sent home from the tourney.

The Coca-Cola Tigers, meanwhile, finished last for the second straight conference. Hope looms in the horizon for this team, though, as many positives emerged from this tournament despite the 7-11 overall record. For one, the Tigers’ youthful mentor, Binky Favis, proved that he belongs in this league. By leading a depleted lineup for much of the season, the ex-Santo Tomas Growling Tiger has developed quite a clever offensive playbook emphasizing motion on the weak side and smart shot selection.

Before the playoffs actually began, two matchups to finalize seeds 2 to 5 took center stage last Wednesday. In the first game, Talk N Text rode on a late third-quarter assault to down the Air21 Express, 101-91. After a tight first half that saw a 46-all deadlock, the Phone Pals mounted a serious 20-7 run, 10 of which came from the diminutive Jimmy Alapag. Import Damien Cantrell remains the only player in the league to post double-doubles in all the games he has played in, scoring 22 and grabbing the same number of rebounds.

In the second game, the Barangay Ginebra Kings averted a late Red Bull rally to emerge victorious, 109-102. The league’s most efficient shooting team at 43.3 percent leaned on the late-game exploits of Rodney Santos, who sank two crucial treys in the final canto to help stretch the Kings’ lead and eventually seal the win.

The Barakos now await the winner of the Alaska-Sta. Lucia best-of-three series, while the Kings are automatically in the best-of-seven semifinal round with the Purefoods Chunkee Giants.

Makings of a champion (In Retrospect 10)

2006-01-02T13:02:00.000+08:00

AFTER 72 intense, exciting and sometimes ugly games, the classification phase of the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference has drawn to a close. With less than a week before the playoffs begin, In Retrospect goes forward, and examines the ingredients needed for a run toward the championship.

Tournament format

Yes, this year’s format is a portrait of things to come. But mind you, it has nothing to do with the top-seeded teams getting a free ride to the finals. Although it is so tempting to chalk up Purefoods and the winner of the playoff for the second outright semifinal berth between Barangay Ginebra and Red Bull as potential finalists, take note that these two squads will not play for such a long period of time.

Under this conference’s format, the top two seeds have to wait for a survivor game, best-of-three wild card phase, and best-of-five quarterfinal matchups before getting to play competitive ball. Will Purefoods and the second seed be rested, or rusty, come gameday? And don’t forget the three and four seeds who will also sit out quite a number of play dates due to waiting. The upper-ranked teams, particularly the automatic semifinalists, may have one foot in the finals. But this author believes they’re still two steps back.

Defense wins championships... or does it?

There is an old adage which goes, “Offense wins games, defense wins championships.” Going by the numbers, the best defensive team in the league, based on opponents’ field goal percentage, is San Miguel Beer at 38.1 percent. The defending champions are mired in the cellar, and will face the Coca-Cola Tigers with a twice-to-beat advantage in the survivor round.

Defense is as integral as offense, and striking that perfect balance, which translates to a firm grip on the game’s tempo, good shot selection and airtight defense. SMB defended so well, but shot so horribly from the field.

At the other end of the spectrum, Air21, which averaged a league-worst 46 percent opponents’ field goal shooting, was as free-flowing in its offensive sets as it was on the defensive end. High-octane basketball is a license to give up a lot of points, but not easy points, as measured by this figure.

When all is said and done, defense will take one team as far as its offense does.

Flair or the right fit?

Much has been said about the key role imports play this conference. Come playoff time, though, imports out on a one-man offensive tear will only dig a grave for their respective teams. Also, newly acquired imports will have thrice as much work to do as their counterparts, who have been in the country since Day 1.

Ominous was Purefoods import Marquin Chandler’s taking the offensive backseat in their Dec. 14, 2005 game against Sta. Lucia. By allowing locals James Yap and Kerby Raymundo to lead the scoring charge, Chandler not only took the load off himself, but showed that local production will be as key as an import’s output. When these recruits get pressured or double-teamed in the endgame, they have to spread the floor and pass the ball.

While there is no denying that former Golden State Warrior Chris Porter’s entry into the Ginebra fold keyed their run for at least a quarterfinal seat, the Gin Kings still have some work to do in getting him into the team’s flow. Same for Alaska’s new reinforcement, Odell Bradley, who has struggled to fit in the team’s triangle offense. Porter may be as good as anyone in this league, but has he jelled with his teammates? In terms of chemistry, advantage to guys like Damien Cantrell of Talk N Text and Shawn Daniels of Air21.

Coach factor

Hunger, or the desire to close out games and win championships, is not only exemplified by who is on the floor, but who leads the troops to battle. Playoff games are similar to chess games, and in this league, expect grandmasters like Joel Banal, Tim Cone, Yeng Guiao and even Siot Tanquincen to thrive in pressure situations. The tactical battles between benches will be as crucial as those fought inside the court.

Expect Banal’s inside-outside game, Cone’s vaunted triangle, Guiao’s situational approach, and Tanquincen’s up-tempo flow to pay dividends come tournament time. These approaches have survived the test of time, and will most likely pave the way for their squads’ entry into the quarters, at the very least.

Tight at the top (In Retrospect 9)

2005-12-27T04:52:00.000+08:00

AS the classification round of the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference drew to a close in Week 12 action, four teams that made significant headway atop the team standings consolidated their positions, with a surprise fifth team sweeping its final two assignments to draw level and force two extra playoff games.

The league-leading Purefoods Chunkee Giants, despite a nail-biting 110-109 loss to Air21, cemented the first outright berth to the semifinal round with a 10-6 record. Coach Ryan Gregorio’s squad has defied the pundits, who before the start of the conference criticized the team for being too inexperienced and lacking in ceiling, among others.

Air21’s ninth win, it seemed, was enough to at least seal a playoff for the coveted second semifinals berth. What the Express didn’t expect was a logjam, involving numbers and quotients, which would eventually ease them out of the top two as the week progressed.

Complicating the airtight team ladder was the Barangay Ginebra Kings. Entering the week with only seven wins, the Kings needed to sweep their final two matches to ensure a playoff for the second semifinal seat. With a switch of imports this week, it seemed that Ginebra knew what it would take to get there.

With former Golden State Warrior Chris Porter replacing the erratic Sean Lampley due to an injury, the Kings inched past the Talk N Text Phone Pals, 97-92, before delivering in the clutch in a Christmas night showdown against the Alaska Aces, 96-89.

Against the Phone Pals, Barangay Ginebra did what most teams have failed to do against coach Joel Banal’s wards this conference — control the boards. A +6 advantage versus the league’s premier rebounding team led to 8 more fastbreak attempts for Barangay Ginebra, which in turn yielded a 17-9 fastbreak point edge that proved vital to the game’s tempo.

In their Christmas showdown with the Aces, ex-San Sebastian Stag Rodney Santos hit a three with 28 ticks left to give the Kings a five-point cushion that eventually gave them the victory, and the elusive knockout playoff for a semifinal slot against Red Bull, which defeated the last-placed and import-less Coca-Cola Tigers, 78-77, through split charities from Barako import Quemont Greer.

The Phone Pals, meanwhile, clinched a crucial ninth win by thwarting defending champions San Miguel Beer, 94-73. Talk N Text, led by five players scoring in double digits, held SMB below 75 points for a league-leading sixth time.

The Air21 Express and Talk N Text Phone Pals, by virtue of less superior quotients, take a backseat and will contest the no. 4 spot, or the second outright quarterfinals seat, to avoid playing in the wild card round.

At the other end of the team standings, Alaska and Sta. Lucia captured the nos. 6 and 7 spots, respectively, to set up a best-of-three dogfight in the wild card round. Alaska stopped the Beermen’s five-game win streak with an 83-75 overtime win before losing to the Kings, while Sta. Lucia pounded Coca-Cola, 100-76. Both squads wound up with 7-9 slates.

Their victims will figure in the survivor round clash. After losing both their games this week, the Beermen and the Tigers are tied at 6-10, with the former holding the twice-to-beat advantage in the matchup through a superior quotient. The winner of the survivor round takes on the loser of the Air21-TNT knockout game.

The slightest edge (In Retrospect 8)

2005-12-19T16:22:00.000+08:00

FOUR teams inched ahead of the pack and gained the slightest of advantages in the hunt for at least an outright berth into the quarterfinals after Week 11 of the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference.

The Purefoods Chunkee Giants, despite splitting their games this week, clinched at least the no. 2 seed and an automatic berth in the best-of-seven semifinal round of the tournament. After losing to streaking San Miguel, 74-68, the league pacesetters dominated Sta. Lucia Realty en route to an 84-75 victory.

In their win against the last-place Realtors, Purefoods’ prolific duo of Kerby Raymundo and James Yap spearheaded an all-out attack, combining for 45 points and 22 rebounds and aptly supporting high-scoring import Marquin Chandler, who took a relative back seat at the offensive end but nevertheless managed to haul down 12 boards.

Meanwhile, Air21 and Talk N Text strengthened their bids for advantages in the playoffs by splitting their matches this week. The Express first bowed to Red Bull, 91-85, before thwarting a somewhat struggling Coca-Cola Tigers quintet, 98-94, while the Phone Pals etched out a 92-84 win over Alaska after losing to the Tigers, 73-67.

Once the perennial doormats of the league, the run-and-gun Express seem poised to clinch their first-ever top four finish in an elimination round of any conference. Coach Bo Perasol’s high-octane offense, highlighted by a league-leading 97.1 points per outing, is not only evoking memories of shootouts from the past, but putting away opponents decisively as well. Air21 is 4-3 when scoring above their average, and holds a +9.5 average margin of victory in those four games.

The methodical Phone Pals, on the other hand, have looked to simplify the game of basketball despite operating the somewhat complicated triangle offense. In their out-of-town triumph against Alaska, Talk N Text resorted to the simple yet effective drive and dish plays to break down the Aces’ interior. Damien Cantrell and Asi Taulava, who scored 26 and 24, respectively, were recipients of crisp passing from the inside forays and dribble penetrations of their point guards. Cantrell also caromed the same number of rebounds, tying Chandler’s conference-high.

The third team to notch eight wins this conference is Red Bull. The Barakos slowed down the Express and resorted to a half-court game that caught Air21 off guard, resulting in a 91-85 win. What made the win more impressive was the fact that the locals carried Red Bull’s offensive sock as Quemont Greer, the league’s leading scorer at 27.7 points per game prior to the game, struggled to find his rhythm, chipping in a mere nine points.

Purefoods is currently at 10-5, a game and a half clear of the Phone Pals, and two games ahead of both Air21 and Red Bull.

At the bottom half of the standings, the red-hot defending champions San Miguel Beermen, won both their games this week to extend their win streak to a conference-high five games. After disposing of league-leading Purefoods, the Beermen staved off a late Ginebra rally to seal the game, 86-78.

The league’s best defensive unit, which holds opponents to an average of 37.6 percent shooting, once again put the clamps on key players. Against Purefoods, the Beermen held Chandler to a miserable 10 of 28 shooting clip (35.7 percent), while putting the cuffs on Yap (10 points) and Raymundo (8 points), both season-lows for the marquee locals.

Mired in the battle to avoid the survivor game, which pits the eighth and ninth place squads — with the former having a twice-to-beat advantage — are Ginebra, SMB, Alaska, Coca-Cola and Sta. Lucia. With the exception of San Miguel, the four other teams, most notably early leader Alaska, have sputtered as of late. The five teams are separated by a game and a half.

As weak as it is inconsistent (In Retrospect 7)

2005-12-12T10:25:00.000+08:00

WITH only three games separating the top six in the team standings, Week 10 of the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference displayed as much parity as it did inconsistency among teams jockeying for position.

After winning just one game in their first nine outings, defending champions San Miguel Beermen are inching closer toward the chasing pack, winning two games this week and three consecutive overall. The Beermen defeated Red Bull Barako, 83-77, in Iloilo City, before thwarting a depleted Coca-Cola, 90-76.

With the championship experience their players have, the Beermen turned it up a notch this week, forcing Red Bull to commit 25 turnovers and keeping the clamps on Red Bull’s wingmen. Despite being outscored 28-15 in the final canto, they managed to hold off a streaky Barako side and proved that winning in the clutch.

Against the Coca-Cola Tigers, five Beermen scored in double-figures, helping a team that ranks eighth in points per game put up 27 points in a key third quarter blitz to put away coach Binky Favis’ wards, who saw their four-game winning run eclipsed. Sans point guards Johnny Abarrientos and Denok Miranda, the Tigers failed to execute efficiently, scoring 39 points less than in their previous win against the Air21 Express.

The Barakos, on the other hand, are slowly becoming the team version of Jojo Lastimosa — a streaky, ultra-hot team when in form, but ice cold when out of it. While their double-overtime 105-104 loss at the hands of the Sta. Lucia Realtors could have gone their way, the setback at the hands of a last-placed San Miguel Beer is ominous in that Red Bull can’t seem to chalk up a huge winning streak to catapult them atop the standings.

For a team that is second in the league in committing the fewest turnovers at 18.3 a game, the 25 errors Red Bull posted — despite the comeback of ace point guard Jimwell Torion — was quite inexcusable. Against the Realtors, a balanced scoring attack led by Quemont Greer’s 29 markers fell short of delivering the win.

After losing to Purefoods in the conference-opener and winning four straight to start the season, Red Bull has won just three of their last nine games.

The Realtors, meanwhile, paraded their fourth import this conference in comebacking Damian Owens. In the nail-biter against the Barakos, the former West Virginia Mountaineer and 1998 Big East Defensive Player of the Year, who led the team to their only PBA title in 2001, set a new league record of 11 steals, en route to a rare triple double and the go-ahead basket to snap Sta. Lucia’s two-game skid.

Before the win, Sta. Lucia was outclassed by an all-local Alaska Aces squad, 87-82. Reeling from a five-game losing skid, the Aces proved that life without import Artemus McClary is much better by all accounts, clamping down on the Realtor offense, which was held to a miserable 34.8 percent clip.

Another team which snapped a losing skid was Talk N Text. The Phone Pals outwitted the Purefoods Chunkee Giants down the stretch in a battle of the league’s top two teams, 93-89, in overtime. Behind two threes from battle-grizzled Vic Pablo, the Phone Pals responded to Purefoods’ 6-0 start in the extended period with a 12-2 run to secure the win.

In the league’s week-ending out-of-town game, the Air21 Express repulsed a late Ginebra, charge, 109-101. For the Express, every game seems to produce a new hero. This time, it was Ranidel de Ocampo, who notched a new career-high with 24 points, including four crucial markers that put away the Kings, who had rallied to within a basket with about two minutes to play.

Arnis bronze medalist makes Timor Leste proud

2005-12-06T14:56:00.000+08:00

SHE arrived in the Philippines without ever holding a pair of arnis sticks, let alone knowing what the sport was. She went home with a bronze medal, and the dreams and aspirations of a young nation fulfilled.

In what is arguably one of the most inspiring stories of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, a coachless, 21-year-old Elisabeth Yanti Almeida dos Santos was one of three athletes to win Timor Leste’s first-ever medals in any international competition. What makes the feat more remarkable is the fact that prior to the SEAG, she did not even know arnis existed.

“We didn’t know what type of sport arnis is. We were just told in Timor Leste that there was arnis, and they invited us. We do not have any training there. When we arrived, we trained for only two days. I never held an arnis stick before. I didn’t even recognize it,” dos Santos, a blue belt in karatedo, told Standard Today through makeshift interpreter and fellow athlete Fernando de Costa.

A native of Ainaro, dos Santos, whose prior experience in any sporting event was a runner-up finish in a national karatedo meet, was elated at her history-making third-place finish in the women’s singles full contact 52 kg event.

“I am proud of myself in taking part of the SEA Games. It’s (just) a bronze but I am proud.”

Carrying the hopes of the world’s newest independent state, which was colonized by Portugal for more than four centuries, and occupied by Indonesia just nine days after gaining independence from the Iberian nation, Dos Santos was clearly overcome by a sense of pride after her stirring bronze-medal finish.

“It is a pride for the country. (Timor Leste) is small, we don’t get any medals, but bit-by-bit, we’ll do better than this.”

A student from the Universidade da Paz in the capital Dili, dos Santos felt right at home in the Philippines.

“I know that the Filipinos are taking care of us. I like it here because first, we share the same religion, Catholicism. Second, I like to be here because the people are so polite to the athletes.”

She hopes that her triumph, along with the bronze-medal finishes of Francisca Varela in the women’s individual anyo, and Fortunato Soares in the men’s singles full contact 71 kg event, will serve as an impetus for the sport’s growth in their home country, which participated in only its second SEAG.

“(My wish is) opening an arnis club in Timor Leste. We hope it will be supported by the Philippines,” she said.

Just like her, Varela and Soares have never played the sport. Varela was a taekwondo jin back home, while Soares was a boxer. The three of them trained with the Philippine team upon arriving from Dili.

With pride intact and a head held up high, dos Santos leads the 33-strong East Timorese delegation back home with fond memories and stories to share, while teaching the entire region a thing or two about love for the game and love of country.

Weak signal (In Retrospect 6)

2005-11-28T10:56:00.000+08:00

A SHORTENED Week 9 was as pivotal as it could get for teams jockeying for position in the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference.

For the Talk N Text Phone Pals, unfortunately, things couldn’t get much worse. After absorbing a two-point drubbing at the hands of the Red Bull Barako, the two squads went at it once again last Sunday, with the Phone Pals losing anew, 99-92.

In their second loss to Red Bull, they were unable to use their rebounding edge (+9) to control, among others, the game’s tempo. In fact, the Barakos held a +8 advantage on fastbreak points, one of the Pals’ main offensive weapons. After building a 14-point first quarter lead, the Phone Pals simply slacked off, committing five more turnovers, and giving up 43.8 percent shooting from the field.

In this closing stretch of the elimination round, the Phone Pals are sending a weak signal to the opposition. In their current three-game losing skid, Talk N Text has lost by an average of four points. Coach Joel Banal’s wards have found it tough to close out games, let alone come from behind to snatch victory.

The Air21 Express, the only team to see action twice this week, turned up the notch to an already high-octane offense, only to see mixed results by splitting their games.

After running the Sta. Lucia Realtors in a battle of streaking teams, 114-103, the Express found themselves losing to Coca-Cola, which extended its win streak to three with a 115-106 triumph.

By all accounts, it seems that coach Bo Perasol is resolute about letting his team run the ball to deliberately create fastbreak attempts. Both their games this week, though, saw the Express paying more attention to running the ball than playing defense. While Air21 shot below 45 percent both games this week, they allowed both the Realtors and the Tigers to shoot above 50 percent.

Coca-Cola, meanwhile, is sending a clear statement that it can win shootouts as well. The Tigers, known for their tenacity in the half-court set and efficient ball movement, particularly in their last five games, proved their mettle in the open court, outscoring the Express, 22-6, on the break.

In a game featuring two teams with respective four-game losing streaks last Wednesday, the San Miguel Beermen edged the Alaska Aces, 66-62, in an ugly game which saw Aces coach Tim Cone ejected for excessive complaining, woeful shooting from both squads and dry offensive spells throughout the course of the game.

When Tigers growl (In Retrospect 5)

2005-11-21T13:16:00.000+08:00

WEEK 8 of the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference proved to be statement games by teams, who were not as fancied coming in to the tournament, and box-office flops for those picked to go all the way.

Building on the lower rung charge started a fortnight ago were the Coca-Cola Tigers. Before the return of former Coppin State Eagle Rafi Reavis, coach Binky Favis’ wards were mired in a battle to avoid one of the two sudden-death playoff spots at the bottom of the team standings.

With Reavis in the fold, Coca-Cola was undefeated this week, and 3-1 since his comeback. After decking the Alaska Aces, 86-63, the Tigers devoured Ginebra in Lucena, 79-67. In both games, the Tigers’ defense was tough as nails, holding the Aces to a season-low 32.5 percent from the field, and limiting the Kings to another season-low of 67 points.

Overall, the Tigers allow the fewest points per game in the league (81.4) and rank second in opponents’ field goal shooting (38.3 percent). These are remarkable numbers for a team on the comeback trail.

After that loss to Coca-Cola, Alaska never managed to get back on track, losing to the Air21 Express, 88-83, and Purefoods, 78-69, to go 0-3 for the week. Put simply, the Aces just can’t seem to score. The squad has tallied a mere 71.3 points per game in their three defeats this week, well below their average of 85 points before the three games.

Aside from their tendency of trailing from the get-go, the Aces are gradually developing a habit of blowing big leads. After giving up a 29-point lead early in the season against Purefoods, Alaska again botched a 23-point advantage against the surging Express.

Surprising Purefoods, continued the blitz of the underdog by winning two of three this week, and steering clear of the chasing pack to lead the overall standings. Noy Castillo’s game-winning three with 1.8 seconds left lifted the Chunkee Giants past Red Bull, 91-89. Before their victory over Alaska in Lucena, Purefoods lost to Ginebra last Wednesday, 90-80.

The Chunkee Giants, who have never placed higher than sixth after winning the 2002 Governors’ Cup, are third in the league in scoring (89.3 points), and one of only two teams to score more than what give up (+3.3 differential) on defense.

Meanwhile, the Air21 Express and Sta. Lucia Realtors continued their impressive run of form. The Express’ victory over Alaska was bolstered by Gary David’s career-high 28 points, leading a balanced offensive attack once again. Sta. Lucia inched past hapless defending champions San Miguel, 85-80.

After the game against San Miguel, coach Alfrancis Chua reiterated the importance of an individual stepping up to carry the team. “A key player has stepped up in every one of our three victories. In our first win, it was Marlou Aquino. In the second, it was Kenneth Duremdes. This game it was Dennis Espino.”

The Realtors have won three straight, while the Express, who lead the league in scoring at 94.4 points per game, are on a two-game winning run.

Pre-tournament favorites Talk N Text lost their lone game this week (and have lost back-to-back games for the first time this year) against Red Bull Barako, 91-89. The Barakos, who split their matches after the loss to the Chunkee Giants, pulled through in the clutch, with Enrico Villanueva posting his second double-double of the season with 23 points and 15 rebounds.

Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao, though, was furious at the officiating after the game. “(Expletive) ng mga referees. Isama na ‘yang si commissioner (Noli Eala) na ‘yan. Kalokohan. Nanalo lang dahil buwenas. (Expletive) the referees, including the commissioner. We won because we were lucky.” He added that “a lot of the calls need to be looked at by the technical committee.”

One round of spilled beer (In Retrospect 4)

2005-11-14T12:13:00.000+08:00

A STRING of unexpected results capped off Week 6 action of the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference.

Defending champion San Miguel Beer may have arguably been the most surprising team last week-for all the wrong reasons, that is. The Beermen suffered two setbacks against struggling teams, leaving them at the bottom of the team standings at 1-7 after the first round.

After giving up a 16-point second-quarter lead against the Sta. Lucia Realtors en route to an 85-82 defeat, SMB was dealt a 90-86 loss by the Air21 Express.

Not even the return of import Kwan Johnson could help the ailing cause of SMB. The former University of New Orleans Privateer, who helped pull the Beermen out of a 0-5 start to reach the finals of the 2003 Reinforced Conference, performed relatively well but was still unable to pull through for his team, which also blew a 10-point first half lead against the Express.

The numbers also do not bode well for the reigning titlists. They rank 8th in fastbreak points (8.8 points per game), 8th in rebounding (51.4 rpg), 7th in field goal shooting (39.3 percent) and are tied for 6th in turnovers (20.1 a contest).

Much worse, the experienced and multi-titled Beermen, who haven’t lost a game in double figures, can’t seem to sustain their rhythm from the first half, and have folded under pressure in the endgame. In both games this week, the squad was outscored in the second half, despite shooting better in the field than both their opponents.

The tide of upsets was continued by the Realtors, who swept both their games this week. After snapping a conference-high five-game losing streak with a win over SMB, Sta. Lucia banked on a game-winning corner trey from Kenneth Duremdes to squeeze past the Talk N Text Phone Pals, 100-97, in the league’s out-of-town game in Zamboanga City.

Interestingly enough, the Realtors commit the least turnovers in the league at 14.8 a game, despite ranking last in both rebounds (47.0) and field goal percentage (37.6 percent).

Another erstwhile bottom-of-the-ladder team in a winning mode is the Air21 Express. With the victory over SMB, the Express-who began the week with a 93-83 loss to the Ginebra Kings-have now won two of their last three games. In that victory, import Shawn Daniels is proving critics wrong, with 22 points and a game-changing 20 rebounds.

Similar to their victory over the Phone Pals two weeks ago, the locals of the Express delivered the clutch hits in what was a balanced offensive attack. John Ferriols, whose eight-foot jumper helped preserve their lead, was one of three locals in double-figures.

With another close win, the young wards of coach Bo Perasol seem to be getting the hang of holding off teams when the game is on the line.

“Our two losses via double overtime gave us a little maturity during crunch time,” the youthful coach told StandardToday.

Two four-game winning streaks were put to a halt this week in convincing fashion. Alaska’s hot run was erased by the Phone Pals, 101-79, while the Ginebra Kings’ victorious blitz was unceremoniously crushed by Red Bull Barako, 111-95.

Six players scored in double-digits for the Phone Pals, the league’s top rebounding team. Talk N Text’s transition defense also held the Aces to eight fastbreak points. Alaska, known for its ability to climb out of first-half holes, was held below 80 points for only the second time this season.

The Barakos, meanwhile, sizzled with a season-best 29 fastbreak points to put the clamps on the Kings. Quemont Greer was virtually unstoppable from the field with 37 points. Red Bull’s size advantage in the backcourt, with 6-foot-3 Larry Fonacier manning the point position, also derailed Ginebra’s half- ourt offensive sets.

Sitting atop the team standings is still the Purefoods Chunkie Giants, who staved off a late Coca Cola charge with a 94-88 victory.

The Tigers, despite the absence of Dennis Miranda (dislocated toe), managed to execute their half-court plays properly, as evidenced by movement on the weak side, among others. Their failure to convert, though, proved disastrous as Purefoods, with its depth, capitalized on botched plays. Egay Billones complemented their three-pronged offense with 11 points in 12 minutes.

The Ace and King of the PBA Deck (In Retrospect 3)

2005-11-07T11:09:00.000+08:00

WITH winning streaks on the line and losing skids to avert, Week 5 of the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference proved to be as physical and hot-tempered as it was pulsating.

The Alaska Aces extended their winning streak to four games with a crushing 81-64 demolition of Red Bull Barako.

In the fight-marred game, which saw Don Allado and Celino Cruz ejected after a scuffle over a flagrant foul from Mick Pennisi, the Aces stymied the Barakos to a season-low 27.5 percent shooting.

“First and foremost, we’re a defensive team. Seventy to 80 percent of our effort is devoted to that (defense),” said Alaska coach Tim Cone.

In their last four games, the Aces have clamped down on opposing teams’ scoring to 76.5 points per game (sans the double overtime win over Air21, this average goes down further 66 points), and have held teams below 75 points four times in seven games this season.

It is this kind of defense that propels Alaska’s fastbreak attack, which is second-best this conference at 13.6 points a contest. The Aces trail the Talk N Text Phone Pals in this category. To dispel common notion, these are the same two teams who run one of the more structured half-court sets, the triangle offense. A half-court game doesn’t always mean a slow game.

Red Bull, after a ferocious winning run of their own, dropped both their games this week.

After their loss to Alaska, the Barakos absorbed an 84-62 drubbing at the hands of the rejuvenated Coca Cola Tigers in the week’s out-of-town matchup in Tacloban City, Leyte.

With the returning Rafi Reavis, one of five Tigers scoring in double-figures, leading their charge, coach Binky Favis’ squad registered their biggest win of the season, accentuating his view that the team is gradually “improving the continuity (to run and settle with their half-court offense).”

Two comeback wins propelled the Ginebra Kings to solo fourth in the team standings. After defeating the Sta. Lucia Realtors, 100-94 last Sunday, Siot Tanquingcen’s wards held San Miguel scoreless in the final three minutes to squeeze out a 74-72 victory last Wednesday. To end the game, the Kings ran the defending champions to the ground with a 14-0 blitz, capped by a Sean Lampley’s buzzer-beating running shot from the top of the key.

Two of the keys to Ginebra’s three-game winning streak are solid defense and balanced scoring. The Kings, in their five wins overall, have limited opponents to 38 percent shooting from the field, while shooting a respectable 44 percent. This is in stark contrast to their three losses, where they have given up 41.9 percent opponents’ field goal shooting.

To add to this, five Kings are averaging above 8 points per game. Tanquingcen, who said that they just “tried to simplify the offense” the past few games, has consistently balanced a run-and-gun attack (5th in the league in fastbreak points), with efficient ball movement in their half-court execution.

Meanwhile, the Air21 Express, hobbled by end-game jitters the past two weeks, pulled off one of the biggest upsets thus far, edging out the Phone Pals, 90-88, on a game-winning putback by Shawn Daniels. Sweet-shooting Ren Ren Ritualo led a balanced attack, which took to the court minus Ranidel de Ocampo, who suffered from strained calf muscles, and the fever-stricken Gary David. Noteworthy was John Ferriols’ 10-point, 10-rebound performance.

Air21 coach Bo Perasol, dispelling some quarters’ view that his team lacks talent and personnel, said: “We can match up even with the strongest team in the league. We have the shooters and the wingmen. We have a big and strong import. It’s just a matter of focus. We need to keep our focus especially when executing during the endgame.”

The Purefoods Chunkie Giants, who relinquished the top spot in the team standings with a loss to TNT, 96-82, managed to reclaim it at the expense of the Phone Pals’ defeat with a 106-90 drubbing of the Sta. Lucia Realtors in Friday’s main game. The Chunkie Giants ran the lethargic Realtors to the ground, capitalizing on poor shot selection. They were +18 in the rebounding department, and +17 in fastbreak points.

The 16-point defeat was Sta. Lucia’s fifth straight. Four of their defeats have come via double-digit blowouts, and the Realtors have failed to win a single game since import Luke Whitehead’s dismissal. As things stand, the import merry-go-round, with the original goal of going big with Leonard White, only to revert to a supposed quicker brand of play with Omar Weaver, is a botched experiment.

Bull-strong showing (In Retrospect 2)

2005-10-31T11:40:00.000+08:00

DOUBLE victories, a fast and furious performance, a first win, a first loss and a new solo leader cap off Week 4 of the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference.

Red Bull Barako dished out yet another bull-strong performance last week, winning both their games to up their win streak to three. Last week’s only unbeaten team squeaked past defending champion San Miguel Beer, 76-74 before thumping Sta. Lucia, 95-78.

In both games, the Barakos had a clear advantage in the rebounding department. Coach Yeng Guiao’s wards grabbed 69 caroms against the Realtors after successfully crashing the boards against the Beermen with a 64-47 edge. Overall, Red Bull has a +5.7 rebounding edge in its four wins and are at a -15.5 disadvantage in its two defeats.

Guiao underscored the importance of rebounding, particularly in their last three assignments. “We were able to control the boards. That’s why we were given more opportunities on offense.” Enrico Villanueva averaged 12 rebounds and is the team’s leading total rebounder.

Another element behind Red Bull’s assault on the team standings — which sees them only a game behind the top — lies in its more balanced offensive attack. The Barakos’ scoring parade, led by Quemont Greer, has been bolstered by 2003 NCAA Most Valuable Player Leo Najorda. This year’s ninth pick overall, after scoring a mere two points in his first four games, piled up 22 points this week alone.

Meanwhile, the Fast and the Furious aptly complimented Eric Menk’s return to the Ginebra Kings’ lineup, scoring in bunches in the second half to topple erstwhile undefeated Talk N Text in a classic shootout, 100-94, last Wednesday. Mark Caguioa fired 12 of his game-high 24 points to offset a 10-point halftime disadvantage, while Jayjay Helterbrand scored 15 points in the payoff period to seal the Pals’ fate.

Menk’s return gave the Kings more heft underneath the basket, and at the same time did not compromise their ability to run. Ginebra coach Siot Tanquincen cited this. “We were always looking to run even before (Menk’s return) but it was more obvious the last game (against TNT) because of Eric’s ability to rebound.”

TNT’s loss was Purefoods’ gain, as the Giants seized solo leadership by devouring the Coca-Cola Tigers, 103-87.

Rookie Jondan Salvador capped off his best performance to date with 21 points on 10 of 12 shooting, 9 rebounds and 3 assists, while arguably the most potent duo in the league, Kerby Raymundo and James Yap, are averaging a combined 33.8 points and 13.3 rebounds in six games. Both have scored in double digits in all the Chunkee Giants’ outings.

Coca-Cola, on the other hand, is mired in the bottom of the team standings. Despite acquiring a more productive import in former University of Texas-El Paso Miner Omar Thomas, Binky Favis’ team dropped both of their games this week, losing to Purefoods and sputtering to a league-low 62-point performance against Alaska.

Favis, however, stressed that tactically, there is nothing wrong, and remained optimistic. In an interview with Standard Today, Favis emphasized that “we will look for every opportunity to run but be in control enough to flow into our halfcourt offense if there’s no clear break. We’re in the process of improving that continuity. We’re progressing and at this stage, that’s what really counts.”

Another team which dropped both their games was Sta. Lucia. The team’s gamble on a big import has resulted in three successive defeats. So far, it seems that the decision to let scoring machine Luke Whitehead go was not the wisest of choices. Omar Weaver comes in as the third import of the team, which is last in the league in fastbreak points at 5.5 a game.

It took two overtime periods and an out-of-town game to spell victory for San Miguel Beer, defeating Air21, 123-119, in Roxas City, Capiz. It was Air21’s second double-overtime defeat in two weeks.

Surprise move (In Retrospect 1)

2005-10-24T10:55:00.000+08:00

AN unexpected change of imports, two teams making surging runs, a 4-0 start, and a couple of teams groping for form banner last week’s action in the San Mig Coffee Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Conference.

Sta. Lucia import Luke Whitehead, who led the Realtors to two wins in their first three outings, was surprisingly replaced by PBA veteran Leon White before their game against the Talk N Text Phone Pals. Whitehead, a former Louisville Cardinal, was averaging team bests of 30.0 points and 14.7 rebounds.

The move to replace “L-Dubb,” as he is known in the hip-hop world, was unforeseen by many as he was carrying the scoring sock for the team.

For his part, coach Alfrancis Chua said, “It’s not a problem with (Whitehead). We need a big guy who can help us under the basket."

In their Wednesday matchup with the Phone Pals, which they eventually lost, 87-80, the Realtors shot just 33.3 percent from the field. White, in his debut for the team, scored 18 points and grabbed 17 rebounds.

The challenge for Sta. Lucia is to find a bunch of players, who can help ease this scoring void. Helping out Paolo Mendoza, are Chester Tolomia, known as “The Elevator” in his college days with the University of Perpetual Help Altas for his high-flying acts and sweet-shooting Cesar Catli. Tolomia is netting a career-best 11 points and 5.3 rebounds, while Catli is scoring 8.8 a contest.

Meanwhile, Joel Banal’s Phone Pals remained the only unbeaten team in the league with two comeback wins this week. As if their second-half blitz against the Realtors was not remarkable, Jimmy Alapag and company hatched a ferocious run to overcome a 26-point deficit and ease out the Coca Cola Tigers by a solitary point, 82-81.

The Phone Pals are at 4-0 despite main gun Asi Taulava averaging a mere 8.3 points an outing.

Two other teams also stayed unbeaten this week. The Alaska Aces, after that infamous collapse against the Purefoods Chunkie Giants, dismantled the Barangay Ginebra Kings, 102-72, last Wednesday, and followed it up with a pulsating 111-108 double overtime triumph over the Air21 Express.

In the game against the Express, Alaska import Artemus McClary more than made up for his dismal free throw shooting (25 percent, or 4 for 16) with two crucial tip-ins, one which sent the game into overtime and another which established the Aces’ advantage in the second overtime period.

The Chunkie Giants kept pace with the Phone Pals by inching past the winless defending champions San Miguel Beermen, 92-90, and dousing a late Ginebra run in Cagayan de Oro to prevail, 84-78. After James Yap streaked downcourt for a game-winning lay-up with 19.6 seconds left to fend off the Beermen last Sunday, the young wards of Ryan Gregorio clamped down on Kings import Sean Lampley, limiting him to 6 points.

Purefoods is at 4-1 while Alaska is in solo second at 3-2.

Accompanying the Beermen in the winless column this week were the Express and Tigers. Before the double overtime defeat at the hands of the Aces, the Express lost to Red Bull Barako, 84-77.

In an interview with the Standard Today, Air21 coach Bo Perasol said setbacks such as the one at the expense of Alaska are part of a steep learning curve for his young crew. “What can happen to a team is overanalyze a situation and tend to focus on mistakes.”

He added that “there were lapses in execution, but most of them were individual,” referring especially to a botched inbound play involving Renren Ritualo, eventually sending the game into the first overtime.

In the meltdown against the Phone Pals, the Tigers seemed lost on the offensive end. Import Alex Carcamo is the lowest-scoring import in the PBA at 16 points a contest. Despite this, coach Binky Favis stressed that "they're on the right track."