PBA Scores, News and Updates

[tonistork]

kakabwisit nangyari sa Gin Kings. Di na binago sistema na 3 guards line-up plus 2 big men. Dapat legit 3 ang isalang sa small forward position di gwardya na gaya ni Caguioa.

Ellis, Baracael (too small to play 4) or Ababou can play the 3 spot but why the coaching staff are playing 2 point guards (Tenorio & Helterbrand) and one off-guard (Caguioa) at almost the same time.

Dapat ang sistema ng Ginebra, ala-Spurs na walang naglalaro ng babad (36 minutes or more), na ikot ang rotation up to the 12th or even the 13th man. Nasabi ko ito kasi anlakas ng line-up nila na dapat sana kahit sino hugutin, gagawa/tutulong (look at Rain or Shine).

Ang nangyari, babad si Caguioa, Tenorio, Aguilar at Slaughter pero pag pagod o foul trouble na, papalit sina Ababou, Baracael, Reyes, Monfort o Ellis pero kalimitan di rin sila makatulong agad agad kasi nga limitado ang exposure nila, na mas matagal pahinga nila sa bench na imbes naglalaro kahit mga around 20 minutes/game, mas naging cheering squad na lang sila na mabigyan man playing time, eh ung nasa garbage time na (either malaki lamang nila or tinambakan na sila).

kakainis talaga ang system nila, di na nagbago gaya ng sister team nilang San Miguel. Buti pa ang SanMig Coffee at nagbago mula nung dumating si Tim Cone.

[Zurca]

Ginebra star Mark Caguioa hits out at 'soft, lazy' teammates in Twitter rant after horror loss to Talk 'N Text

INEBRA superstar Mark Caguioa blasted his teammates for being “too soft and lazy,” hours after the Gin Kings got their butts kicked by unbeaten Talk ‘N Text, 97-84, in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Caguioa, who left the Big Dome in haste after posing for a few pictures with diehard Ginebra fans, vented his frustrations on his official Twitter account @official MC47, saying a Ginebra team that was once feared by opponents for its 'never-say-die' spirit has become too soft.

“Dati rati kinakatakutan itong team nato at iniilagan pero ngayon lahat ng team gusto kami kalaban ksi mga tamad and sobrang lalambot,” tweeted the one-time PBA MVP after the star-studded squad ended the tournament with an overall 3-7 win-loss record.

The veteran Ginebra shooting guard was the only bright spot for the Gin Kings during their horrible playoff performance against the twice-to-beat Texters, scoring a team-high 18 points on 9-of-13 shooting.

Caguioa, now in his 13th PBA season, said today’s generation of Ginebra players may be clueless on the team’s rich history back during the time of the legendary Robert Jaworski.

He went on to cite Ginebra’s stars of yesteryears who played under Jaworski - tough players like Rudy Distrito, Bal David, Noli Locsin even Pido Jarencio, who now coaches Globalport, who he said were all willing to make big sacrifices for the team during the team’s glory years.

“Kilala ba nila si Coach Sonny? Noli Locsin?Pido?Bal david? Rudy Distrito? Itong mga player nato makikipag palitan talaga ng mukha,” he said.

“Parang ito na yung mga player ngayon na parang hindi nila alam ang history ng GINEBRA. I dnt think they knw ksi parang walang mga pake,” added the 34-year-old, three-time Best Player of the Conference awardee.

Caguioa said that even if the NBA’s all-time winning coach and now New York Knicks top executive Phil Jackson would step in and handle the team, Ginebra won’t still make it to the semis.

“Let me tell u guys kahit si Phil Jackson mag coach sa ganitong team hindi parin papasok sa semis. Walang mga puso mag laro WALA WALA WALA!”

From SPIN.ph
Post Merge: April 23, 2014, 01:35:42 PMPBA legend Robert Jaworski in talks with Ang for return to Ginebra, says source

PBA icon Robert Jaworski is in talks with San Miguel Corp. top honcho Ramon S. Ang on the possibility of returning to the Ginebra coaching job, a source told Spin.ph on Wednesday.

According to the team insider, Jaworski and Ang have been in constant touch for a while now and last met in March just before the longtime Ginebra playing-coach left for the US to watch the fight between Manny Pacquiao and Timonthy Bradley in Las Vegas.

Incidentally, the last meeting occurred at the height of the Commissioner's Cup struggle of a Ginebra team that has one of the most formidable lineups on paper but continues to fall short - its PBA championship drought now going six years and counting.

On Tuesday, the Gin Kings were ousted from the title chase at the first stage of the playoffs after a lopsided 84-97 loss to top seed Talk 'N Text, heightening the call for changes in the league's most popular ballclub.

“How will I answer it (your question about Jaworski)? Confidential pa kasi 'yung lahat. But there is an ongoing negotiation,” said the source. “Wala pang definite, but there are negotiations.”

The same source bared that the line of communication between Jaworski and Ang has always been open.

“Hindi mo naman pwedeng sabihin na walang pag-uusap yung dalawa, kasi ang dalas ngang mag guest ni Jawo sa mga events ng Ginebra. Nanood nga siya sa semis game ng team last conference, di ba?” he stressed.

“Sa ngayon talaga, wala pang concrete. Pero may exploratory negotiations na.”

In the last interview he granted to Spin.ph last March 7, Jaworski, 68, neither confirmed nor denied reports that he is in talks for a return to a team he helped turn into the most popular in the pro league with its 'never-say-die' spirit and aggressive, rugged style of play.

But the former senator made it clear he is open to a return to basketball, on the condition that he be given "full control" of the team.

Even longtime Ginebra star Mark Caguioa harked back to the team's glory years under Jaworski when he blasted his teammates for being 'soft and lazy' in a Twitter rant, hours after the loss to Talk 'N Text.

Rino Salazar, Jaworski's longtime deputy, has also joined the calls for the one-time PBA MVP's return to the team, telling Spin.ph that it's high time the PBA icon takes over the ballclub again.

On Wednesday, Spin.ph contacted Jaworski’s longtime sports affairs PR man and business manager Reli de Leon, but the outspoken sportsman refused to comment on the matter.

De Leon, however, said Jaworski felt bad that the team continues to lose.

“He feels sorry that his team is losing. Mas masaya daw ang Pilipinas pag kasama sa championship ang Ginebra, being the most popular PBA team, mas madaming maligaya, mas masaya ang PBA fans,” De Leon said.

Asked how Jaworski missed coaching the team he represented from 1983 to 1998, De Leon, who was with the Big J during the Las Vegas trip for the Pacquiao fight, gave a fascinating response.

“Bobby just wants to bring back something for the fans. It’s not for the money. He doesn’t want the never-say-die spirit to die this way. He wants to revive the animo of Ginebra,” he said.

From SPIN.ph
Post Merge: April 24, 2014, 10:08:59 AMSan Mig Coffee escapes Alaska to force Game 3 in QFs (04/23/14)

MANILA, Philippines - Between two defense-oriented squads, something had to give.

Unfortunately for the Alaska Aces, it was one major break in the game that changed the tide and halted their dominant display on Wednesday night, April 23 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Playmaker Mark Barroca of the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers, in an attempt to finally get their noses ahead for the first time since the first quarter, kept his eye on the ring with 5:42 remaining in the game. He drove but was met by defenders in red shirts, forcing him to take more than the allowed steps as he sank the basket and fished for the foul to go with it, 58-57.

It was a clear traveling violation on the video replay but it was a break in the game that permanently shifted the momentum to the side of a gritty San Mig Coffee.

The Mixers lit up from that point until the very end as they defeated Alaska, 70-65, to force Game 3 of their best-of-3 quarterfinals series in the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution Commissioner's Cup.

"Somehow we won it," said Mixers head coach Tim Cone. "I'm not sure how but we'll take it and see what we can do in Game 3."

The Mixers struggled for most of the game, especially during the beginning when they were down by 12, 35-24, heading into the second half.

Somehow, in some way, however, San Mig was able to get their rhythm going enough to spark a sizzling 16-0 blast in the final 9 minutes of the payoff period to stay in the hunt for what could potentially be their third straight championship.

The Mixers turned a 51-57 deficit into a 10-point 67-57 lead with 1:16 to play on a Joe Devance one-hander.

Alaska tried to stage a comeback in the final minute with the help of Dondon Hontiveros' hot shooting as he and JVee Casio conspired for back-to-back three-pointers to threaten San Mig, 69-65, with 50.4 ticks left.

But all the Mixers did was play a steady game from the free throw line as bail out triple attempts by import Rob Dozier and Casio did not hit the mark.

Just like the first game, it was an up and down battle that saw both teams tightening up on defense and not yielding an inch. It was all down to which team could click on offense and who would get the breaks of the game.

"This was just grind-it-out basketball, pure and simple," Cone remarked. "That's what we tried to do in the second half.

"It's just a huge struggle playing against Alaska's defense. It's hard to find any gaps or breaks or anything inside their defense. It's so incredibly solid and quite frustrating. They're very frustrating to play. It's hard to get a flow."

Hontiveros played an inspired ball game with 16 points (3-of-9 three-point field goals) and 7 rebounds. Dozier scored a game-high 22 markers along with 13 boards.

Marc Pingris finally returned to his old form after his rib injury with 17 points as Devance and import James Mays added 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Cone's wards also converted 12 turnover points as opposed to only 5 by the Commissioner's Cup defending champions.

Cone praised the Aces for the way they have been playing, saying they are "defending at a championship level." But also commended how his wards simply did not break down against their opponents no matter how tough it got.

"Our guys are not going to just lay down because they like to win."

Scores:

San Mig Coffee (70): Pingris 17, Devance 13, Mays 12, Barroca 10, Yap 9, Simon 4, Sanggalang 2, Reavis 2, Mallari 1, Melton 0.

Alaska (65): Dozier 22, Hontiveros 16, Baguio 7, Casio 6, Jazul 6, Abueva 4, Thoss 3, Manuel 1, Reyes 0, Dela Cruz 0, Espinas 0.

Quarters scores: 12-16; 24-36; 49-50; 70-65.

From Rappler.com
Post Merge: April 24, 2014, 10:10:57 AMRain or Shine evens quarterfinals series against Meralco (04/23/14)

MANILA, Philippines - There would be no miracle comeback for the Meralco Bolts on Wednesday, April 23 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as they were battered and beaten down good by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 102-93, who got back at the Bolts for their Game 1 loss to even the best-of-3 quarterfinals series out in the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution Commissioner's Cup.

Meralco head coach Ryan Gregorio and his squad are on the brink of failing to close out and losing in the quarterfinals once again as the Painters dominated over Meralco from start to finish.

Rain or Shine thwarted every Bolts rally throughout the contest. For every attempt by Meralco, Rain or Shine pushed them back with more force to break their spirits.

"Just don't give up, guys. Just don't give up. Stop making foolish turnovers," Gregorio said to his players in the huddle during the final minute of the game.

Rain or Shine forced the Bolts to 24 turnovers, which is the most by any team this conference, according to PBA head statistician Fidel Mangonon III.

The Elasto Painters ran away with Game 2 thanks to their superb consistency throughout the game. They also held tough against the physicality employed by the Bolts and fought back hard as well.

"We just wanted to come back strong," said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao. "We focused on our defense; our offense was just secondary. The energy that we exerted on defense just rubbed off on our offense."

He added, "It was a very physical, rugged game."

The 30 fouls that both teams were whistled for is a testament to the physicality of the game. So too were the bumps and bruises sustained by key players on both squads.

Meralco Bolts forward Jared Dillinger was rushed to the hospital after colliding hard with Rain or Shine import Wayne Chism in the third quarter. Gregorio says he still has no update on Dillinger's condition.

At one point as well with 2:35 left in the first half, Paul Lee and Cliff Hodge collided as well, their knees clashing, leaving both players on the floor. Lee, who finished with 8 points, took longer to get up.

The Bolts tried to turn the game around in the final 2:13 minutes when Sunday Salvacion delivered his Sunday special of back-to-back three-pointers to whittle down the once double digit lead to 93-85. But the Bolts sputtered to the final buzzer after that as Lee hit his freebies and Alex Nuyles effectively sealed the deal with a lay-in on the break, 97-88, with 1:04 left.


Hodge ‘out there trying to hurt people’

Guiao called out Hodge after the game and waited for him before heading to the dugout. Guiao was furious about a play towards the end of the game where he says Hodge threw a punch to rookie Raymond Almazan.

"I think punching a player in the face during a rebound play, I think that's way out of the rules of the league," Guiao declared during the post game press conference.

Hodge finished with 7 points, while import Darnell Jackson had 21 points and 22 rebounds. Gary David sparked 19 points, while Salvacion added 18.

For Rain or Shine, Chism led the way with 26 points. He had some help in Ryan Araña's 12 points and Gabe Norwood's 11.

Scores

Rain or Shine (102): Chism 26, Araña 12, Norwood 11, Cruz 10, Tang 10, Lee 8, Tiu 6, Belga 4, Ibañes 4, Rodriguez 4, Chan 3, Almazan 2, Nuyles 2, teng 0.

Meralco (93): Jackson 21, David 19, Salvacion 18, Wilson 9, Hodge 7, Hugnatan 6, Timberlake 4, Dillinger 4, Caram 3, Sena 2, Ildefonso 0, Guevarra 0.

Quarter scores: 22-18; 49-34; 77-66; 102-93.

From Rappler.com
Post Merge: April 25, 2014, 08:37:06 AMAir21's Anthony unfazed heading into San Miguel knockout game

MANILA, Philippines - Air21 had a good dinner after beating San Miguel Beer on Tuesday night. But once the clock hit 12 midnight, they were all back to work, contemplating their do-or-die Game 2 showdown.

There was doubt if anyone could really step over and take the place of KG Canaleta – the Express' leading scorer with 15.6 PPG who was shipped to Talk 'N Text midway through the Philippine Cup.

Canaleta's size, sweet touch from the outside, and athleticism made him one of the cornerstones of Air21's franchise over the past two seasons.

But the Express had to make a handful of sacrifices in order to rise and free themselves from the misery brought by the PBA cellar.

Canaleta was dealt to Talk 'N Text for tough nut Sean Anthony and rookie point guard Eliud Poligrates plus a 2016 first rounder. The Express also landed Jonas Villanueva while giving away Bonbon Custodio.

Ronnie Matias and Carlo Sharma were the next two they had to let go, and welcomed 'raging bull' Enrico Villanueva in their fold. The last to depart, Vic Manuel, was sent to Alaska for young forward Aldrech Ramos.

With their backs against the wall against a heavily-favored San Miguel crew, all the wheeling and dealing answered the doubts.

It wasn't just an individual that filled the void left by Canaleta's absence, but rather a collective effort that emanated from head coach Franz Pumaren's inspired troops.

Eliud Poligrates tallied 9 points at the half and finished with 11. Sean Anthony rifled 25 points - his best this conference - and the evergreen Asi Taulava continued defying the odds with another hulking performance with 17 points and 8 rebounds.

“We played smart and kept our composure. It was effort that we held down the number one scoring team," said Pumaren, who ironically was a part of the 1989 Grand Slam San Miguel Beer squad, a team he now seeks to eliminate.

"Sean Anthony was phenomenal. Asi Taualava and Wesley Witherspoon made key baskets down the stretch."

In contrast, Marcio Lassiter and Arwind Santos were a combined 5-of-22 from the field. June Mar Fajardo was haunted by foul trouble and spent only 24 minutes while shooting a sparse 3 attempts.

The Express had nothing to lose, but are now halfway done.

Anthony, who played for the 8th-seeded Powerade Tigers of 2012 that upset top-seeded BMeg Llamados, played unfazed as he dealt with the familiar situation with ease.

"It's a great opportunity, when in reality there's nothing to lose. No one expected us to win tonight, no one is probably expecting us to win on Friday, so we have nothing to lose and everything to win," said Anthony, the 6th overall pick in the 2010 PBA Draft.

The 6-foot-4 Fil-Canadian was a vital cog in Powerade's colossal upset of the Llamados. They made the finals that conference, only yielding to Talk 'N Text in 5 games.

He's been with the Tigers, a squad which knows how to be the underdog, knows how to pull off surprises, knows how to deal with the phrase "do-or-die."

Here he is again with the Express, trying to pull the unthinkable feat.

"I love this system, I love the guys and there's a lot of opportunity just to share the ball, play as a team, and tonight we played as a team," he added.

"We'll go out and play our hearts out and hopefully get a win game."

San Miguel coaching consultant Todd Purves is not surprised with the way Air21 played.

"We're very aware of those players, and they're good basketball players. You try to stop some players, but you have a good team like Air21, guys like Sean Anthony and Eloy (Poligrates)," said Purves.

But if their crew continues playing without effort on Friday night, that might be the time Purves gets stunned.

San Miguel (then Petron Blaze Boosters) blew up in the semifinals against lower-seeded Rain or Shine last conference. Will they be surprised again this time or finally live up to their hype?

The decider between Air21 and San Miguel is on Friday, April 25 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

From Rappler.com

[Zurca]

Guiao fined P100,000 for 'mongoloid' slur as Hodge hit with P20,000 penalty for closed-fist foul on Almazan

THE PBA has cracked the whip on Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao for his confrontation with Meralco forward Cliff Hodge at the end of Game Two of their Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinal series last Wednesday.

The league on Friday slapped a P100,000 fine on the fiery Elasto Painters mentor, who tried to confront Hodge and later called him a "mongoloid" after the Meralco player committed a hard foul on ROS center Raymond Almazan in the dying seconds of the Painters’ 102-93 win.

“We find the conduct of coach Guiao unbecoming and unacceptable on two counts: first, accosting and insulting a player with total disregard for civility and circumspection; second, using the word “mongoloid”,” PBA commissioner Chito Salud said in a statement.

“Its use shows a lack of sensitivity to persons with disabilities and is particularly hurtful to the class of people suffering from the disorder, their families, and friends.”

“The PBA, its players, and officials have to be aware that the use of words with pejorative tones has no place in the league that regards itself as an institution our youth can look up to as an example,” he added.

The fine adds to the growing list of penalties for Guiao, who met briefly with the commissioner on Friday.

The multi-titled mentor has now racked up fines totalling over P1.35 million in his career - including P426,000 in the last Philippine Cup where he was assessed a total of 16 technicals while leading a Rain or Shine walkout in the finals opposite San Mig.

Hodge was also meted with a P20,000 penalty as his closed-fist hit on Almazan that led to a foul was upgraded to a flagrant foul 2 “for being excessive and unnecessary.”

From SPIN.ph

[tonistork]

gago talaga itong si kalbong Guiao.

dapat dito i-ban na sa PBA at patawan ng parusa sa kongreso, PI nya.

[Zurca]

Air21 slays San Miguel in double OT for semis slot (04/25/14)

MANILA, Philippines - If there is any team that's good at playing the underdog role, it's the Air21 Express.

And if there was any perfect day for them to shed their underdog skin and play like the contender they can be, it was on Friday, April 25 when they played a do-or-die game against the San Miguel Beermen for a slot in the semifinals of the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution Commissioner's Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The 7th seed Air21 overcame a twice-to-beat disadvantage and slayed the second seed Beermen,101-95, employing solid defense and teamwork especially at crunch time to oust a San Miguel team that failed to reach their potential once again.

"I'm really speechless right now. I think we were able to slay the dragon," remarked Air21 head coach Franz Pumaren. "And I know for a fact that basketball experts didn't give us a chance to make it to the second round."

Down 79-70 after a Chris Ross basket with 2:50 left to play, Air21 rallied for a10-3 run to whittle down the lead to 82-80 with 12.1 ticks left after a split from the line by import Wesley Witherspoon.

It looked to be the end of the line for Air21 when Witherspoon heaved a triple that missed the ring badly. But the 41-year old Asi Taulava was right there under the basket, where he always has been since 1999, to grab the offensive board.

This time, proving that age is just a number, Taulava made the game-tying lay-up, 82-82, to force the first overtime.

Judging by the team's overjoyed reaction with Taulava literally carrying Mark Cardona around the court, that lay-up did much more for the Express than just force overtime. It lifted their spirits to heights that could not be reached by San Miguel in the extra 10 minutes of the game.

In the first of two overtimes, Air21 rode on their momentum but wasn't able to put away San Miguel just yet as Ross split from the line with 13.1 ticks left to knot the count at 88-all.

Cardona had a chance to win it for the Express in the final play but couldn't get his one-hander to go in.

Finally, the Express managed to pull away in the second overtime, building a 5-point cushion, 95-90, as Witherspoon scooped the ball up and in with 2:30 left. San Miguel couldn't recover from that as Air21 held on up until the final buzzer and allowed euphoria to kick in full throttle.


Physicality is the name of the game

It was an emotionally charged game marked by physicality all game long as both sides played with a kind of intensity that one can only witness in a do-or-die game.

The physicality went up a notch with 3:15 left in the first half when Joseph Yeo was called for a flagrant foul penalty 2 after he gave Ross a low blow. This caused Yeo to be thrown out of the game.

Prior to the play, Ross and Yeo were already going at it at the high post as the Beermen were a little cold and were dominated by the Express.

However, seeing their team captain down on the floor revived the Beermen as they claimed the lead and finished the opening half on top, 43-40.

San Miguel stepped up their intensity from that point on as last conference's Best Player June Mar Fajardo took the game by the neck and asserted himself in the paint.

Fajardo, however, finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out with 34.2 ticks left in regulation.

Fajardo was not the only Beermen that Air21 relegated to the bench for their fouls.

San Miguel lost Marcio Lassiter and Sol Mercado as they fouled out before the end of the fourth quarter. Doug Kramer followed during the second overtime.

At that point, it was the perfect time for Arwind Santos to step up and be the Most Valuable Player that he is.

But Air21's entire unit was just too much to overcome.

Santos ended up with 16 points and 8 rebounds. While their import Kevin Jones had 23 points and grabbed 16 boards.

Meanwhile, Ross figured in 18 markers for his team together with 5 assists and two steals.

"I just hope that my players won't be satisfied just making it to the semis," Punaren said. "We're all banged up. Hopefully we can get to that next level."

On the part of Air21, it was Witherspoon who led the way with 26 points.

Sean Anthony, who has been the X-factor for Air21 this conference, remained consistent and did all the damage underneath, providing hustle, energy and, most important of all, support for Taulava.

It was the 28-year old Canadian who did the dirty work that resulted to the fouling out of the Beermen's key players. He contributed 18 points and tracked down 12 rebounds.

The ageless Taulava, on the other hand, had 16 points and 9 rebounds in 45 minutes of play.

"The team really wanted to get this win," Pumaren said of his team who is now awaiting the winner of the best-of-3 quarterfinals between Commissioner's Cup defending champions Alaska Aces and the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers.

"We're just going to be the gate crashers in this particular semis. This team, they just don't want to lose.

"We were able to prove something that we can win despite our lineup."

Scores

Air 21 (101): Witherspoon 26, Anthony 18, Taulava 16, Yeo 11, Villanueva 8, Ramos 8, Cardona 8, Poligrates 5, Borboran 1, Burtscher 0, Menor 0.

San Miguel Beermen (95) : Jones 23, Fajardo 20, Ross 18, Santos 16, Lassiter 12, Hubalde 2, Lutz 2, Marcado 2, Maierhofer 0, Tubid 0, Lanete 0, Kramer 0.

Quarter scores: 21-17, 40-43, 56-65, 82-82, 88-88, 101-95.

From Rappler.com

[seeker11]

opinion lang po ng isang ginebra fan 

I have been an Ginebra fan since jawo day's and till noli ,bal & marlou's era..never been a fan of marc,jj era,
but nagbalik Ginebra ako ulit when they started getting japhet & greg,well coz i cant help but be impress on the potential of both those guys,
 lalu na nung all-filipino conference we've seen the potential of japhet unleashed,
he's average alone was enough for him to be among the leading candidates for Best player of the conference awards in the regular season, an average of -5-6 shot blocks per game is great by any standards,
but he's semis's average got sag down, is it because the semis is more physical? yes that's part of it i guess,
but one thing na napansin ko last conferences semis till today ay ang pagbaba ng confidence ng twin towers lalu na ang kay japhet, why?
in my opinion i think less touches,
parang decoy nalang sila ni greg.
the veterans of Ginebra are asking too much out of the twin towers they keep blaming those two for missing out on the rebounds,
ang hirap kayang kunin ang rebounds pag katapos mong manapal like those twin towers do,
kaya other teams are very much intimidated once they go into the shaded area dahil sa shot blocking presence nila,
pero dahil kulang daw sa rebounding efforts ng big man's, kaya the twin towers are ask to contcentrate more on the rebounding department,
ang result? less block attemps, less intimidating pressence sa loob. the veterans want the ball to move more para magkaroon sila ng touches,
e ang baba naman ng percentage nila resulta? ayun nagtatatalo sila..why dont they try to look for the pose for greg for starters or japhet in the wing, and let them get their offense going
then when they got double team, that will leave the shooters open diba and get the ball from one end to the other?
the ginebra has the advantage of having a twin towers but the vets are holding them back wants their share of the limelight
then blame the bigs for not getting the long rebounds that came from their long threes..kung gusto lang pala nila ay rebounders na makikipag palitan ng mukha ay dapat mga role players nalang pinag kukuha nila mga clone's of billy mama.

[kingjames24szupladoh]

yun oh haha bora na daw
waiting na yung service nila haha .

[Zurca]

Rain or Shine hangs on in OT to barge into semis (04/26/14)

MANILA, Philippines - The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters hung tough against the gallant stand of the Meralco Bolts in another overtime playoff thriller, 97-96, on Saturday, April 26 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to set a semifinals date with top seed Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution Commissioner's Cup.

Rain or Shine's advantage was as big as 11 points, 85-74, with 3:55 left in the game after a Ryan Araña basket. But the Bolts, the relentless team that they are, refused to give up their conference that easily.

The Bolts replicated Air21's late game comeback on Friday night with a 9-0 run of their own to come to within 83-85 following a Gary David baseline drive with the foul for a 3-point play with 1:21 left.

The Painters were left scoreless from the 3:55 mark up until the end of regulation when David forced the extra 5 minutes with a cold-blooded baseline fadeaway, 85-85, as time wound down for the Painters to even run the ball back up the court.

Jeff Chan, who went down on the floor with 5:21 left on the clock as a result of an elbow by Cliff Hodge, took over for the Painters in overtime. He scored his team's first 4 points at that juncture on an and-one play and a split from the line for an 89-85 cushion before he orchestrated a play for Wayne Chism that resulted to a wide open dunk to pad on the lead some more, 91-85, with 3:24 to play.

Rain or Shine then built an 8-point 95-87 advantage with 1:59 left after a Lee jumper. But Meralco still did not stay down as David drilled back-to-back triples to slash the lead again, 95-93, with 1:16 on the clock.

However, Meralco failed to take advantage of the situation where Lee committed back-to-back lapses on the other end –a turnover and a charge on Reynel Hugnatan – as David got a heat check with a rushed three-point attempt with 10 ticks remaining.

The empty Meralco possession allowed Lee to ice the game with two freebies, 97-93, with 5.7 seconds left before David got a three-pointer to go to ink the final tally.

"It's another grind out game," said Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao. "I just thought the referees just missed a lot of calls in the endgame."

Guiao made good on his word of turning the aggression up a notch as his team attacked the hoop early in the game, which resulted to 24 first half free throw attempts. While Meralco only took to the stripe 8 times in the first 24 minutes of play.

The Painters sprinted to a 56-50 lead early the second half, forcing two turnovers right away on the Bolts, who were very sloppy in ball handling at that juncture in the third.

But Meralco kept in step with their opponents well enough for only a manageable 4-point deficit, 66-70, to start the final frame.

Both teams eased up somewhat from penetrating the paint in the first 3 minutes of the fourth, settling for jump shots instead. But that didn't last long as Rain or Shine created some separation from Meralco, 81-72, thanks to makes from downtown by Beau Belga and import Wayne Chism along with some much needed attacks to the basket and fastbreaks.

Guiao commended his import for his 37-point output to go with 21 rebounds.

"He just carried us on his shoulders. He's a far more superior import than Jackson. I think that's our advantage," he explained, also adding a crucial weakness they discovered about Meralco import Darnell Jackson.

"Their import couldn't play defense. So we just attacked that and exploited that weakness. So we ran all of our ball screens and pick and rolls on the import. That's how we were able to survive this series against Meralco.

"We had no other plays. We just had one simple play which is to force the import to play defense on our guards."

Lee provided support to Chism with his 19 points as Belga and Chan added 9 and 7 points, respectively.

For Meralco, Jackson led the way with 31 markers as David finished his hot shooting night at 20 points, 16 of which he scored in the fourth quarter and in overtime.

Scores

RAIN OR SHINE (97): Chism 37, Lee 18, Belga 9, Norwood 8, Chan 7, Cruz 4, Almazan 4, Tiu 4, Ibanes 4, Arana 2, Tang 0.

MERALCO (96): Jackson 31, David 20, Salvacion 18, Hugnatan 6, Dillinger 5, Hodge 5, Al-Hussaini 4, Wilson 4, Sena 3, Timberlake 0, Caram 0.

Quarter scores: 20-28, 48-46, 70-66, 85-85, 97-96.

From Rappler.com
Post Merge: April 26, 2014, 08:48:11 PMSan Mig Coffee blasts defending champs Alaska out of Comms Cup (04/26/14)

MANILA, Philippines - Last team in.

There will be a new Commissioner's Cup champion as the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers punched their ticket to the semifinals of the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution Commissioner's Cup by way of a 79-65 drubbing of defending champions Alaska Aces to close out Game 3 of the quarterfinals on Saturday, April 26 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

With PJ Simon exploding for 21 points and with Marc Pingris back in his hustling groove -tallying 10 points himself - there was no way San Mig Coffee was walking out of the Big Dome without the win.

"To be absolutely honest I didn't think I'd be here," Mixers head coach Tim Cone sighed in relief. "I just thought that Alaska was playing at too high of a level for us to be able to beat them twice in a row. At this point I feel very fortunate."

Unlike the first two games of their best-of-3 quarterfinals series where the defense was so stingy that it was extremely difficult for either team to pull away, Game 3 saw the Mixers maintaining the same defensive intensity but also coming alive offensively to bury Alaska for good as early as the third canto.

The Mixers broke the game wide open straight out of the dugout with an 18-8 blitz as Simon sank his 20th point on a one hander, 53-35, for the biggest lead of 18 points under the final 4 minutes of the third. Timely monster jams by Pingris also fueled the momentum of the Mixers who carried a 57-45 lead to the fourth.

By the final period, San Mig continued to pound on the Aces – with the help the defensive energy provided by James Yap – making sure to maintain their double digit advantage by still being patient with their offense and staying consistent with their defense.

Down the stretch, the Mixers made sure there would be no glimmer of hope for Alaska to make one final stand as they built a 15-point 74-57 lead on a Mark Barroca attack with 1:46 remaining in the contest.

The shifty playmaker finished with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting.

For Alaska, it was the 2013 Commissioner's Cup Best Import Rob Dozier who led them with 23 points and 16 rebounds.

JVee Casio lit up from deep with 4 triples for his 14 points but couldn't bail his team out, who has been struggling for the most part since their 2013 Commissioner's Cup title.

Meanwhile, Cone also brushed off the supposed teacher-student rivalry of Cone and Alaska head coach Luigi Trillo, a former assistant of Cone when he was still with Alaska.

He said ousting the defending champions this conference was in no way a measure of revenge against the Aces that defeated them in the semis of the 2013 Commissioner's Cup.

"We beat them in the quarters two conferences ago so I don't have a payback with Alaska. I think that's a little bit overrated and overstated," Cone said. "I'm all about moving forward. That was an integral part of my past and I loved every minute and every moment I was there (with Alaska.)

"It's not a personal rivalry to me. That's my philosophy, just keep moving forward and moving on."

As the Mixers move forward to the semifinals against the underdogs Air21 Express on Tuesday, April 29, talks of their claiming a Grand Slam will continue to heighten.

As it is, the Mixers have won the titles for the last two conferences (2013 Governors' Cup and 2014 Philippine Cup). But to get the Grand Slam recognition, they must win all titles of a single season.

An interesting statistic, according to PBA Head Statistician Fidel Mangonon III, is the fact that the last 4 times San Mig Coffee and Alaska battled each other in a playoff series, the winner emerged as conference champion.

Going up against Air21, Cone knows they can't relax.

"Franz (Pumaren) said they're the dragon slayers and they're gonna come looking to slay us as well," Cone said. "I'd like to think we're one of the big dragons in the league so hopefully we'll be ready and try to avoid their arrows or swords or whatever I should say."

Scores

San Mig Super Coffee (79): Simon 21, Mays 17, Barroca 14, Pingris 10, Sangalang 6, Devance 5, Mallari 4, Melton 2, Reavis 0, Yap 0.

Alaska (65): Dozier 23, Casio 14, Jazul 8, Hontiveros 7, Espinas 5, Baguio 4, Thoss 2, Manuel 2, Reyes 0, Dela Cruz 0, Abueva 0.

Quarter scores: 21-15, 35-27, 57-45, 79-65.

From Rappler.com
Post Merge: April 27, 2014, 02:45:08 PMPBA 2014 Commissioner's Cup semifinals schedule

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters vs. Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters

Game 1: Monday, April 28 - 8:00 PM
Smart-Araneta Coliseum

Game 2: Wednesday, April 30 - 8:00 PM
Cuneta Astrodome

Game 3: Friday, May 2 - 8:00 PM
Smart-Araneta Coliseum

Game 4: Sunday, May 4 - 5:00 PM (If necessary)
5PM Smart-Araneta Coliseum

Game 5: Tuesday, May 6 - 8:00 PM (If necessary)
Mall of Asia Arena


San Mig Super Coffee Mixers vs. Air21 Express

Game 1: Tuesday, April 29 - 8:00 PM
Mall of Asia Arena

Game 2: Thursday, May 1 - 8:00 PM
Smart-Araneta Coliseum

Game 3: Saturday, May 3 5:00 PM
Smart-Araneta Coliseum

Game 4: Monday, May 5 8:00 PM (If necessary)
Smart-Araneta Coliseum

Game 5: Wednesday, May 7 8:00 PM (If necessary)
Smart-Araneta Coliseum
Post Merge: April 27, 2014, 02:47:45 PMTim Cone confirms SMC plan to name 'chemistry guy' Jeff Cariaso as Ginebra coach

SAN Mig coach Tim Cone feels his long partnership with assistant coach Jeffrey Cariaso is at an end.

The multi-titled PBA coach has confirmed a story first run by Spin.ph that his former prized player-turned-chief assistant is being considered to take over San Mig's sister ballclub Barangay Ginebra.

“I don’t know if the (San Miguel) organization has come out with a statement, but I think it’s (Cariaso’s move to Ginebra) gonna happen,” Cone said shortly after San Mig ended Alaska’s titlle-retention bid on Saturday by winning their rubber match, 79-65, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

"But I’m not gonna conform it because there are still details to work out," he added.

According to Spin.ph sources, Cariaso wants to bring in a number of associates to be part of his staff in the event he takes over the Ginebra job from Ato Agustin.

Cone said he is happy for Cariaso, a key player for the American mentor during Alaska’s glory years in the 1990s who is now being considered to take over the league's most popular ballclub.

“I’m extremely happy for Jeff, if that’s the case. I mean, this is what you do as head coaches. You try to groom your guy to be head coaches and every time it happens, it’s a great reflection on what you do,” said the 16-time PBA champion coach.

Nonetheless, the 56-year-old Cone said if ever Cariaso moves to the Ginebra camp, he will be sad to lose someone who has served as the Mixers’ “chemistry” guy.

“He’s our chemistry bringer. Jeff is a chemistry guy because he builds our chemistry, so when we lose him, that’s gonna be a void for sure,” he added.

Cariaso, 41, joined Cone along with former Alaska teammate Johnny Abarrientos to serve as two of San Mig/B-Meg assistant coaches before the start of the 2012 season.

The former Rookie of the Year has since won three PBA championships with Cone at San Mig.

From SPIN.ph
Post Merge: April 28, 2014, 10:27:57 AMPBA semis preview: ROS tries to stain TNT's onslaught

MANILA, Philippines - Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao's mindset for the semifinals is simple: they have to beat the best in order to be called the best team.

Right after ousting a gallant Meralco Bolts squad in the hardest way possible in their best-of-three quarterfinals, Guiao quickly recognized Talk 'N Text as the best squad in the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner's Cup.

And he is keen on dealing them a defeat to steal that distinction.

"It is a challenge. We want to be the best and we have to beat the best which is Talk 'N Text," said the fiery mentor, who begins his best-of-5 showdown with the Tropang Texters on Monday, April 28 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The Elasto Painters have won four of their last five outings, and while giving away 86.3 points to their opponents in wins, Rain or Shine's physicality especially on the defensive end can tire an opponent out.

Particularly in Game 3 against the Meralco Bolts, Wayne Chism was phenomenal in stopping Darnell Jackson as if putting a hex on the Bolts' import. Jackson breathed heavily from his mouth, settled for jumpers, and walked slowly up and down the court from the fatigue brought by Chism's stinging defense.

When most others doubted Chism early in the conference, the Painters' reinforcement upped his elimination averages of 17.8 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 2.3 BPG to a dominating 30 PPG, 13.3 RPG, and 3.7 BPG stat line in the quarterfinals.

"Our import, he carried us on his shoulders. He is the far more superior import than Jackson," added Guiao.

One of ROS's defensive stalwarts, Jireh Ibanes, knows they have no other choice but to go through TNT. He wants the troops' discipline to be solid.

"We have no choice. We will stay with them (on defense) and be physical without fouling."

But beating Meralco is just the first step. Guiao's troops are matched up against the league's best team who have won 10 in a row on fluid offense and solid execution.

Getting back a healthy unit on the floor is exactly what Coach Norman Black ordered, and it is paying dividends.

"I think being healthy has been the key since in the previous conferences, we always had a teammate who is out," said Jayson Castro, who is injury-free this conference.

The Tropang Texters' one-two combo of Ranidel de Ocampo, the league's 3rd-best scorer with 15.5 PPG and Larry Fonacier, the most accurate rifleman from long distance at 52.6%, will be Black's old reliables for this series.

De Ocampo himself is shooting above 40% from three-point land while the entire squad is the best-shooting team from rainbow territory, hitting 35.3% while only taking 24.4 attempts a game.

Aside from the two, TNT's veteran core composed of Jayson Castro, Ryan Reyes, Kelly Williams, Harvey Carey, Jimmy Alapag, and new season additions Danny Seigle and KG Canaleta, shall all help the crew in their quest to make it to the top once again.

It has been 4 conferences since their last title, and the pack is determined to roll over and assert dominance.


Key match-up

Jayson Castro (13.3 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.7 APG) vs Paul Lee (14.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.8 APG)

The battle between the two teams' premier backcourt generals will give people a glimpse of who the better creator is. Lee is bulkier and more physical than Castro but the latter will bolster his speed to get away from ROS's defense. The 25-year-old Lee is fresh from a stinging finals loss against San Mig Coffee but has carried the Elasto Painters on his back convincingly. Castro, as expected, puts reliable numbers each night on a consistent basis. Expect the two Gilas Pilipinas guards to take charge when the game goes down the wire.


X-Factors

Talk 'N Text: Kelly Williams

It is hard to pick an X-factor when you have a powerhouse roster, but Williams' presence on defense and rebounding will be huge.

Rain or Shine: Ryan Arana, Jireh Ibanes

The Elasto Painters' pair of defensive wing men are assigned to stretch out on TNT's outside gunners, and will have to contain the Texters' cat-quick guards too from time to time.


The question

Can Rain or Shine solve the Talk 'N Text riddle?

It will all depend on how well Rain or Shine defends throughout the series. The semifinals is best of 5 and the Tropang Texters are well-equipped for war. The Elasto Painters need to double up on the defensive end and limit the Tropang Texters' attacks.


Rappler pick

Richard Howell is coming off a 41-point, 22-rebound performance in the quarterfinals game against Ginebra, sending a statement that he might be the best import in this season after all. But Chism's breakout showing in the playoffs is also a strong sign that he means business.

In terms of bench depth, both crews have reliable second and third units. Rain or Shine can push Talk 'N Text to the limit, but the Tropang Texters are hungrier. Talk 'N Text in 5.

From Rappler.com
Post Merge: April 28, 2014, 04:18:52 PMSan Miguel Beer looking to bring back Elijah Millsap for quest for redemption in Governors Cup

AFTER another forgettable playoff exit in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, San Miguel Beer has its eyes set on bringing back Elijah Millsap for the Beermen's quest for redemption in the season-ending Governors Cup.

Millsap, younger brother of Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap, is best remembered for leading the Beermen, then known as the Petron Blaze Boosters, to the Finals last season opposite San Mig.

The 6-4 Millsap averaged 28.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 2.1 steals as the Boosters lost a griping seven-game Finals series against eventual Governors Cup champion San Mig Coffee Mixers last season.

“Under negotiation now but he’s (Millsap) our priority,” a team insider told Spin.ph on Tuesday.

The Beermen coaching staff remains silent, just days after the team, which entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed, was shown the door after being beaten twice by the Air21 Express.

Still, the team believes Millsap’s entry would entail little adjustment since the sweet-shooting former University Alabama-Birmingham standout is already familiar with the PBA brand of play.

Millsap is coming off a stint with the Maccabi Ashdod in the Israeli League before re-joining the Los Angeles D-Fenders in the NBA D-League early this month.

From SPIN.ph

[Zurca]

Alapag's hot shooting secures Game 1 for Talk 'N Text (04/28/14)

MANILA, Philippines – Jimmy Alapag showed once again how reliable a leader he is as he took over for the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters on Monday, April 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in order to draw first blood against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 91-85, in their best-of-5 semifinals series in the 2014 PLDT Home Commissionerms Cup.

Alapag scored 11 of his total 15 points (4-of-5 3-point shooting) in the pivotal final period as the veteran Gilas Pilipinas point guard sparked a solo 8-0 run with two triples, including the go-ahead trey, 74-72, with 8:54 to go.

He didn't stop at that as he involved himself in successive plays, allowing the Texters to pull away from the Painters after a tight ballgame that even had the Painters leading at the half, 47-44.

Alapag, 36, was red hot in that final canto as he drilled in another back-breaking three-pointer with 5:56 remaining that carved an 84-76 hole for Rain or Shine.

He also had help from backcourt partner Jayson Castro, who tallied 16 points and 7 assists.

Import Richard Howell added 14 points and 22 rebounds as well, together with 8 offensive boards that greatly helped Talk 'N Text produce 17 second-chance points.

Additionally, they also scored 20 turnover points against only 10 by Rain or Shine despite each team having the same number of miscues at 13.

"I think this is the way the series is gonna go," TNT head coach Norman Black said of the controversial Game 1 that saw a crucial non-call by the referees -- an out-of-bounds call on a save by Alapag of the ball towards the end -- and a scuffle between Rain or Shine head coach Yeng Guiao and Howell.

"It's gonna be physical, it's gonna be rugged. We just have to do a better job at controlling our emotions. We should be focusing more on playing basketball than extracurricular activities."

Rain or Shine import Wayne Chism had a game-high 25 points along with 22 rebounds, two assists and a whopping 7 blocks.

Jeff Chan and Ryan Araña chipped in 18 and 10 points, respectively.

"I think we're going to expect more of this type of basketball in the next two games."

Rain or Shine last made a Finals appearance in the previous Philippine Cup where they succumbed to the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers in 6 games. Head coach Yeng Guiao has been on the hunt for his follow-up title with the Painters since the 2012 Governors' Cup.

Talk 'N Text, on the other hand, has now only been truly healthy since key players such as Alapag, Castro, Larry Fonacier and Ranidel de Ocampo served the national team at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship.

The Texters, who are now gunning for their 7th franchise title after completing a hat trick of the Philippine Cup conferences from 2010 to 2013, remained undefeated this conference with a streak of 11 wins.

Rain or Shine played sans swingman Gabe Norwood, who was invited to the State dinner with US President Barack Obama and PH President Noynoy Aquino at the time of the game. The Painters also missed the services of guard Chris Tiu who injured his knee.

Game 2 will be played on Wednesday, April 30 at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Scores:

TALK N' TEXT (91): Castro 16, Alapag 15, Howell 14, De Ocampo 13, Williams 10, Reyes 8, Canaleta 5, Seigle 4, Carey 4, Fonacier 2, Aban 0.

RAIN OR SHINE (85): Chism 25, Chan 18, Arana 10, Lee 9, Belga 7, Cruz 4, Rodriguez 4, Almazan 2, Tang 2, Nuyles 2, Ibanes 2, Uyloan 0, Teng 0.

Quarter scores: 26-24, 44-47, 64-66, 91-85.

From Rappler.com
Post Merge: April 29, 2014, 10:25:15 AMYeng Guiao: 'Richard Howell called me a bitch'

MANILA, Philippines – Rain or Shine Elasto Painters head coach Yeng Guiao held nothing back as he described what happened during a controversial endgame scuffle in Game 1 of the best-of-5 semifinals series between the Painters and the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner's Cup.

"He called me a bitch," Guiao declared what Talk 'N Text import Richard Howell said following an initial scuffle on Monday, April 28 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The initial scuffle occured with Rain or Shine down 91-85 with 17.1 ticks left in the game, and Guiao was speaking with the referees on the court with both his hands raised. Howell was then seen walking past Guiao as the coach's hand hit the torso of the passing Howell.

But it was only after Howell was a few steps away that he suddenly turned and went for Guiao and pointed his finger directly at the veteran coach.

"I was raising my hand and he walked through me," Guiao recalled. "And then he came back at me, I don't know what his problem was.

"I just held my ground that's why (my hand hit him)."

It escalated to the point that Beau Belga rushed to his coach's defense and pushed Howell away. But cooler heads prevailed with TNT head coach Norman Black pacifying his players that already had Harvey Carey in the mix as well.

No violation was called and as play was about to resume and Rain or Shine set to inbound the ball, that's when Guiao claimed Howell called him a 'bitch.'

"The refs heard it and they did not do anything. And that's supposed to be profane language," Guiao explained. "Pag ako profane language agad yun eh. That was within hearing distance of a lot of people. Again, the refs should do their job."

He added, "Lahat kami narinig namin sa bench."

(If it was me that would have been an automatic call of profane language. All of us on the bench heard it.)

Howell was then subbed out by Black to contain the situation before play resumed. Jayson Castro even had to restrain Howell a little as the import was still clearly upset.

"I guess he's just having a bad game, he got blocked 5 times. Maybe he's trying to take it out on me," Guiao remarked.

For his part, the 6-foot-8 Howell denied calling Guiao a 'bitch' or any other curse words for that matter.

"No, I never cursed at him," Howell, 23, told media after the game.

"I never said anything to start it. I feel like he started the whole argument."

Howell, who finished with 14 points and 22 rebounds, admitted it was his first time to experience that kind of argument with a coach in-game.

"(It was a) misunderstanding. It was some words going back and forth between me and the coach. He just said some things that he probably shouldn't say but it was just a little argument."

Black shared what he thinks happened from his vantage point.

"I don't think he (Howell) could've said anything to make Yeng put his hands on him though," he said.

"I'll let the Commissioner be the one to evaluate that and handle it. But I did not see Richard say anything."

The altercation wasn't the only controversy of the game.

There was also a missed call on a clear out of bounds violation by Talk 'N Text as Alapag tried to save the possession from a scramble as time wound down. It resulted to a split from the line by Ranidel de Ocampo, which inked the final scored and secured the Game 1 win for the Texters, 91-85. That prompted Guiao to talk to the referees about reviewing the play, which resulted to the scuffle.

"I didn't see the play. I heard the reaction of the Rain or Shine crowd but I was not sure whether it was their ball or our ball," Black addressed the crucial missed call.

"But these plays happen the whole game so that's really the referees' responsibility to govern the game. Whatever call they make, that's what we have to abide by."

With the win, the Texters remained undefeated in 11 games this conference. Game 2 will happen on Wednesday, April 30.

From Rappler.com
Post Merge: April 29, 2014, 10:28:38 AMPBA semis preview: Overachieving Air21 try to derail San Mig Coffee

MANILA, Philippines - The resilience shown by the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers and Air21 Express when their backs are against the wall makes both of them tailor-made for do-or-die matches.

"They're comfortable playing in this type of games," said head coach Tim Cone after dethroning the defending PBA Commissioner's Cup champions Alaska Aces in three games.

This is why the Mixers have won five straight do-or-die matches dating back to the 2013 Governor's Cup and have made it to the semifinals seven out of a possible eight times under the Tim Cone era.

The mutual trust among players, Cone said, has helped them overcome adversity each time and win back-to-back PBA conference titles.

"There is a real level of trust. This is where the chemistry comes from. It is about trusting and nothing else," shared Cone.

But the Mixers - which Cone referred to as "big dragons," - will have to watch out for the Air21 Express whose players won't back down.

After dwelling in the cellar for the past three seasons, the Air21 (formerly Shopinas.com) franchise bagged their maiden Final Four appearance, as they fought their way to oust the mighty San Miguel Beermen.

"We literally came from the bottom and worked our way up against all odds," said forward Mike Burtscher.

Franz Pumaren's soldiers slayed the dragons behind the juggernaut of Asi Taulava and Sean Anthony in the series.

The 41-year-old Taulava became a youthful and ruthless monster, logging 16.5 PPG and 8.5 RPG in the quarterfinals as he severely bullied the Beermen frontline.

Anthony infused endless amounts of hustle and imposed hard-nosed defense en route to collecting one loose ball after the other and stopping the Beermen's offense. It is only his fifth game back in the conference yet the Fil-Canadian forward has averaged 21.5 PPG and 9.5 RPG in the quarterfinals.

Together, the two kept Air21 in the conference, the same way the Mixers' Marc Pingris' valiant effort has kept San Mig Coffee on track.

The Mixers' victories spell hustle. They turned the series to their favor after keeping Alaska to just 65 points on 35.6% shooting in their last two games. Their defense enabled them to log +9.5 in turnover points, +3 in steals, and 3.5 less turnovers than the Aces.

But the Express are also fond of doing the dirty work. The gang of Anthony, Mike Burstcher, and even Mac Cardona are out there to give San Mig all that they could handle.

"I take a lot of pride in my defense and hustle. I am excited to play these energy guys. We are matching up very good against any team at this point (on defense)," claimed Burstcher.

In the San Miguel series particularly, the Express forced a whopping 49 turnovers in two games, which became 42 points of their own.

Key match-up

Asi Taulava (13 PPG, 10 RPG) vs James Mays (20.6 PPG, 16.4 RPG)

After shutting down San Miguel's June Mar Fajardo (and eventually knocking him out of the Best Player race this conference), Taulava is in for another tough grind this time against James Mays. Taulava's Herculian task is to keep Mays out of the paint to prevent offensive boards and second chance points. Mays meanwhile must put up a body on Taulava at all times to stop the ageless big man. Expect a lot of pushing and shoving in this battle between the two heavyweights.


X-Factors

Air21: Joseph Yeo

Joseph Yeo's firepower will be tested against PJ Simon and James Yap, but more than his offense, the fiery wing man of the Express must keep his cool in the entire series.

San Mig: Marc Pingris

The Mixers' heart and soul on defense is the perfect guy to stop Wesley Witherspoon one on one. Witherspoon likes to facilitate Air21's offense and having a man to disturb him may shatter the Express' offensive sets.


The question

Does Air21 have enough gas left on their tank?

The Express, like what Anthony said in their San Miguel series, has nothing to lose and everything to achieve. They will go up against all odds anew, but this time they are facing an even more relentless squad in San Mig Coffee - a team that has copped the last two PBA titles. Experience favors the Mixers but if the Express will take it one possession at a time and play perfect basketball, this semifinal match-up will go the distance.


Rappler pick

It will all boil down hustle, and the desire that fuels both teams to make it to the Promised Land. Both teams are embattled heading into the semifinals. Both won their last two do-or-die matches. Diving for loose balls, sacrificing bodies, imposing in-your-face defenses will show up evidently in the tussle as both teams try to emerge victorious. San Mig Coffee in 5.

From Rappler.com
Post Merge: April 30, 2014, 04:15:36 PMAir21 continues rolling, shocks San Mig in Game 1 (04/29/14)

MANILA, Philippines - In the PBA's intense semifinal wars, no lead is safe, especially for a gritty Air21 crew that knows how to fight tooth and nail.

The Air21 Express never surrendered in their semifinals opener, battling back with a searing explosion in the fourth quarter to shock San Mig Coffee, 103-100 in the 2014 PLDT Home Tvolution PBA Commissioner's Cup on Tuesday, April 29 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Playing catch-up for most of the match, the heavy underdogs relied on their suffocating defense in the final period, exerting pressure and giving their opponents trouble with different defensive schemes while erupting for 37 points.

Comfortably ahead 74-66 at the start of the fourth, the Mixers were stunned by the Express' defense, unable to find the answer as Air21 nailed key baskets down the wire.

An Aldrech Ramos trey gave Air21 an 88-87 edge with only 3:43 to go, followed by a Joseph Yeo and-one play coming off a turnover to push the lead to 91-87.

San Mig melted on offense, failing to find a field goal over a of three minute span, leading to the game-turning play which added more tension to the already heated match up.

Asi Taulava drove from top of the key and appeared to take too many steps before making a hoop; however, the referees did not see the miscue, and it compelled a fuming Mixers mentor Tim Cone to storm the court.

Cone was ejected with two technicals, and Sean Anthony and Wesley Witherspoon completed the turnaround with more points from the line to make it a 98-90 game in the last 1:17.

James Mays attempted to pull off a miracle as he single-handedly carried the Mixers in a last-ditch effort, scattering 12 straight points highlighted by two triples and a putback that pulled San Mig within three, 100-103 with only three seconds left.

Anthony was fouled on the other end coming off a timeout, but failed to hit both charities. However, the Mixers had no more stoppages left as Pingris hurried to bring the basketball up front, finding Mays for a desperation shot that went astray after the buzzer.

The seventh-seeded Express took the 1-0 edge into their best of 5 semifinals duel, moving two wins closer to the championship round.

"What can I say. It's a team effort. We don't want to quit. There were times we are down big but we just regrouped and did what we're supposed to do," said Air21 head coach Franz Pumaren, who reminded his wards to remain hungry.

"We are here to seize the moment. We are uninvited guests in the semis. We still need two more games. This is just a small step in the series."

Sean Anthony topscored everybody with a career high-tying 29 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter on a hot 5 of 6 shooting from beyond the arc. Wesley Witherspoon added 25 points for the Express, who recorded 13 steals as a group and forced 20 turnovers from the Mixers.

Game 2 will be played on Thursday, May 1.

Scores

Air21 (103) - Anthony 29, Witherspoon 25, Taulava 14, Yeo 11, Ramos 9, Poligrates 7, Cardona 4, Borboran 2, Villanueva 2, Burtscher 0, Camson 0.

San Mig (100) - Mays 27, Barroca 11, Simon 11, Devance 10, Sangalang 10, Melton 8, Pingris 7, Mallari 7, Reavis 6, Yap 3, De Ocampo 0.

Quarter scores: 23-24, 48-51, 66-74 103-100.

From Rappler.com
Post Merge: May 01, 2014, 09:54:13 AMTalk 'N Text stays unbeaten, builds 2-0 series lead over Rain or Shine (04/30/14)

MANILA, Philippines - The magic number, for now, is 12.

The Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters have extended their win streak to 12 and in the process erected a daunting 2-0 series lead in their best-of-5 semifinals against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner's Cup on Wednesday, April 30 at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The Texters came through in the final frame to emerge victorious, 94-87.

There were many heroes for Talk 'N Text but veteran point guard Jimmy Alapag was crucial to their win.

Alapag scattered 14 points, including another one of his impressive fastbreak pull-up triples, 73-69, early in the fourth, to fuel the Texters' endgame momentum.

"In the end I think it was Jimmy Alapag who made the big plays for us again down the stretch," said TNT head coach Norman Black.

Both teams had to adjust to playing without their imports.

Talk 'N Text import Richard Howell was saddled with foul trouble, eventually committing his 6th foul with 4:09 left in the contest. He wound up with 12 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes on the court.

On the other hand, Rain or Shine import Wayne Chism played for only 14 minutes as he was taken out of the game midway in the second after spraining his MCL in his left knee in a rebound play. He still managed to shoot his free throws, though struggling, and finished with 10 points and 7 rebounds.

The Painters also missed Jervy Cruz for this game as he suffered from a strained medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his right knee.

Ranidel de Ocampo scored a game-high 20 points, including a perfect 8-of-8 from the stripe, to go with 7 boards and a steal. While Jayson Castro was close behind his teammate with 19 points.

Castro managed to eke out that many points despite going 1-of-10 from the field by pounding through to the lane all game long and scoring most of his points from the free throw line, going 14-of-18. He also had one triple that was made during the Texters' momentum grabbing 29-point fourth quarter output.

A Beau Belga (16 points, 12 rebounds) triple with 3:34 left shoved Rain or Shine to within 87-84, in prime position to launch a last ditch fight back.

But De Ocampo quickly closed that door on Rain or Shine with a bucket shortly after to make it 89-84.

Gabe Norwood had a chance to cut the deficit to 3 once again in the final 30 seconds as he jumped high above the ring to catch a lob pass from Paul Lee on the inbound, but his lay-in bounced off the rim to his dismay, effectively shutting the door on the Painters as the Texters scored two freebies with 9.3 seconds left to notch the final score.

"We gutted it out, we won the game, that's what's important. We will try to finish this on Friday," Black said.

The Painters are on the brink of bowing out of the conference even as 6 of their players were in double digits.

Ryan Araña scored 14 markers while rookie Raymond Almazan stepped up in the absence of Chism with 12 points and 16 rebounds, even as he himself fouled out towards the end.

TY Tang came up with 10 points in the last 24 minutes on two-of-4 triples.

Black also addressed any pressure the team may be feeling due to their still undefeated conference and moving one win away from another finals appearance.

"We haven't really talked about the streak. It hasn't come up, I haven't mentioned it. The players haven't mentioned it, we've never discussed it. We're just taking it one game at a time. I don't think we're concerned about that right now."

Talk 'N Text's last Finals appearance was during the 2013 All-Filipino Cup where they completed their hat-trick of that conference. On Friday, May 2, they look to finish off the Painters and make a return trip to the finals.

"There's always pressure, whether it's a winning streak or a losing streak," Black noted. "Coaching in the PBA is a pressure job. It's just part of it."

Scores

TALK N' TEXT (94:) De Ocampo 20, Castro 19, Williams 14, Alapag 14, Howell 12, Fonacier 7, Carey 4, Seigle 2, Canaleta 2, Aban 0, Reyes Jai 0, Reyes Ryan 0, Baclao 0.

RAIN OR SHINE (87):Belga 16, Arana 14, Almazan 12, Chism 10, Tang 10, Lee 10, Norwood 5, Rodriguez 4, Chan 2, Nuyles 2, Ibanes 2.

Quarter scores: 21-17, 43-38, 65-64, 94-87.

From Rappler.com
Post Merge: May 01, 2014, 09:58:33 AMCariaso's focus remains with San Mig for now

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Basketball Association's (PBA) Barangay Ginebra San Miguel will be given another chance to turn over a new leaf as they aim to arrest a 6-year title drought with the appointment of Jeffrey Cariaso as new head coach.

But he won't be turning his attention to a reeling Ginebra just yet.

Cariaso, 41, is an assistant coach for the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers, who is still in the thick of its semifinals series against the Air21 Express in the 2014 PBA Commissioner's Cup.

"I'm here [with San Mig] until we're done," Cariaso said firmly. "I'll be here."

The former Alaska guard and an understudy to multi-titled coach Tim Cone had a timely taste of what it was like to man the sidelines in San Mig's Tuesday night Game 1 loss to Air21.

Cariaso took over for Cone who got ejected with 1:17 minutes left in the game after incurring two technical fouls.

San Mig rallied from 93-87 and inched to within 100-103 with 3.9 ticks left as import James Mays scored the Mixers' final 13 points.

That short 1 minute and 17 seconds of experience was like a test run for Cariaso and it proved to be valuable for him in preparation for the new head coaching job.

"It felt like it a little bit with recent events. Nagkataon na (It just so happened) you get an opportunity," Cariaso said.

"Yeah, I look at it like that [as an internship]. It was a good experience, good test a little bit. Something to look forward to."

Interestingly, Cariaso also coached a scrimmage between Ginebra and San Mig Coffee prior to the start of the Commissioner's Cup, with Cone and key San Mig players taking a breather from the Philippine Cup at the time. San Mig lost that tune-up game to Ginebra.


Product of San Mig's success

Before the rumors of Cariaso's new head coaching job were confirmed, Cone already expressed his support for his assistant coach.

Seeing Cariaso fly from under his wing, according to Cone, is a reflection of the team's success.

"I'm extremely happy for Jeff. This is what you do as head coaches, you try and groom your assistants to be head coaches," remarked the 16-time champion coach.

"And every time that happens, it's a great reflection on what you do and what the organization does. From a San Mig Coffee point of view we're really happy. It's a reflection on us and our success that he's getting an opportunity."

Though Cone did admit that he wasn't too keen on losing his "chemistry guy" in the middle of the playoffs.

"He is very, very key to what we do. He's our chemistry guy. He builds our chemistry," Cone described what Cariaso does for San Mig and what type of coach he could be.

"If I have to say one single guy that's responsible for the chemistry we have on our team, it's Jeffrey. So when we lose him, there's going to be a void. That's for sure."

But when it is time for Cariaso to move on and handle a new team, Cone said he'll still be happy for his assistant, like he is with others before Cariaso such as Luigi Trillo. And as happy as he is for Cariaso, he's even happier to be going up against him in the future.

"I'll cheer him from the sidelines but, basically, now we're rivals."


San Mig Coffee distracted?

After leading for most of Game 1 of the semis, the Mixers caved in the face of Air21's stingy defense in the fourth period. San Mig Coffee's own defense couldn't contain the Express' sheer desire to score, allowing them 37 points.

Since the 103-100 loss came on the same day news broke that Cariaso would be parting with the Mixers, and with rumors swirling about it already in the last week, it's not improbable that San Mig may be getting distracted.

Cariaso admitted the team hasn't addressed him leaving yet.

"I hope not. The last couple of days or since it started coming out, we've never talked about it. We've never discussed it as a team.

"But obviously they read it on Twitter, so they hear it. So maybe it wasn't our normal week of preparation. But I think there's more reasons beyond that that we can fix."

With the PBA Governors' Cup only weeks away, Ginebra is set to resume practice to try and bounce back from their lackluster Commissioner's Cup performance.

Cariaso admitted "that's gonna be kind of tricky at practice" but says he'll take it one at a time.

"Right now I'm here at San Mig, we're gonna finish this conference, we're gunning for a third straight championship. Then I'll focus on my next job."

Cariaso played for 15 seasons in the PBA before retiring in 2010. He was drafted 6th overall in 1995 by the Alaska Milkmen and became the Rookie of the Year for that season. He was also a vital part of the 1996 Grand Slam team of Alaska.

Cariaso played for Alaska, the Mobiline Phone Pals (now Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters), the Tanduay Rhum Masters, and the Coca-Cola Tigers.

His number 22 jersey was retired by the Alaska Aces and Coca-Cola.

From Rappler.com

[Zurca]

The 'uninvited guest' in PBA playoffs, Air21 seeks to ruin San Mig party in Game Two

COACH Franz Pumaren hopes Air21’s “team-first” mentality will continue to work wonders as the biggest revelation of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup playoffs shoots for a commanding 2-0 lead against San Mig Super Coffee on Thursday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Game Two of the best-of-five semifinals series is set at 8 p.m.

The Express refused to roll over and die even after trailing the Mixers by 10 points, relying on the game-long brilliance of Sean Anthony and the timely snipings of veteran Asi Taulava and import Wesley Witherspoon to steal the series opener on Tuesday night, 103-100.

“The beauty right now of what’s happening is that everybody is staying the course. Everybody is setting aside their egos and everybody’s concerned right now with playing,” said Pumaren, who has steered the team to its first-ever semifinal appearance since joining the league as Shopinas in the 2011-12 season.

Pumaren calls the Express the “uninvited guests” in the semis, though they intend to seize the moment.

“We’re just here to seize the moment playing in the semis. In fact, we’re the uninvited guests in the semis right now,” he added. “But this (1-0 lead) is just temporary, we still need two wins. This is just a small step in this series.”

San Mig lost coach Tim Cone during the final 1:17 of Game One after being tossed out for incurring two straight technical fouls.

Assistant coach Jeffrey Cariaso, set to take over Barangay Ginebra soon, called the shots in lieu of Cone.

Cariaso cited the team’s high field goal shooting of 56 percent doesn’t necessarily translate to a victory every time.

“The No. 1 thing, usually when you shoot that well, you win.  But the fact that even if you shoot well, it also showed we didn’t play defense,” Cariaso said.

Air21 outscored San Mig, 37-26, in the final period with Anthony and Witherspoon combining for 25 points as both waxed hot from the perimeter.

The soft-spoken Cariaso, a former 10-time All-Star, admitted Air21 is playing relaxed and with less pressure at this point, though the hunger factor is one of the biggest reasons for the team’s playoff resurgence.

“We have to come out and play. You face an Air21 team that’s hungry, confident, and very eager and excited,” he said.

From SPIN.ph
Post Merge: May 02, 2014, 04:31:11 PMSan Mig subdues Air21's winning run to tie semis series (05/01/14)

MANILA, Philippines - This time, there was no locker room celebration in the middle of the semis. This time, the fairy tale run hit a speed bump. This time, the giants won.

The San Mig Super Coffee Mixers put a stop to the thrilling run of the Air21 Express in the playoffs with an 82-75 rout to even their best-of-5 semifinals series at 1-1 in the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner's Cup on Thursday, May 1 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

This game meant two things for the Mixers. First, it meant returning to their roots and their greatest strength: defense.

"I just felt we got back to our identity tonight," remarked SMC head coach Tim Cone.

"First and foremost we're a defensive team. We gave up 100 points in the first game and that just wasn't our character."

In Game 1 of the series, the Mixers, indeed, allowed Air21 103 points, including a 37-point outburst that did them in for the final period.

But in this game, San Mig managed to shackle the Express to just 21 points and below for every quarter. Their defense was on full display most especially in the second canto as Air21 could only muster 14 points. At which point the Mixers started pulling away and notched 16-point and 18-point bubbles (62-45 and 66-48) in the third frame, including a 70-55 advantage heading into the fourth, that Air21 couldn't pop.

"Really good defensive game on our part. We took care of the ball better," Cone said.

Second, this game meant dealing Air21's spirits a prick that could spell the difference between them advancing and continuing on with their inspiring run, or retreating and turning that prick into a much deeper wound.

"One game doesn't make momentum. I'm a big believer of that," Cone said, noting the 3-game win streak that the 7th seed Air21 was able to string together as they went through the second seed twice-to-beat San Miguel Beermen in the quarters, and snatched a Game 1 semis victory over Cone and his team.

"Maybe after two or 3 in a row you start to develop momentum. Right now all we did was stop their momentum."

"They're a confident team at this point and they believe in themselves and they're not gonna back down from a lead," Cone commended the relentless Express.

"Teams who believe in themselves don't worry about falling behind. They stay with it and keep going and Air21 did a good job at that tonight."

Despite the final score, however, no way was Game 2 easy pickings for the Mixers.

Up until the very end the Express just would not stay down, even as San Mig Coffee buried Air21 into seemingly insurmountable double-digit pits, they still found ways to come back and jeopardize the game for San Mig.

The Express accelerated with a sterling 13-0 run midway in the fourth, which was capped off by a Sean Anthony (8 points, 4 rebounds) bucket to slice the deficit to 77-70 with 6:55 to play.

But Mark Barroca (6 points) broke the Mixers' scoring silence with two freebies on the other end for a 79-70 spread, pulling the Mixers to safety.

James Mays played a well-balanced game despite foul trouble with 25 points and 23 rebounds along with 5 dimes, a steal and a block.

San Mig's starters also had a much needed boost from their second group led by rookie Justin Melton, who scattered 12 points and hitting his long range bombs without fail at 3-of-3.

PJ Simon and Joe Devance also added 13 and 10 points, respectively.

Asi Taulava still showed no signs of slowing down as he tried to fire up his teammates in the second half with a massive dunk attempt and a completed jam towards the end. He finished with 21 points and 18 rebounds as he clocked in another long night at 39 minutes.

Mark Cardona, who committed a crucial turnover within the final minute as he failed to catch a pass to him at the corner, figured in 20 points in a losing cause.

The pivotal Game 3 between Air21 and San Mig Coffee will be played on Saturday, May 3 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Scores

SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE (82): Mays 25, Simon 13, Melton 12, Devance 10, Pingris 6, Barroca 6, Yap 5, Sangalang 4, Reavis 1, Mallari 0.

AIR 21 (75): Taulava 21, Cardona 20, Yeo 9, Witherspoon 8, Anthony 8, Borboran 3, Villanueva 2, Ramos 2, Burtscher 2, Poligrates 0, Camson 0.

Quarter scores: 25-20, 50-34, 70-55, 82-75.

From Rappler.com

[Zurca]

Tropang Texters hold on late to beat ROS, book ticket to Finals (05/02/14)

MANILA, Philippines - The Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters won their 13th straight game, beating the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 99-91, to sweep their adversaries 3-0 in the semifinals and advance to the Finals of the PBA Home TVolution Commissioner’s Cup on Friday evening, May 2, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Led by import Richard Howell, who had 26 points, and locals Ranidel de Ocampo and Ryan Reyes, who scored 15 each, the Tropang Texters led from start to finish and managed to hold off the late rally by Rain or Shine, which was spearheaded by Wayne Chism’s 31 markers, in spite of being hobbled by an injured leg.

“It was an extremely hard fought game,” said Talk ‘N Text head coach Norman Black after the game. “I thought both teams played very well. I’d like to give Chism a lot of credit for coming out to play tonight, despite the injury.”

Heading into the final quarter, Howell and company had a comfortable 80-64 lead, although they were not out of the woods. Thanks to Rain or Shine’s 11-2 spurt to start the fourth period, Coach Black was forced to re-enter his starting unit with the lead shortened to seven.

Towards the end of the game, a crafty lay-in by Chism got his team to within six, 91-97. However, Rain or Shine, which made just two three-pointers the entire game, failed to get a stop after as a 15-foot jumper by Kelly Williams made the contest a three-possession game with under a minute remaining.

“I must say that Rain or Shine really tested our defense,” admitted Black after the game, though his club is 13-0 in the Commissioner’s Cup. They now await the winner of the San Mig Cofee vs. Air 21 semifinal series, which is currently tied at 1-1.

“The ultimate goal is at hand, which is to win the championship,” added the head coach.

“Like the players were saying in the locker room, ‘three more to go.’”

The Tropang Texters didn’t waste time getting down to business. Spearheaded by two early three-pointers from Reyes, the Norman Black-coached club raced off to a 10-2 lead against Rain or Shine, which had Jeric Teng inserted in the starting line-up.

With Chism coming off the bench, rookie big man Raymond Almazan shouldered the scoring load for the Painters to start the contest, putting up six early markers on the scoreboard to help trim TNT’s lead, 14-8. Moments later, a couple of turnovers forced by Gabe Norwood helped ROS get within five, but timely baskets form Jayson Castro and a buzzer-beating three by Williams gave their team a 30-17 advantage after 12 minutes of play.

The second period commenced likewise to its predecessor, with Talk ‘N Text being the first time to gain an upper hand. Thanks to a pair of long-range bombs from Castro, the Yeng Guiao-led team found themselves facing a 16-point deficit, 40-24.

The never-say-die Elasto Painters clawed their way back to the contest on the shoulders of Chism and Norwood, both of whom created havoc on defense with steals and were able to knock in their free throws.

After a pair of charities by the latter, the Tropang Texters’ lead slimmed to six, 47-41, towards the end of the canto. However, a momentum-killing foul on a Jimmy Alapag three-point attempt and another buzzer-beating three – this time by de Ocampo – put Talk ‘N Text ahead by 10, 55-45, at halftime.

In need of a jolt of energy, Coach Guiao turned to freshman Alex Nuyles in hopes of energizing his club to start the third quarter.

Early in the period, a zooming Norwood forayed to the basket and managed to complete an and-one slam over two TNT defenders. Not long after, a pair of charities from Chism got his squad within eight.

Though the Elasto Painters time and time again lessened their opponents’ advantage to single-digits, the unbeaten Tropang Texters had a response every single time, whether it was a Fonacier or Canaleta three-pointer, or an easy lay-up for Howell thanks to the team’s fantastic ball-movement.

ROS, on the other hand, relied on the prowess of Chism, who managed to take advantage of the Tropang Texters’ vulnerable interior defense. However, the injured import failed to get aid from his local teammates, outside of Norwood.

Paul Lee, who played only six minutes due to an injury, was held scoreless and did not return to the game after the first quarter.

Scores

Talk ‘N Text: Howell 26, De Ocampo 25, Reyes 15, Castro 10, Fonacier 10, Williams 7, Seigle 6, Canaleta 6, Alapag 3, Carey 1

Rain or Shine: Chism 31, Almazan 13, Norwood 12, Chan 11, Rodriguez 9, Uyloan 5, Tang 5, Nuyles 2, Teng 2, Belga 1, Arana 0, Lee 0

From Rappler.com

[jamesbond]

Ano na kaya ang mga team standings sa PBA?

[Zurca]

Ano na kaya ang mga team standings sa PBA?

eto po updates sir jamesbond

2014 PBA Commissioner's Cup Semifinals

(1) Talk n Text Tropang Texters vs. Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (4)

Game 1: Talk 'n Text 91, Rain or Shine 85
Game 2: Talk 'n Text 94, Rain or Shine 87
Game 3: Talk 'n Text 99, Rain or Shine 91

Talk n Text Tropang Texters wins series 3-0


(6) San Mig Coffee Mixers vs. Air 21 Express (7)

Game 1: Air21 103, San Mig Coffee 100
Game 2: San Mig Coffee 82, Air21 75
Game 3: Saturday, May 3 - Smart-Araneta Coliseum - 5:00 p.m., Live on TV5

Series tied at 1-1

[jamesbond]

Wow ang bilis naman ng updstes mo sir zurca... Salamt ng narami... So i guess TNT na ito... Laging angat sa laban...

[Zurca]

yep, tnt sa finals pero i'm rooting for san mig coffee para sa grand slam ni coach tim cone lol
Post Merge: May 04, 2014, 08:36:55 AMMays’ monster rebounding propels San Mig Coffee past Air21 (05/03/14)

MANILA, Philippines – After relinquishing a double-digit lead in the third quarter, the San Mig Coffee Mixers dominated Air21 Express on the glass and forced their foes to consecutive turnovers in the fourth period to win Game 3, 84-73 on Saturday, May 3.

With the victory, San Mig Coffee took a 2-1 series lead in their semifinal playoff at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

All throughout the game, the Express, playing without injured Sean Anthony, were dominated in the rebounding department by the Mixers, 54-26, led by import James Mays.

Mays scored 15 points and grabbed 32 rebounds. Leading the team in scoring were locals PJ Simon and Marc Barroca, who combined to score 35.

“Anthony really changes the game for them. He’s been playing very well,” San Mig Coffee head coach Tim Cone said after the game.

He added: “He keys their defense, he keys their hustle on the boards, and he’s a threat offensive. He’s really a major player for them, so that put more pressure on the import, and we were able to take advantage of that.”

The Express were spearheaded by Asi Taulava, who contributed 21 points and 8 rebounds. Import Wesley Witherspoon, meanwhile, had 19 markers but shot only 3-of-9 from 3-point range.

In the fourth quarter, the Mixers started to pound the glass ferociously, taking advantage of the Express’ weak rebounding while forcing steals and getting easy layups. A Barroca 3-ball raised San Mig Coffee’s lead to 9, while a series of fastbreak buckets from Melton and Simon made the count 78-65 in favor of the Mixers.

With a little over two minutes left, a struggling Pingris streamed through a wide open sideline to throw down a massive slam, putting SMC on top, 82-68, and providing the dagger to end the ballgame.

The Mixers are now one more win away from reaching the Finals of the PBA Home TVolution Commissioner’s Cup, where they would face Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters. Cone, though, is not yet concentrating on a possible date with the Norman Black-coached club.

“We’re taking it one game at a time. It’s a cliché and everyone says it, but everyone says it because it’s true.”

Furthermore, Cone, who owns the record for most championships won by a head coach in the PBA, said some of his guys are still not 100% – particularly Marc Pingris, who scored only 7 points in 30 minutes of action.

“There’s no doubt that right now Pingris is playing on fumes. Anything we can get from guys coming off the bench – Ian, we’re hoping to get more from Ian – but that really helps us out.”

With Simon and Witherspoon each recording 5 early points, both clubs raced off to quick starts, knotting up at 9-9. Moments later, a triple by Simon started a 13-4 run for the Mixers, which featured a couple of consecutive blocks from Mays to spark SMC’s defense, giving them a 22-13 advantage.

Taulava, meanwhile, struggled against the defense of the San Mig Coffee import and settled for a couple of mid-range jumpers to start the game.

After 12 minutes of action, San Mig Coffee led by 9, 24-15, as Simon led the way with 10 points.

The Express trimmed SMC’s lead and got within 3, thanks to a pair of jumpers by stretch forward Aldrech Ramos, 28-25, a few minutes into the second canto.

Cone, sensing his team was in need of a spark, quickly reinserted Joe Devance, who converted on an and-one play to put the Mixers back up 6 and stop Air 21’s rally.

In the next few minutes, the contest started to get chippy, as both Air 21 and SMC made consecutive trips to the free throw line with the game getting more physical.

Mays dominated the Franz Pumaren-coached squad on the glass for second-chance points, scoring 9 of his 15 markers in the second quarter.

Eliud Poligrates managed to hit a right-corner 3-ball just before intermission, but SMC still had a 9-point advantage, 49-40, after 24 minutes of playing time.

The third quarter started with a more aggressive Taulava attacking the rim, converting on a lay-up and earning a trip to the charity stripe. However, great defense from San Mig Coffee led to a couple of Air 21 turnovers, giving the Mixers a 58-45 lead.

With 8:25 left, things got heated as Pingris was assessed a technical foul for shoving (second motion) Witherspoon, sparking a 14-3 Express run, 61-59, capped off by a couple of free throws by Taulava. However, a 3-ball by Mark Barroca ended Air 21’s surge late in the third period, giving the Mixers a 64-59 threshold heading into the deciding quarter.

Though the Express shot 44.1% from the field, its main perimeter guys, Joseph Yeo and Mark Cardona, scored only a combined 10 points thanks to San Mig Coffee’s hardnosed defense.

“We think stops instead of makes,” added Coach Cone.

Game notes: the Mixers shot only 39.5% from the field; both clubs had 15 turnovers each; SMC attempted 21 free throws to Air 21’s 11 in the first half, and wound up with 27 total for the game; Mays had 19 offensive rebounds – the second most by an import in PBA history.

Scores:

San Mig Coffee: Simon 18, Barroca 17, Mays 15, Devance 9, Pingris 7, Melton 6, Yap 6, Reavis 4, Sangalang 2, De Ocampo 0, Gaco 0, Mallari 0

Air 21: Taulava 21, Witherspoon 19, Ramos 10, Yeo 5, Burtscher 5, Cardona 4, Borboran 3, Poligrates 3, Villanueva 2, Jaime 0, Menor 0, Atkins 0

From Rappler.com
Post Merge: May 05, 2014, 10:19:33 AMTalk 'N Text bringing in NBA D-League co-MVP Othyus Jeffers for Governors Cup

WHILE awaiting its finals opponent in the Commissioner's Cup, Talk 'N Text has laid the groundworks for its Governors Cup campaign by tapping 2014 NBA D-League co-MVP Othyus Jeffers.

Jeffers, an NBA veteran who played for the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, the Washington Wizards and lately, the Minnesota Timberwolves in a total of 37 games, was described as an “all-around player” by Talk ‘N Text coach Norman Black.

“He’s a good all-around player. He does everything. He was just named co-MVP of the NBA D-League,” Black said in briefly describing the 28-year-old former standout out of Robert Morris University.

The Tropang Texters' current reinforcement, Richard Howell, is the top candidate for the Best Import award.

Listed at 6-5, Jeffers, who owns NBA averages of 3.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 11.9 minutes, is expected to bring in his defensive skills to a Tropang Texters squad that has yet to lose a game in the Commissioner’s Cup.

The Chicago, Illinois, native has been named to the NBA D-League All-Defensive team twice (2011 and 2014) and is a three-time D-League All-Star as well.

The 210-pound Jeffers played in 44 of the Iowa Energy’s 50 regular season games before earning a call-up to the Timberwolves early last April. 

The wide-bodied Jeffers averaged a team-high 20.9 points, eighth-best in the NBA D-League, along with 9.9 rebounds and 2.2 steals. He led Iowa in scoring 20 times and was the team’s top rebounder in 20 games.

From SPIN.ph