STILL TOP GUN

MARK Caguioa is not one to just let a young turk upstage him, especially when his team’s immediate goal is on the line.

The former MVP proved that just last Thursday, when he emphatically led Barangay Ginebra San Miguel over Terrence Romeo and the rest of GlobalPort and in the process earned for himself the Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week honors for the period Nov. 25 to Dec. 1.

In that game, Caguioa exploded for a personal conference-best 29 points – two more than the red-hot rookie – in spearheading the Kings’ drive to a third win in as many outings and a share of the PLDT myDSL Philippine Cup lead with idle Petron Blaze.

June Mar Fajardo came up with a monster game of 21 points and 25 rebounds in the Boosters’ 91-78 win over San Mig Coffee while John Wilson and Jayson Castro came up with career games for Meralco and Talk N Text, respectively, in the week that was.

It is Caguioa who earned the scribes’ nod, however, following the electrifying performance that came during winning time.

“I knew I had to do something and I’m glad I made those shots,” said Caguioa after he scored 14 of his points, on 4-of-4 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from the stripe, and took over the game against the Batang Pier in the last three minutes.

“Mark is one guy na iyung pagka-competitive palaging nandoon,” said Ginebra coach Ato Agustin.

“Challenged by another player, and a rookie at that, ipinakita lang ni Mark na nandoon pa rin iyung ‘The Spark’ and in the process idinisplay niya iyung never-say-die spirit ng team. He really took over the offense for us,” added the tactician.

The 2012 MVP said he could do nothing less when Romeo threw down the gauntlet with a basket over him that capped GlobalPort’s fightback from 19 points down and installed it on top, 93-91.

That only served to stir Caguioa into full action.

The Kings’ main man scored five straight points, issued an assist and then strung up five more points to fully give control back to Ginebra, 103-95.

When the Batang Pier threatened once more following Romeo ‘s three-point play, capping his followup to a 34-point game against Air21 just five days before, Caguioa dealt the final blow with a three-pointer. (NC)

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GO-TO GUYS

EVERY team needs somebody to take charge in the games that mattered most and Petron Blaze and San Mig Coffee certainly had plenty willing to don said mantle of responsibility.

None more so than Alex Cabagnot and James Yap, who were adjudged the Accel-PBA Press Corps Co-Players of the Week for the period Sept. 30 to Oct. 7 after leading their respective teams to the Finals of the PBA Governors’ Cup.

Cabagnot was the most consistent for the Boosters in the week that was with four-game averages of 15.5 points, 5.25 rebounds and 4.25 assists, including 23 markers and eight dimes in a deciding 110-89 victory over last year’s champion Rain or Shine last Monday.

Yap, who was similarly cited by the scribes for the period Sept. 2 to 8, was not too far behind with three-game averages of 15.0 points and 5.3 rebounds, including 19 points in the Finals seat-clinching 79-73 win over Meralco last Sunday.

Mixers guard Alex Mallari also came up big by coming off the bench and scattering 23 points in a 94-87 victory last Friday that put the Bolts’ back against the wall and Boosters counterpart Marcio Lassiter torched the Elasto Painters for 27 points and 12 rebounds also last Monday.

It is undeniable, however, that Cabagnot and Yap left their own indelible prints throughout the tough semifinal series, enabling their respective teams to close out the best-of-five matchups on identical 3-1 counts.

Their latest performances did not go unnoticed by their coaches.

Especially San Mig tactician Tim Cone, who continues to marvel at the steady evolution of Yap from being a mere scorer into a more all-around player.

“I think everyone rates James’ game based on whether he is scoring, but he is bringing a lot more to the table than just that,” contended Cone.

“His devotion to the defensive side and on the boards has really taken our ‘team’ basketball to another level. His mindset right now is doing whatever it takes for us to win, whether it be to score or take on the tough defensive assignment or whatever.”

Ditto for Cabagnot, whose game has taken an upward turn in the playoffs, especially at times when import Elijah Millsap struggled.

“Alex has taken it upon himself to be the leader of this team and I’m happy for him,” said Petron coach Gee Abanilla.

“He’s now more of a table-setter for his teammates, picking his spots and basically becoming more efficient as a result.” (NC)

- See more at: http://pba.inquirer.net/32341/go-to-guys#sthash.QY9TE25u.dpuf

Guiao sizes up prospects: Almazan is PBA material, Sangalang the best scorer

A DAY after Rain or Shine was dethroned as PBA Governors Cup champion, coach Yeng Guiao said picking a big man in next month’s Rookie Draft is a no-brainer especially with the way his team was manhandled by a Petron side led by rookie behemoth June Mar Fajardo.

With a chance to pick at No. 3 overall, Guiao said the Elasto Painters are dead-set on picking the best big man available in the draft pool to shore up their frontline currently manned by undersized centers Beau Belga and JR Quinahan.

“All teams look for big men, and there are available talents for this (year’s) draft, so it’s nothing unique or special for us. Even more for us, dahil our bigs are not that big, so we need size in our frontline,” Guiao told Spin.ph in the aftermath of Rain or Shine’s 3-1 loss in the semis to Petron on Monday night.

Air21 and Globalport, two teams expected to figure in this year’s lottery, will vie for the coveted top two picks although both the Express and the Batang Pier won’t get the chance to dip their hands in the expected bumper crop of rookies in the November 3 draft.

The Air21 pick is owned by Barangay Ginebra, owing to a previous player transaction, while Globalport already yielded its pick to San Mig Coffee.

Ginebra board representative Robert Non recently told Spin.ph the opportunity to draft a seven-footer like Greg Slaughter is hard to pass up, although sources said coaches of the league's most popular ballclub have their eyes set on the versatile Ian Sangalang.

Whichever way the first teams go, Rain or Shine will have a shot at either Slaughter, Sangalang, or 6-7 Letran star Raymund Almazan.

Guiao said he has had a chance to size up Almazan’s capabilities since the reed-thin slotman has joined Rain or Shine’s practice several times this year.

“Almazan is PBA material. Siguro, he will just need to get used to (playing in the PBA) dahil manipis ang frame niya so before he really gets effective, he’s gonna have to add a few more pounds, bulk up, and get used to the physicality,” said the fiery Elasto Painters mentor.

"Pero nakikita naman namin na di naman siya mahihirapan masyado."

Guiao said the 6-foot-7 Sangalang is also another attractive choice.

“To us, it doesn’t matter whether he’s (Sangalang) a four (power forward) or five (center). We have a use for a four or a five. He’s a smart player with a nice scoring touch,” he said.

Guiao said watching Sangalang play reminds him of legendary big man Ramon Fernandez, one of only two four-time MVPs in the pro league.

“Ang naalala ko parang si Ramon Fernandez, kasi matalino siya (Sangalang), marunong dumiskarte, and he doesn’t get rattled. Pero tingin ko rin, kailangan masanay sa banggaan at kailangan magpalaki ng katawan, pero among all the bigs, he’s the best scorer,” added Guiao.

Follow the writer on Twitter: @richava

Finally back in finals, San Mig Coffee won’t squander title shot, promises James Yap

San Mig Coffee superstar James Yap saved the best game for last, coming up big in the Mixers’ series-clinching victory over a gutsy Meralco squad in Game Four of the semifinals.

The win capped the team’s remarkable comeback after starting the tournament with a 1-3 record. The Mixers have since won 10 of their last 12 games.

For Yap, getting back to the finals is a sigh of relief.

“Masaya. Ilang conference na kaming nasa semis parati pero hindi kami makaabot sa finals,” said Yap, the Mixers’ most consistent local performer in the series after scoring in double figures in all four matches.

He finished with 19 points on Sunday to help his team get back to the finals for the first time after falling short in the semifinals in each of the first two conferences this season.

“Ngayon na nakapasok na kami sa finals ulit, hindi namin basta bibitawan yung tsansa na manalo ng championship,” he said.

“Minsan lang kasi mangyari yung ganitong pagkakataon at ang hirap makarating dito. Ngayong may pagkakataon, syempre aalagaan namin.”

San Mig Coffee is still waiting for the result of the Petron-Rain or Shine series to determine its opponent in the title round. But Yap believes that the choice of opponent hardly matters for the Mixers.

“Importante yung focus and mental preparation sa finals maski sino pa ang kalaban importante handa kami dapat,” said Yap.

Finally healthy

After struggling with health issues last conference, Yap has bounced back strong in the tournament.

“Last conference ang hirap ng pinagdaanan ko dahil sa injury,” said Yap, who sought treatment abroad prior to the tournament for his ailment.

“At least yung sacrifice ko nung nagpa-treat ako sa Italy malaking bagay talaga. Then, nung pagdating ko dito inalagaan ko yung sarili ko yung lower back ko dahil alam ko na ang mararamdaman kung babalik at nagpakundisyon ako.”

Yap displayed an array of moves against the Bolts, getting away from the tight Meralco defense to shoot 8-of-14 from the field.

“Excited ako playing healthy dahil yung mga hindi ko nagagawa noon, nagagawa ko na ngayon,” said Yap. That included a sweet stepback crossover move against Jared Dillinger in the first half that drew ooh’s and ahh’s from the crowd.

“Hindi ko alam kung paano ko nagawa yun biglang lumabas na lang,” said Yap. “Natatandaan ko lang naharangan niya ako kaya hindi ako maka-go hard to the basket kaya parang nag-change direction ako na may konting stepback.”

‘We haven’t achieved our goal yet,’ reminds Marc Pingris as San Mig Coffee gears up for finals

Finally back in the championship round of a PBA tournament, one could forgive San Mig Coffee fans for celebrating after the Mixers clinched a finals spot in the Governors’ Cup on Sunday with a win over Meralco.

But star forward Marc Pingris was in no mood to celebrate, saying the team still had unfinished business.

“Gaya ng sabi ko dati, wala pa kaming napapatunayan. Hangga’t hindi pa namin hawak yung trophy hindi pa achievement yun. Yun talaga gusto naming makuha,” Pingris told InterAKTV in an exclusive interview.

Pingris had his finest game of the series in the deciding Game Four, finishing with 16 points, seven rebounds, and four assists.

With the team taking a day off on Monday before plunging back to work, Pingris is preparing for a new set of challenges in the finals.

“Panibagong kalaban, panibagong adjustment,” said Pingris, as the Mixers await the winner of the other semifinal series between Petron and Rain or Shine.

He said hunger is a motivation, but notes that every team in the final four could say that as well.

“Lahat kami gutom. Pero para sa amin gusto lang naming patunayan na kaya naming maglaro ng may puso at manalo as a team,” said Pingris. “Doon mo makikita yung character ng team. Doon mo makikita yung pagmamahal mo sa trabaho at paglalaro ng basketball.”

San Mig marches to Governors Cup Finals after finishing off Meralco

MARK Barroca provided the endgame heroics in a 79-73 San Mig Coffee win over Meralco as the Mixers earned a return trip to the PBA Governors Cup Finals Sunday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The 5-foot-10 Barroca pulled off a key steal against Mike Cortez and then scored on an unmolested layup on a Marcus Blakely assist late in Game 4 of the best-of-five series played before a crowd of 8,000.
Blakely then sealed the win – and the series – when he went two-of-two from the foul line in the final nine seconds for the marginal score.
The Mixers won the series, 3-1.
“We always didn’t make things easy. We allowed them (Bolts) to come back, but that just goes to show how much fighting spirit Meralco has,” said winning coach Tim Cone,  whose Mixers are in their 24^th Finals appearance.
San Mig held a 71-60 lead with under nine minutes to play when the Bolts made their final stand behind walking-wounded import Mario West.
The 6-foot-4 West, playing through through a sprained AC (acromioclavicular) joint on his right shoulder, willed the Bolts back with repeated attacks to the basket to push them to within 73-75 with 41 seconds to go.
But the Mixers, runner-up to Rain or Shine in this same conference last season, proved steadier in the clutch as Barroca scored inside after finding himself alone underneath when the Bolts decided to double on Blakely.
“Coach Ryan (Gregorio) gave us a really good game tonight.  He outcoached me tonight. But we advance and they don’t.  Tough for them but they really played great in the series,” added Cone, who is
gunning for his 15th league title that would tie him with the legendary Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan for the most championships won by a coach.
The Bolts gave everything they can in the series as they controlled the boards for the first time in four games, 51-43.
West managed to shrug off the pain as he led the Bolts with 22 points and 17 rebounds, his best performance in the defense-oriented series.
Blakely paced the Mixers with 23 points, 19 boards, and five steals.
San Mig will play the winner of the other semis pairing between Petron and Rain or Shine in the best-of-seven Finals.
The scores

San Mig (79) -- Blakely 23, Yap 19, Pingris 16, Barroca 7, Mallari 4, Devance 4, Acuna 3, Simon 3, Reavis 0.

Meralco (73) -- West 22, Cardona 13, Hugnatan 13, Ross 9, Dillinger 6, Salvacion 6, Cortez 4, Hodge 0, Wilson 0.
Quarterscores: 27-16; 45-38; 66-56; 79-73.

Follow the writer on Twitter: @richava

Blakely eyes to complete unfinished business with San Mig

MARQUS Blakely is four wins away from completing an unfinished business for San Mig Coffee.
In his second tour of duty with the Mixers, the energetic import vowed to help the franchise win the PBA Governors Cup title after losing the championship series of the season-ending conference last year against Rain or Shine.
“It’s a long road, starting out at 1-3 and ups and downs the whole conference, but that’s what makes us stronger and makes us play together,” said Blakely, who came through with 23 points, 19 rebounds,
two assists, and five steals to lead San Mig to a 79-73 semifinal series-clinching win to earn a return trip to the Finals.
Amazingly, Blakely, a known poor free throw shooter, went two-for-two from the foul line with under 10 seconds to play that sealed the Game 4 win for the Mixers.
“That’s (free throw shooting) something I’ve been working on, repetition and getting there,” explained the former Vernon product.
“After a while, you get more comfortable and more confident. It’s not about how many I missed before but the shots I make, kind of mentally go after and remember, to keep making good shots,” he added.
Blakely said the new few days would be critical for him and his teammates to keep working on their game, fine tune their offense, and keep improving their team defense as they try to end the season with a championship.
“We’re gonna come in with the same mindset on what we do. Just need to execute on offense and play defense. Once we do that, we’ll show we’re gonna be a hard team to beat,” he said.

Follow the writer on Twitter: @richava

BOOSTERS GO FOR THE JUGULAR

Twelfth straight win. Series sweep. First Finals in six conferences.

One more win and roaring Petron Blaze achieves all these.

The Boosters gun for this one big win, going for the kill versus the beleaguered Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in Game Three of their PBA Governors’ Cup best-of-five semifinals showdown at the Cuneta Astrodome Saturday.

Game time is 6:45 p.m. with Petron hoping to apply the broom on Rain or Shine and get a shot at reclaiming the Governors’ Cup crown that the Elasto Painters won last year.

It’s two-zero, but it doesn’t reflect how close the battle has been.

It has actually been a dogfight with the E-Painters, despite their all their limitations, in the thick of things until the final minute in Game One and in the contest up to the final second in Game Two.

This is not lost on the Boosters who vowed to just stay focused on the task at hand as they take their first of three shots at the Finals.

“We cannot be complacent. It takes three victories to win a best-of-five series and we cannot back off against a very dangerous ROS,” said Petron coach Gee Abanilla. “We will try to keep on improving and play at a high level no matter what the situation is.”

The odds are now heavily stacked against the titleholders.

For the record, in the last two decades, just one PBA team has come back from a 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-five series. Ginebra San Miguel pulled the trick versus Talk n Text in the 2009-2010 Philippine Cup quarterfinals.

In the league’s entire history, only two other teams did the feat – Crispa versus Toyota in the 1975 Third Conference Finals and Purefoods against Alaska also in the third confab in 1990. Curiously, both were under coach Baby Dalupan.

The E-Painters fell into the deep 0-2 hole Tuesday as they were unable to sustain a strong start with a depleted lineup minus Paul Lee (shoulder injury), JR Quinahan (bruised ankle) and Ryan Arana (then down with a fever).

Still, the E-Painters are not about to concede.

“We will hang in there, continue fighting and hold on for as long as we can. If we hold on long enough, we can give ourselves a crack at winning,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.

“We’re not losing hope,” Guiao stressed.

Gutsy and scrappy were the E-Painters who lost by just a basket, 90 88, Tuesday notwithstanding an awful 0-of-18 clip from beyond the arc.

“Had we got even one, we could have won the game and tied the series,” said Guiao. “Siguro naman mag-i-improve na shooting namin on Saturday.”

Guiao’s bigger concern is how to neutralize Petron’s tremendous size advantage.

Six-foot-10 rookie center Junmar Fajardo has become Petron’s man of the moment with huge double-double performances in Games One and Two.

The big question is how the E-Painters can stop Fajardo with only Beau Belga having the size to match up with the Cebuano behemoth.

With Belga picking up a fifth foul with over 13 minutes left to play, coach Guiao turned to Arizona Reid and Jervy Cruz who are both inches shorter and pounds lighter.

“JR Quinahan could have been a big help. Beau needs help,” said Guiao.

Abanilla, meanwhile, promised they would stay all business in their hope to nail a first Finals stint for the franchise in the last six conferences. (SB)

SAN MIG COFFEE ON VERGE OF RETURN TRIP TO FINALS

Meralco Bolts coach Ryan Gregorio gave two reasons why it was difficult to beat San Mig Coffee in Game 3 of their PBA Governors’ Cup semifinal series Friday night.

“It’s really hard to win without an import,” Gregorio said during the post-game interview after the 94-87 loss to the Mixers at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, the words coming out easily.

The second reason was a bit of a struggle though as he apparently contemplated the consequences.

Then he gritted his teeth and got it off his chest.

“And it gets so much harder when you get called 35 times and your opponent gets 41 free throws,” he said, stressing the figures.

For the record, San Mig got whistled for 19 fouls and gave up 22 free throws, a disparity Gregorio harped on.

Still, even without West, who suffered a sprained right shoulder after a hard bump by Joe Devance eight minutes into the third quarter, the Bolts had it in them to post an upset.

But they missed 6 of 9 three-point attempts in the fourth quarter when the Mixers were asserting their import advantage with Marqus Blakely, who had 21 points, 22 rebounds and went 12 of 19 from the foul line.

“Everybody thinks it’s easy but the game becomes so much harder when one plays a team that suddenly loses its import,” said San Mig coach Tim Cone. “One becomes the heavy favorite and the other an underdog. They gain a momentum that’s really hard to break.”

A 4-point play by John Wilson kept the Bolts within 90-87, with 26 seconds left. But Alex Mallari, who scored a career-high 23 points, hit two free throws to help seal the win for San Mig.

Mallari nailed a big 3-pointer with 2:38 left to give San Mig an 84-79 lead. Consecutive baskets by Mark Barroca and James Yap then made it a 9-point advantage with 1:40 left.

“We lost our import in the third with a kind of foul that I know is not intentional but still is something you don’t want to see happen,” said Gregorio. “Mario’s kinda upset because it was an obvious bump.”

West wasn’t the only one unhappy.

“I told Devance after the game that it’s all part of the game, but, of course, the damage has been done,” said Gregorio, hinting the Bolts could go without an import in Game 4 if West’s injury turns out to be serious.

“The schedule is too tight,” he said. “Physically, you can’t fly in anyone.”

West is scheduled for MRI tests Saturday morning at 9.

Gregorio coached the core of the San Mig team when it was still carrying the Purefoods brand. Devance, however, joined James Yap, Marc Pingris and Co. only after Gregorio had left to handle Meralco and Cone had stepped in from Alaska last season.

San Mig trailed late in the first quarter, 22-13, and 27-17, early in the second, 27-17, before rallying behind hot-shooting Mark Barroca and a more aggressive inside attack to take a 44-42 edge at halftime.

Blakely had 13 points in the first two quarter and Alex Mallari came off the bench for 10 on 5 of 7 from the floor.

The Mixers missed 9 of 21 free throws but recovered the loss under the glass, 29-19, including 11-5 in offensive rebounds which gave them five more field goal attempts.

San Mig is eyeing its 24^th final appearance; Meralco its first. (WJRHT)

Scores:

SAN MIG 94 – Mallari 23, Blakely 21, Barroca 18, Yap 13, Devance 7, Pingris 4, Reavis 4, Acuna 2, Simon 2.

MERALCO 87 – Cortez 15, West 13, Wilson 13, Hodge 11, Hugnatan 11, Dillinger 10, Salvacion 9, Cardona 3, Reyes 2, Guevarra 0, Ross 0.

Quarters: 17-22, 44-42, 66-64, 94-87.

Ginebra fan Raymond Almazan torn between joining PBA draft, playing in SEA Games

Letran Knights center Raymond Almazan is torn between declaring for the PBA draft and playing for the national team in the Southeast Asian Games.
The 6-foot-8 beanpole, a cousin of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel forward Kerby Raymundo, has emerged as a top candidate for Most Valuable Player in the NCAA, and is considered a blue chip prospect if he joins the PBA draft in November.
But he has also been named by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas as a candidate for inclusion for the Philippine team to the SEA Games in December.
“Hindi ko talaga alam kung ano magiging desisyon ko. Kinausap ako ng manager ko and sinabi niya sa akin kung saan ako masaya yun ang gawin ko. Gusto ko talagang magpa-draft this year,” said Almazan, who was a guest on Sports5 Center on Wednesday.
But he added that donning Philippine colors is also a dream for him.
“Since naglaro ako ng basketball, pangarap ko na yan. Kasi nga yung pinsan ko, si Kerby Raymundo, nag-Philippine team. Gusto kong sumunod sa yapak niya,” he said.
“Pero this year kasi parang ang gulo ng schedule. Kasi may FIBA, tapos may draft, then may SEA Games. Pero hindi ba pwede na halimbawa na-draft ako, pwede kayang ipahiram muna ako to play sa national team? Kasi gusto ko rin talagang maglaro sa national team.
“Sino ba namang ayaw maglaro para sa bayan mo? Once in a lifetime lang yun. Kung pwede talaga akong maglaro bakit hindi.”
If he joins the draft, he will enter a big man-laden pool that is also expected to include seven-foot center Greg Slaughter and former NCAA Most Valuable Player Ian Sangalang.
“Sa tingin ko yung No.1 spot for the draft kay Slaughter na yan. Sure ako diyan. Siguro No. 2 si Ian siguro. Sabi nila nasa No.3 ako, pero hindi ko na masyadong iniisip yun. Basta ako makapunta ako sa PBA masaya na ako. Bata pa lang ako pangarap ko na maglaro sa PBA,” said Almazan.
If given the choice, Almazan wants to suit up for Ginebra, the league’s most popular player, in large part to team up with Raymundo.
“Syempre Ginebra No. 1 team sa PBA yan. Napakadaming supporters niyan. Tsaka yung makapaglaro with him, isang malaking privilege yan. Napakasaya ko niyan if that happens kasi nga mentor ko siya, pinsan ko pa. Tingin ko maga-guide niya ako sa loob ng court, sa practice,” said Almazan.
For most of his career, Almazan has followed Raymundo’s footsteps all the way to Letran, which is also the latter’s alma mater.
“Madalas kaming mag-one on one noon ni Kerby, turo niya sa akin yung facing the basket, simple basketball, jump shot, kapag malaki yung bantay,” said Almazan. “Ginagawa ko naman yun sa laro. Sabi niya, once na nahawakan ko yung bola, kailangan face basket, then kapag libre tira. May shooting naman daw kasi ako.”
Almazan wants to bring back a title to Intramuros, hoping to duplicate Raymundo’s feat of leading the Knights all the way.
But he knows he and his teammates will have to work hard for it.
“Wish ko na mag-champion sa Letran bago ako magpa-draft. Pero hindi wini-wish yun, ginagawa yun. Start from the practice yan. Sana i-guide kami na walang ma-injure, kung sa amin talaga yung championship, kailangan pagtrabahuhan namin. Mahirap hilingin yun, hindi basta ibibigay yan,” he said.
“Pero gusto ko yung tsansa naming manalo ng championship. Kaya ko tinapos yung final year ko kasi gusto kong mag-champion sa Letran.

MIXERS, BOLTS OUT TO BREAK TIE

Top seed Petron Blaze is getting there in a hurry. San Mig Coffee and Meralco are taking a little bit longer.

Forty-eight hours after the Boosters posted a 2-0 lead over defending champion Rain or Shine in their best-of-5 semifinals in the PBA Governors’ Cup, the Mixers, seeded second in the playoffs, and the Bolts, ranked fourth, clash in Game 3 Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with both looking to gain a critical 2-1 lead in their series.

Petron can advance to the Finals via a sweep with a victory Saturday although the Elasto Painters, as severely crippled as they are right now, can never be counted out.

For San Mig and Meralco, however, the road to perdition lies straight ahead to a Game 5.

That would happen if they again split the next two games to set up a do-or-die. But Game 3 is all that matters right now.

The Mixers took Game 1 last Sunday, 83-73, as Joe Devance had an offensive resurgence, pouring 17 points on red-hot shooting from 3-point range.

“We gave so much attention to James [Yap], PJ [Simon] and Marc [Pingris] that we forgot to give us much respect to the others; that’s my mistake,” said Bolts coach Ryan Gregorio after the game.

Devance made them pay, hitting 7 of 10 from the field that night as Yap went 6 of 17, Simon 3 of 6, and Pingris 8 points. Marqus Blakely backed Devance up with 15 points and 10 rebounds and starter Alex Mallari came to the rescue as well with 3 of 4 triples.

Defensively, the Mixers clamped down on the Bolts, who missed 51 of their 80 shots, 20 from beyond the arc.

Tim Cone, the San Mig coach, said the emotionally-draining and the physical quarterfinal playoffs against Alaska, has left them nearly spent. But they’re sucking it in.

“We just kinda hung on [tonight] till we got something going,” Cone said. “We had some momentum in the third quarter and carried it over to the fourth. This will be a series of attrition.”

Given 24 hours to correct their lapses and energize their campaign, the Bolts responded efficiently.

Not only did they shut down Devance (0 of 5 in 38 minutes) and Pingris (0 of 4 in 15), they also put Yap on a 3-point diet (1 of 6 triples) while serving four local players in double figures behind Mario West’s 17 points.

The 73-69 fightback Tuesday saw Meralco surviving another dreadful shooting evening (26 of 85) through sheer hard work under the offensive boards were the Mixers were mauled, 20-9.

That advantage, coupled with San Mig’s 22 turnovers (6 by Blakely), combined to give the Bolts 30 more shots to negate their woeful touch and neutralize the 16 more free throws awarded the Mixers, whose total output was a team conference low.

“They came out flat and that gave us a great opportunity to fight through,” said Gregorio. “Holding them to 69 speaks of our desire to assert ourselves defensively. But it’s gonna be harder from hereon.”

Cone believes the 24-hour break should benefit both teams.

“It will give us a chance to recharge our batteries, physically and mentally,” he said. Then referring to the Mixers, Cone added: “Hopefully, we can get back on track.”

More than anybody else, the derailed Devance is who San Mig has to get back on the rail fast. With the Bolts zeroing in on Blakely, Yap and Simon, the Mixers need a spot-up shooter to loosen up the paint for Pingris and Yancy de Ocampo to operate in with lesser degree of harassment.

Having rekindled their defensive fire, the Bolts will be difficult to snuff out though unless the Mixers can rain down tons of offense to douse the flames. (WJRHT)

Fully-recharged San Mig, Meralco break tie in Game Three

FOR Tim Cone, what a difference a day makes.

Fully-recharged, Cone expects a spirited San Mig Coffee team to come out for Game Three of its PBA Governors Cup semifinals encounter with Meralco on Friday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The Mixers came out flat Tuesday night, leading to a low-scoring 69-73 loss against the Bolts that leveled their best-of-five series at one-game apiece.

“We just didn’t have a whole lot left in our tank in our last game. But with the extra day, we've had a chance to recharge our batteries after four games in seven days,” said Cone, whose team just held a light practice on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after firing bricks in the Mixers’ Game 2 loss.

At the same time, the multi-titled coach said he isn’t worried either if the Bolts will resort to fouling prized import Marqus Blakely, who’s been struggling from the free-throw line this conference by averaging just 42.8 percent.

“That’s (being fouled) part of his (Blakely) game that he is working on religiously. And we just try to play through it. It’s not that we can’t win with him doing that but I mean, the Lakers won with Shaquille (O’Neal). So we feel we can overcome that (Blakely’s poor foul shooting),” explained the 55-year-old Cone.

Although San Mig gunners James Yap and Peter June Simon are also struggling with their shooting, Cone is the least bit worried, knowing that as long as the Mixers work within the system, their offense will eventually follow.

“People are saying that James and PJ are struggling, but the game is about getting equal opportunities. They are not going to get the kind of shots they used to get two years ago, so other guys just need to step up,” said the San Mig mentor.

On the other hand, Meralco counterpart Ryan Gregorio said getting the advantage against the experienced Mixers in the series takes a lot of grit on the part of the Bolts, who survived a paltry 30.6 percent shooting to snatch Game 2.

“We need to fight through and find ways to win,” said the Meralco coach.

“No success has ever been accomplished without hard labor. It’s a tough series with both teams exhibiting tremendous emphasis on defense.”

Follow the writer on Twitter: @richava

Wire-to-wire Meralco evens semis series against San Mig Coffee

Meralco Bolt John Wilson wrestles for the ball against San Mig Coffee Mixer James Yap, during their PBA Governors Cup semifinals game, Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The Bolts evened up their series at one win apiece via a 73-69 that saw them go on top from start to finish

Petron prepares for sweep as Fajardo fuels Blaze Boosters past Rain or Shine

Updated 9:22pm) The Petron Blaze Boosters now hold a commanding 2-0 lead in their 2013 PBA Governors' Cup semifinals series with a close shave of a 90-88 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay.

The Boosters looked like they were on their way to an easy victory with a nine-point lead and less than three minutes left in the game. However, the Elasto Painters fought back and had a chance to win the game on the last play.

Leading 89-86, Elijah Millsap was given an isolation play at the top of the key. He drove in for a one-hander but it was blocked by Gabe Norwood. Beau Belga then tipped in a Arizona Reid miss to trim the Petron lead down to a single point at 89-88 with nine seconds left in the game. Millsap was then fouled and he scored a split from the line to give his team just a two-point buffer, 90-88.

Rain or Shine had 4.2 seconds to work with but Arizona Reid’s short jumper bounced, handing the win and the keys to the series to Petron.

June Mar Fajardo was named as the Best Player of the Game with 26 points and 14 rebounds on 12-of-17 shooting from the field. “Ineexpect ko na yung physical yung game. Nagpapasalamat ako sa mga coach dahil nagtitiwala sila sa akin,” Fajardo said afterwards.

“He’s a big guy and he has good basketball sense,” said Petron head coach Gee Abanilla. “Danny Ildefonso and the other coaches have been helping him.”

Marcio Lassiter (R) gets by Chito Jaime. Jeff Venancio

With the win, Petron can now barge into the Governors’ Cup Finals with a win on Saturday. “The chance has definitely increased but there’s also a chance that they might come back,” Abanilla said. “Complacency is the enemy for us. If we do things right, we’re going to be okay.”

Back-to-back baskets from Arizona Reid gave the Elasto Painters a 12-6 lead. June Mar Fajardo replied with a mid-range jumper, but Reid scored again for a 14-8 count in their favor. Elijah Millsap then scored his first basket of the game at the 6:35 mark to cut Rain or Shine’s lead in half, but Reid responded again with a three-point play for a 17-11 count for Rain or Shine.

The Boosters worked doubly hard on the offensive glass to inch closer. Put-backs from Fajardo and Chris Lutz got Petron within a basket of Rain or Shine at 21-19, but after leading by as much as eight points, Rain or Shine had to settle for a 26-24 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

A dunk from Chris Lutz knotted the game at 28-all early in the second quarter. Marcio Lassiter then exploded for Petron, with a triple at the 6:42 mark allowing them to take a 36-28 lead. Three free throws from Jeff Chan halted Petron’s run though, 36-31.

A dunk from Chris Lutz knotted the game at 28-all early in the second quarter. Marcio Lassiter then exploded for Petron, capping his run with a triple at the 6:42 mark to take a 36-28 lead. Three free throws from Jeff Chan halted Petron’s run and trimmed the lead down to 36-31.

The Elasto Painters had a difficult time defending the Petron bigs as Beau Belga got himself into foul trouble guarding Fajardo. It was an especially difficult situation for RoS as JR Quiñahan was not available for the game. Aside from the big man, Paul Lee also sat out because of a torn calf muscle, while Ryan Arana suffered from a high fever.

Reid scored 18 points in the first half with 13 in the first quarter. The Elasto Painters built a lead but they allowed the Boosters to take control of the game in the second quarter as they committed 10 turnovers

Jervy Cruz started the third quarter by making a mid-range jumper to knot the score at 42-all but Arwind Santos took it right back with his own jumper. After a 46-all tie, the Boosters then banked on two slam dunks from Fajardo to build a six-point lead.

Fajardo added another put-back dunk at the 5:42 mark of the third for a 59-52 lead for Petron. The Elasto Painters however got baskets from Reid and Belga to cut Petron’s lead down to three at 61-58. Petron tried to pull away again with Fajardo scoring and Chico Lanete swishing a triple for a double-digit lead at 70-60. Rain or Shine however scored the last two baskets of the third to cut the Petron lead to six at 70-64.

“Towards the end of the ball game they were going to mount a comeback,” Abanilla said. “We’re just lucky that we got the win today.”

Ronnie Matias, TY Tang and Larry Rodriguez can only watch as Elijah Millsap goes to work. Nuki Sabio

The Elasto Painters were able to cut the lead to a single point at 72-71, but they committed a spate of turnovers which turned into six points for the Boosters. Rain or Shine tried constantly to creep back into the ball game, but they failed to make their shots from outside. They had a lot of open looks from three but the shots refused to fall.

Alex Cabagnot then made them pay with a layup to give Petron a seven-point lead at 85-78. Fajardo added a put-back on their next possession off a Cabagnot miss for a nine-point Petron lead with less than three minutes left in the game.

With the seconds dwindling and a 0-2 hole looming, the Elasto Painters scored six straight points capped by a Gabe Norwood layup with 39.7 seconds left in the game. However, they couldn't quite complete the reversal, putting them in a dire hole.

Elijah Millsap added 19 points and 12 rebounds for Petron, while Arwind Santos chimed in with 16 markers, seven rebounds and two steals. Marcio Lassiter also fired in 13 points, nine off three-pointers.

Each player fielded in by Petron coach Gee Abanilla scored at least two points.

Arizona Reid led all scorers with 39 big points on 17-of-30 shooting. He also had 18 rebounds, five assists and a block. Jeff Chan scored 11, but he was the only other Elasto Painter to finish in double-figures.

Petron had a worse field goal percentage than Rain or Shine, 37.9 percent versus 43.2 percent, but the Elasto Painters blanked on all 18 of their three-point attempts. They were also clobbered on the offensive boards, 25-12, for a 25-12 advantage in second-chance points. - RAF, GMA News



The scores:

Petron 90 - Fajardo 26, Millsap 19, Santos 16, Lassiter 13, Lutz 4, Tubid 4, Lanete 3, Cabagnot 3, Kramer 2

Rain or Shine 88 - Reid 39, Chan 11, Cruz 8, Belga 8, Ibanes 8, Norwood 6, Matias 3, Tiu 2, Rodriguez 2, Jaime 1, Uyloan 0, Tang 0

Quarter scoring: 24-26, 42-40, 70-64, 90-88

Shorthanded Rain or Shine not losing hope despite tall odds against Petron

Despite being shorthanded, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are not yet ready to concede their Governors’ Cup crown despite trailing 0-2 in their best-of-five semifinal series against the Petron Blaze Boosters.

“We’re not losing hope,” Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao told InterAKTV after his team’s 90-88 defeat to the Boosters on Wednesday.

The team had one final chance to force overtime, but import Arizona Reid missed a jumper as time expired. The Elasto Painters were within a shot of Petron despite playing without three key members — Paul Lee (calf), JR Quinahan (Achilles tendinitis), and Ryan Arana (high fever) — and missing all 18 of their shots from beyond the arc.

“We could have won this game even with a depleted line up. We will just hang in there and continue fighting and hold on for as long as we can. Maybe if we held on long enough maybe we will give ourselves another crack getting to the next round,” said Guiao.

“Kung naka-shoot pala kami maski isang three-point shot, nanalo pa kami. But I’m happy with the overall effort of the team.”

Guiao hopes his team’s fortunes will change on Saturday when the Elasto Painters fight for survival.

“Hindi naman siguro kami 0-of-18 ulit sa three-point shot sa Saturday,” he said. “Ang situation namin ngayon is just Saturday. No other focus other than that. ”

Without a complete lineup, Guiao admitted matching up with Petron center June Mar Fajardo is a problem.

“Kulang kami sa malaki talaga, especially if Beau (Belga) is in foul trouble. The next guy after Beau is Jervy (Cruz) and Larry (Rodriguez), masyado nang maliit para kay June Mar,” said Guiao.

Despite two losses, Guiao was still in a good enough mood to joke about his team’s lack of height.

“Ang hirap kasing magpalaki in three days eh, hindi kaya ng vitamins,” said Guiao in jest. “Kung makakakita kami ng mangkukulam, pakukulam na lang namin.”

Turning serious, Guiao said the Elasto Painters will have to plot how to contain Fajardo, who had 26 points and 14 rebounds in Game Two.

“We have to talk with the coaching staff to find ways how to neutralize the size advantage,” said Guiao.

PBA No stranger to tragedy, Allein Maliksi is on the road to recovery anew

Allein Maliksi walked into an Ortigas coffee shop without a limp. The reports about his health had been bleak. The MRI suggested that it was a torn ACL and a sprained MCL, a combination that would take Allein six to eight months before he could be ready for basketball again. The clouds were starting to darken when he arrived. Last Sunday, dark clouds also hung over him and his basketball career when he fell down clutching his knee in pain.

It was a Tuesday afternoon when we met, the same day his San Mig Coffee Mixers battled the Meralco Bolts in game two of their best of five semifinals series. But instead of preparing for their big game, Allein found himself here, talking about what happened and dreaming of what could have been.

In their do-or-die game against the Alaska Aces, Allein drove to his left for a shot. He planted his left knee like he has done throughout his career, a move usually followed by a shot fake and a fadeaway jumper. This time it was different. His left knee gave out as he crumpled to the floor.

“Yung una kong naramdaman yung grabeng pain pero, tinitiis kong hindi sumigaw. Nung replay na nung nangyari dun na ako napasigaw sa sakit,” Allein said. “No!” was all what he mustered to shout as the pain crept from his knee. “Naranasan ko na kasi yung ma-injure sa tuhod. Alam kong mahirap tapos kailangan ko nanamang ulitin lahat.”

Back in 2008, after serving a year of residency following his transfer from the University of Manila, Allein was ready to suit up for the University of Santo Tomas Tigers for the UAAP. Early that season, there were already murmurs in the UAAP community that a deadly scorer was about to make the Tiger offense more dominant.

On a February morning that year, Allein practiced from 5:30 to 8:00am with Team A, but since his coaches thought he could use more seasoning, they required him to play for their Team B for the Home and Away Invitational League barely an hour after practice.

“Kalaban namin yung NU, bantay ko si Jonathan Jahnke,” Allein said, recalling the story like it happened yesterday. “Pagod na kasi ako nung game tapos di pa ako kumakain. Tumalon ako para kumuha ng rebound tapos nag-land ako sa right leg ko lang.” He then demonstrated what happened to his knee using his arms. He line up his fists and quickly moved the one forward while moving the other backward. It was the same motion he used to tell his trainers what happened to him last Sunday. “Umiyak ako nun sa bench. Wala kasi akong alam sa ACL. Akala ko tapos na yung career ko. Iniisip ko na lang ‘Paano na yung pangarap ko? Paano na yung pamilya ko?’”

Allein went through the tour of rehabilitation for torn ACLs. Five months after his injury, he was deemed by doctors as fit for basketball again but they were wrong. He re-injured his ACL in practice, but this time he stayed patient, spending eight months out of action to let it heal completely.
 

We only have ourselves to blame, says Blakely after San Mig's Game Two loss

SAN Mig import Marqus Blakely said the Mixers only have themselves to blame for giving Meralco more chances to score inside in a 69-73 that evened their PBA Governors Cup semifinal series on Tuesday night.

Blakely, who took just two attempts in the first half, was just one of the three bright spots for a Mixers team that looked tired two days after taking Game One via an 83-73 decision.

“We gave them 20 offensive rebounds, and that means 20 more extra possessions.  That’s the difference,” Blakely pointed out, while holding the Game Two stats sheet.

“Not that we didn’t play defense, but we just gave them (Bolts) too many chances and come down the stretch, we couldn’t execute on offense.”

James Yap added 13 points while center Yancy de Ocampo came off the bench to score 10 but the Mixers got just three points from Peter June Simon, while Joe Devance and Marc Pingris failed to score in the highly-physical match.

Meralco import Mario West had more local support in Game Two as Reynel Hugnatan came alive with 15 points, while Cliff Hodge and Sunday Salvacion added 12 apiece.

The biggest contribution though came from fit-again Jared Dillinger who had 10 points, including several drop-off passes to Hugnatan and kick-outs to Salvacion.

Blakely tried to carry the load by himself during the second half, going on a attack mode, though the Bolts resorted to the “Hack-a-Marq” ploy from there.

The Vermont alumnus attempted 26 times from the foul line, making just 12.

“For us, we’re not recognizing the defense and not executing on offense. And that’s something we’ll have to clean up and sharpen in practice,” said the 25-year-old San Mig import.

San Mig tries to regain momentum when it clashes with Meralco anew in Game Three on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Follow the writer on Twitter: @richava