Beer vs Gins in the PBA Finals

That last time these two most popular teams in the land met in the Finals was in 2006-2007 season, with  Ginebra capturing the Philippine cup in Game 6 of the said series. After being down with 0-2 deficit, the Kings were able to beat the Beermen for four consecutive games en route to the Title.

Jong Uichico even proclaimed that they are the Miami Heat of the PBA, referring to the feat accomplished by the said NBA team against the Dallas Mavericks after being placed in the same situation as the Kings. And yes, they beat the Beermen 4-2. Still part of the Ginebra Kings then was one King named Rudy Hatfield, the H-BOMB.

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2009 NBA Draft Diary, The Lottery Picks

This is a diary of the 2009 NBA draft.

The tandem of Mark Jackson & Jeff Van Gundy is doing the TV job, both great basketball minds and funny as hell. Mark & Jeff pairing (see? just the names, has the making of a great tandem) is really one of the best combos in NBA Basketball. But their tandem could be possibly cut short ‘coz both are high on the list of prospective coaches.

As with previous years of holding this, David Stern will handle the first round then deputy commissioner Adam Silver takes over the second round. I will not go beyond first round though because I don’t know much about the new breed except for few names who are being mentioned quite often like the Rubios and the Griffins of the world.

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Reaction time! Shaq moves to Cleveland.

So yeah, it’s a done deal. The Big Shaqtus will now be the Big Cav-tus. It’s official, Shaquille O’Neal will be playing alongside LeBron James next year. Amazing isn’t it? Our generation’s most dominating bigman has actually teamed up with our generations three best wingmen (In Kobe, Dwayne, LeBron)

And now, the internets are once again alive.

“ZOMFG! THE CAVS WILL RULE!!!”

“MEH! THE CAVS WILL STILL SUCK!!!”

“SHAQ/LEBRON VS KOBE!! OMG! I CAN’T WAIT”

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The Best Import of the 2009 Fiesta Cup is…

Of the 22 foreigners that reinforced their respective teams this 2009 Fiesta Cup, only Shawn Daniels and Anthony Johnson played for Burger King and Sta. Lucia since day one.

By the way, here are the top ten imports of the Fiesta Cup.

(The following rankings are based from their overall stat points as of June 21, 2009.)

GAME ON!

NUMBER 10: ROD NEALY – BRGY. GINEBRA KINGS

I remember Rod Nealy’s first game in this conference. My import bet in PBFANTASY was Barako Bull’s Scooter McFagdon (btw, he’s number 11). Why? Because I thought with the lack of starpower in Barako Bull, McFagdon would at least unearth 70 fantasy points. Instead, Nealy almost had a triple double and he finished the game with 102 fantasy points! Anyway, Ginebra’s fate went south after that and it was a matter of time before David Noel will pounce on his inabilities.

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The National Anthem that Magsanoc, Limpot, Meneses, Alvarez, Codinera Did Not Enjoy

She’s cute but the National Anthem rendition is not.

By far, the worst ever!

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THE BEST PLAYER OF THE 2009 FIESTA CUP IS…

The stats and figures you are about to see here came from the Fiesta Cup stats as of June 22, 2009. Since both Ginebra and San Miguel played fewer games because of their instant semis seat, I gave them a 70 points upgrade.

First up, here are the players that were ALMOST considered.

20) Coca-Cola’s ALEX CABAGNOT
19) Rain or Shine’s SOLOMON MERCADO
18) Ginebra’s RONALD TUBID
17) Rain or Shine’s ROB WAINWRIGHT
16) Purefoods’ JAMES YAP
15) Alaska’s JOE DEVANCE
14) Burger King’s WYNNE ARBOLEDA
13) Ginebra’s CYRUS BAGUIO
12) Burger King’s JR QUINAHAN
11) Rain or Shine’s JAY-R REYES
10) Burger King’s GARY DAVID
9) Alaska’s WILLIE MILLER
8) Talk N Text’s JIMMY ALAPAG
7) Purefoods’ KERBY RAYMUNDO
6) San Miguel’s DONDON HONTIVEROS

If you look at the players, Hontiveros, Reyes and David own the best chance to assert themselves to push forward with their teams still in the running. However, at this point, there chances seem bleak especially with the Top 5’s grasp over the title picture.

NUMBER 5: JONAS VILLANUEVA

Strengths: If I tell you this guy is MVP material, you’ll probably condemn me. Now I’ll tell you that he’s something to look forward in the near future. With Mike Cortez still feeling the effects of his injury and Olsen Racela happy to let the younger talent blossom, Villanueva is a great sight to look at. SMB finished the first round with a league-leading 11-3 record. On their first game he erupted and gave the Beermen win number one despite Nate Carter’s inability to meet the height requirements. Gabe Freeman is a great import but Siot Tanquingcen is playing the import less than 33 minutes per game. When Jonas can’t make his points work, he lets it out with his rebounds, assists, and steals. He quickly took out what was Bonbon Custodio’s rightful minutes and made this season his breakout year.

Weakness: While he played superb this conference, his numbers can’t pack up the gains of a BPC trophy. The Press Corps may have yet to respect his contributions and surely this will nix his chances even if the Beermen reaches the finals and eventually goes on a full route. Judging from the Philippine Cup where he didn’t play like what he did now, it is likely that a San Miguel player would win a BPC, I’m betting that it won’t be him but Dondon Hontiveros that will get the citation.

NUMBER 4: JAYJAY HELTERBRAND

Strengths: Without Mark Caguioa, Helterbrand is the team’s most dominating force. He can rack up the points and could even bring in the rebounds and the assists. The coaching staff and the players believe in his leadership and they are ready to stake their chances with his play alone. A lot of people forget that Helterskelter is nearing old age but his quickness and speed has yet to be deterred. While the Kings continue to be a ragtag core of role players and slashers, the Kings booked the outright semis seat despite the loss of Caguioa, Junthy Valenzuela, and at some points Erik Menk and Sunday Salvacion. He is third in the league in assists after Jimmy Alapag and Villanueva so you know that Mr. Fast is no one-dimensional player.

Weakness: Honestly, the only thing that separates Helterbrand from winning the BPC plum is that he is overshadowed by much stellar players. He is no pushover and a Finals seat should book him a top spot! I can see him passing at least two players in the spot but if he fails to place his team in the finals, he should kiss his BPC… and MVP chances goodbye.

NUMBER 3: ASI TAULAVA

Strengths: He led all locals in rebounds and he is in the top ten in scoring, no local player averaged with double-doubles except for the Rock. Taulava’s age seems nonexistent and the fact that his talent matches some of the imports is to praise for. Coke wouldn’t even be contending if not for this guy. You saw dislodge the ball to the basket with mammoth force and people pay for disrespecting his offense. The guy could bounce off passes too, despite his frame and could post majestically against bigger and bulkier imports. If he isn’t dominant, then why is his name prominently still in the contenders’ list even if his team has been eliminated in the tourney?

Weakness: The last sentence says it all: A weak showing in the Fiesta Cup was enough to doubt his chances to score the BPC plum. You see, while his stats is a hundred points higher than some of the names listed, the fact that he can’t give his team a winning percentage makes his bid almost laughable. However, bear in mind that there is always a place for him in the mythical selection at the Leo Awards… but the fact that he had two failed wildcard bids makes us cringe in even thinking he has a fighting chance to pull a second-straight MVP plum.

NUMBER 2: ARWIND SANTOS

Strengths: He is the league’s resident stat collector. The Spiderman could more or less earn an average of 36 fantasy points a game with his presence. While sure, some of his games gave him dismal productions, you can’t count on that when he plays with gusto. He could play awesome defense at one side of the court and convert on either a fast break or a three in the other side! That is why Yeng Guiao drools on his game. The fact that he earns power forward/center stats even if he is a small forward is a beautiful thing to watch. He is the only other local to average more than 25 minutes a game for the Whoppers alongside Gary David and former BK slasher Cyrus Baguio.

Weakness: Santos is brash, cocky, and somewhat a ball hog. While these are the usual qualities of a standard star player, the media votes could pretty much ruin his chances. While he hardly cooks air balls, his shot selection… when missed… is another probably for Yeng. But given these factors, the only thing that stands between his BPC chances is Burger King’s ability to go to the Finals. I believe that when Santos reaches the Finals… he’ll clinch the award. However, just like the Spiderman, this guy will have the same fate as Santos…

NUMBER 1: GABE NORWOOD

Strengths: Norwood and Santos cancel out each other. Norwood is also a stat collector. He is also a defensive juggernaut and he is multidimensional. But the great thing for Norwood is that unlike with Arwind who averages 30 minutes a game, Mr. President plays 7 minutes longer than the Spiderman. Another thing going well for Norwood is that with Solomon Mercado’s injury, he is eating the minutes and the plays designed for Rain or Shine’s Fire. Ice is also a descent passer and a crafty scorer, despite his reputation as an overly-unselfish-to-be-brink-of-annoying player. His BPC showing could also amount to a possible Rookie-MVP deux award if ROS reaches their first ever finals stint in the league.

Weakness: His scoring sense is his weakness… but it is because he doesn’t exert more effort in administering pain to his rivals. Imagine if he starts pumping in those shots? That should be something, right? However, just like Santos, it all boils down on whether he can get the Painters on their first Finals trip. As it stands, Ginebra has nothing to compare with Norwood and Norwood is eating their defense in ways of either creating plays or driving to the hole.

VERDICT: Asi Taulava’s numbers will never go up since the Tigers has been eliminated so it boils down to four players. Okay, make it three because the Press Corps will not respect Jonas Villanueva even if he gets his team to the finals (they could even vote for Dondon Hontiveros). So it boils down to three people. Now whoever gets their team to the finals guarantees him a fighting chance to win the plum.

So if the finals look like these:

SMB vs. GIN – Not unless Helterbrand gets injured in the semis, the Helterskelter will book this.

SMB vs. ROS – Without a question, Norwood will be the first rookie to bag the BPC title.

BK vs. GIN – Helterbrand could fight this, but it seems like Arwind Santos will win this.

BK vs. ROS – Tough call. This would be an intriguing matchup between Santos and Norwood but with Norwood getting more minutes and more touches I can still see Arwind Santos claiming this.

My money is on Jayjay Helterbrand. Not unless BK solves the riddle named the San Miguel Beermen, the Whoppers will have no chance playing in the finals. While the Painters are leading their semis matchup, who in this archipelago wouldn’t want to see SMB and Ginebra battling it out in the Finals! The ratings will go up… tickets sales will boost… those beers and hotdog stands in Araneta will profit… and an exciting aura will be seen and heard across the nation! No ROS fans, I am not poking anything from your team… but yeah, I’m just hoping that Ginebra could solve the defense and find their offense in the final stretch of their semis series.

PS: For those playing in PBFANTASY, If you own Helterbrand, Santos, Villanueva, and Norwood… YOU ARE HAPPY RIGHT NOW! ADMIT IT! In Game 3, alongside Shawn Daniels I cooked in 205 stat points! YEAH!!!

Also, I don’t know who amongst Benhur or Chrisangelo said this but dammit, someone please tell me why Lia Cruz is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute!

Uhurm.

Place your bets now!

GAME OVER!

Live LA victory celebration blogging

I got up late, on to the player introductions now..

- Man, people are booing Sasha Vujacic hard. I can’t believe it. How can you do it to the Machine? One guy shouted “YOU SUCK SASHA” At the end :D

- Next up is Andrew. Andrew’s getting lots of ovation.  He’s got more post moves than the other guy from Orlando the announcer said. Lol.

- Luke Walton next, I don’t know if they’re booing him or they’re shouting.. LUKE.

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Over-confidence + Rust +Poor Decision-Making = Ginebra Loss

When I turned on my t.v. set earlier, I found the GinKings leading 9-2 in the first quarter against Rain Or Shine. I thought that would be the start of another thumping, pummeling and a trashing game for Ginebra. Remember, Rain Or Shine succumbed to the devastating performance by the Gin Kings via 43-point deficit. The worst for the Elasto Painters franchise.

Final score? I can’t even remember the final score of the game out of frustration. I just know that the lead of Rain Or Shine was 6 points. The problem with the coaching staff is that they allow the other guards to hold or dribble the ball longer than needed. Chico Lanete has the tendency to create his own shot rather than execute the given play on hand. Artadi takes the game as his shooting practice session.

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SEASON ENDERS - PUREFOODS TJ GIANTS

In their last game, Marquin Chandler was benched by Ryan Gregorio because he couldn’t be rational. Peter June Simon had a fantastic offensive only to fall to cramps. Kerby Raymundo botched a few plays and Jireh Ibanes stole the ball of what could have been a James Yap miracle shot. Yes, this pretty much sums up the entire season of the Purefoods TJ Giants… DISAPPOINTING!

At the start of the season, many perceived the Giants as one of the teams that would most likely grace the title scene. Months passed, and Purefoods was nothing but a great team on paper without the luxury of having a mean finish. Chemistry is lacking – to think that had most of the Red Bull crew and the Harbour Centre alumni in their roster. It appeared they had an overpopulation of great backup guys but they weren’t used well. There are too many good players loitering the bench… and to think that all these guys could do was pass the ball to James Yap, Peter June Simon or Kerby Raymundo.

FUTURE ENDEAVORS CLUB:

Richard Yee – Why keep a good guy in the bench where he’ll basically do nothing. There are a lot of teams that could use a gung-ho character like him! (no stats in 0 games)

Jondan Salvador – He played lost for an entire season and to make matters worse, his jersey was changed to 61 because Kerby Raymundo wanted to use Kevin Garnett’s number! (1.9ppg, 4.2rpg in 16 games)

Paolo Bugia – He joined Purefoods late in the preseason from Red Bull after two months of soul searching on whether or not he’ll continue to pursue his basketball career. Maybe this is a time for another soul searching? (2.9ppg, 1.8rpg in 12 games)

Al Vergara – Came at the start of the Fiesta Cup as the third guard of the Giants. Coming from a successful stint with the Singapore Slingers, the ex-St. Francis Dove gave the Giants stability until he was placed in the reserved list. I think this is done because of the Slingers’ knocking to get back their player (2.4ppg, 2.0apg, 0.9spg in 8 games).

NEXT SEASON’S ROSTER:

Romel Adducul – Whenever he plays, everyone thinks he can’t do wrong. Throat cancer played a part in this. Whoever can outlast a life-threatening disease should be commended for this feat alone. Although I wish he could get more minutes to solidify this fact (3.3ppg, 2.9rpg in 14 games).

Jonathan Fernandez – He played as if he’s scared of getting the ball. Jittery, his poor shot selection and one-sidedness needs to change if he wants to stay in the league (1.3ppg, 0.8rpg in 9 games).

Topex Robinson – He tracks the ball like a pit bull and despite his lack of size he is determined to get and manage the ball at all times. Too bad he lacks outside shooting because combining that and his hustle would be awesome (3.2ppg, 3.8rpg, 2.3apg, 1.2spg in 30 games).

Celino Cruz – After everyone thought his trade to Air21 meant his reunion with Yeng Guiao, the ex-Red Bull mentor shocked the world by trading him to the Giants (same goes for Cyrus Baguio). He still plays with accord but the heavy traffic in the PG spot is dampening his hopes to ever progressing (5.5ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.9apg in 36 games).

Rich Alvarez – What could have been a moment to shine in the talent-depleted Red Bull turned to another fight for playing time when he was traded to Purefoods. He plays with limited time and his offensive game seems to have disappeared this season (3.2ppg, 4.1rpg in 35 games).

Nino Canaleta – KG was finally traded to unfortunately a team that would not use his services fully. While he offers a mismatch in the SF spot, for some reason, the Giants couldn’t capitalize in this spot. Also his bread and butter, the Slam Dunk competition stint was disappointing (5.8ppg, 3.9rpg in 37 games).

Don Allado – After fighting for playing time for the Tropang Texters, Allado saw light in his trade to Air21. Unfortunately he was again traded to the talent-laden Giants. At first, he was slowly taking away Enrico Villanueva’s minutes but an injury ruined it from ever blooming (6.4ppg, 6.1rpg, 1.2apg in 31 games).

Roger Yap – Missing his initial games in the Philippine Cup, the Rabbit returned refresh even if his offense became nonexistent. He’ll chalk up stats in other figures not in scoring. He needs to build-up his scoring in order to have another scorer in their lineup (4.9ppg. 3.9rpg, 2.9apg, 1.1spg in 28 games).

TOP DOGS:

James Yap – Clearly he is the foremost scoring option of the Giants. However, I guess this is the only that works for him. For him to work, you need to build a wall for him to manipulate which is why the team needs a deep offensive collection for him to create. The Giants are too dependent on him (18.1ppg, 4.3rpg, 1.6apg, 0.9spg in 36 games).

Peter June Simon – This Giant Supersub outscores the leading scorers of Barako Bull and Sta. Lucia! Whenever he fires up, he does this with gusto! He was scoring heavily before he got injured in the Philippine Cup but he continued to give a steady performance during the Fiesta Cup. The only thing missing from him is his stats from the other categories (14.5ppg, 2.4rpg, 0.9apg in 27 games).

Enrico Villanueva – He embraced the secondary with hopes to capture a championship. He became a steady workhorse in the Philippine Cup but he struggled during the Fiesta Conference. E-Vil needs to be the team’s serious scoring option to get the Giants’ team game to its maximum (10.5ppg, 8.5rpg, 1.0apg in 36 games).

Kerby Raymundo – He has the ability to score points in bunches with a knack to control rebounds and serve crisp passes to his teammates. Raymundo is the definite heart and soul of this team’s season. He commands attention and he dreads losing, which makes him too volatile sometimes. His over-eagerness often does more bad than good but bet the fact that their roster for next season will go swing with this guy dominating (16.6ppg, 7.6rpg, 2.8apg in 36 games).

Notice that Purefoods’ Top Dogs are only four players? Well, it is because the Giants need to have scoring support from the rest of the guys. Granted, this team is an upgrade from last season’s roster. However, it is still the same old scenario with Yap, Raymundo, and Villanueva attacking the point caravan in the starting team and then Simon bringing in the points off the bench. Next season, Allado, Canaleta, Alvarez and even old reliables like Roger Yap and Adducul should increase their average to a point that it will hide their dependence on James Yap. Yap needs to be a leader next season since Raymundo is overacting oftentimes. They should keep the lineup intact and try to make this team blend with one another before making the move to dismantle them.

Next up… THE NEXT TEAM TO GET ELIMINATED!

Game over!

2009 FIBA ASIA Final Grouping

Group A:

• Korea
• Japan
• Philippines
• Sri Lanka

Group B:

• Iran
• Chinese Taipei
• Kuwait
• Uzbekistan

Group C:

• China
• Kazakhstan
• Qatar
• India

Group D:

• Lebanon
• Jordan
• Indonesia
• UAE

*Info from PBA coverage.

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