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For the Elasto Painters and Gin Kings, it’s do or die. If they lose, their conference is over with the Tender Juicy Giants moving on to face San Miguel Beer and the Tropang Texters advancing to meet Alaska in the best-of-seven semifinal pairings.
For the record, here’s how the league’s 10 teams ranked at the end of the double-round eliminations – 1. Alaska (13-5), 2. San Miguel Beer (13-5), No. 3 Purefoods (12-6), No. 4 Ginebra (12-6), No. 5 Talk ‘N’ Text (11-7), No. 6 Sta. Lucia Realty (10-8), No. 7 Coca-Cola (6-12), No. 8 Burger King (6-12), No. 9 Rain or Shine (4-14) and No. 10 Barako Bull (3-16).
Alaska and San Miguel were tied at No. 1 but the Aces got the top seeding by virtue of a higher quotient, repulsing the Beermen twice in the eliminations by a combined margin of 17 points. Purefoods and Ginebra were also deadlocked at No. 3 but the Giants took the higher seeding because of point differential (plus-85 to Ginebra’s plus-75, taking into account total points for and against as the teams were tied in their head-to-head quotients). Coca-Cola also gained the higher seeding over Burger King because of the quotient system.
In the wildcards, No. 9 Rain or Shine upset No. 6 Sta. Lucia Realty, 90-86, and No. 7 Coca-Cola, 99-84, to barge into the quarters, leaving behind the Realtors, Tigers and Whoppers. The Energy Boosters didn’t qualify for the playoffs as the last placers.
Alaska and San Miguel claimed outright semifinal slots as a reward for their 1-2 finish in the eliminations.
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Rain or Shine is the surprise of the playoffs. In two quarterfinal games against Purefoods, the Elasto Painters were in the thick of it until the dying minutes. Purefoods star James Yap erupted for 31 points but Rain or Shine lost Game 1 by only five and could’ve won it if Jeff Chan, who had scored in double figures in his last seven outings, delivered his usual numbers. Chan was used sparingly, contributing only three points in nine minutes – after all, he was married the night before. Down the stretch, coach Caloy Garcia leaned on Sol Mercado and Eddie Laure for bail-out triples while Chan and Mike Hrabak watched from the bench. Alas, Mercado and Laure couldn’t knock down the shots when Garcia needed them most.
In Game 2, Rain or Shine was in control most of the way and Purefoods scrambled from 18 points down to win, 95-94, on Yap’s two free throws with less than a second left. Yap was fouled taking a shot from three-point distance and deliberately missed his third foul shot to avoid a Rain or Shine inbound. Fouling a three-point shooter with almost no time remaining in regulation for the chance to win or lose is unforgivable. That had to be a nightmare for Garcia.
Games 1 and 2 could’ve gone either way, meaning there’s no telling what will happen in Game 3. What’s going for the Giants is the psychological advantage of needing to win only once more while the Elasto Painters must nail three in a row to clinch.
Purefoods is deadliest when its defense is clicking in a low-scoring, drag-out battle. In the eliminations, the Giants won 12 games by holding their victims to an average of 77.8 points. In contrast, they lost six by allowing their opponents to average 94.8. To wrap up the series, the Giants must force – not commit – turnovers by covering the passing lanes, applying backcourt pressure and helping each other out in defense, particularly in pick-and-rolls.
For Rain or Shine, the bench must come alive as it did in Game 1 when the relievers outscored their Purefoods counterparts, 47-29. In Game 2, Roger Yap hit 22 to power Purefoods’ bench to a 31-8 edge as Sol Mercado and Gabe Norwood combined for 48 points – half the team’s output – but got little help from the backups. The three-point shot is a key weapon for Rain or Shine and Garcia’s gunners must be on target to shake down Purefoods’ scary 2-3 zone anchored on coach Ryan Gregorio’s long-armed frontliners Rafi Reavis and Rico Maierhofer.
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As for Ginebra, the Kings came tantalizingly close to leveling the series in Game 2 but couldn’t stop Jared Dillinger from scoring the marginal basket with 2.4 ticks to go on an alley-oop pass from Ranidel de Ocampo last Sunday.
A big factor in Talk ‘N’ Text’s surge is depth. In Game 1, the Tropang Texters’ edge in bench scoring was 54-34 and in Game 2, it was 55-36. Jason Castro, Harvey Carey and Dillinger came off the bench to score a combined 44 points in Game 1 and 50 in Game 2. Mac-Mac Cardona has been relatively quiet in the series so he’s expected to break loose in Game 3. What makes the Tropang Texters even more formidable is the consistency of Jimmy Alapag and Ali Peek.
But the Kings are most dangerous when their backs are against the wall. In Game 2, they were up by 18 but couldn’t close out. For Ginebra to win, coach Joseph Uichico’s charges must maximize their possessions, dominate the boards and impose their will defensively. Trading baskets with Talk ‘N’ Text, a potent offensive machine, isn’t the answer. Ginebra may be an explosive run-and-gun team but it’s a high-risk proposition to engage Talk ‘N’ Text in a shootout.
The key for Ginebra is not to allow the Tropang Texters room to breathe. If Talk ‘N’ Text sputters, then Game 3 is wide open for Ginebra to take. Whether Ginebra has the depth to play suffocating defense for 48 minutes is a huge question mark.
In 12 elimination wins, Ginebra managed to hold victims to an average of 88.8 points. One of the wins was a 106-82 drubbing of Talk ‘N’ Text. Limiting the Tropang Texters to 90 or less is a tough task considering coach Chot Reyes’ boys have scored at least 100 in nine of 13 victories so far this conference. But it’s a job that Ginebra must do to stay alive.
Source: Joaquin Henson | Philstar.com
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