Import Watch: Blakely vs Reid

Two dominating imports with different brand of play will undoubtedly be expected to deliver their best and go beyond what they did for the past games as they face each other in the 2014 Governor’s Cup Finals Series.

Both of them are not newbies in this league. AZ Reid is a returnee from the previous Governor’s Cup 2013 on the same franchise and Blakely, the Reigning Best Import, now plays for his third consecutive year in San Mig Coffee.

Even though surrounded with talented locals, these two manage to put up monster numbers in every means they can.

Let’s take a look at their statistics for fifteen played games.

                       

Arizona Reid:

37.33 minutes

56.195 (Efficiency)

.360 (3pt FG)

.473 (2pt FG)

.745 (FT)

12.33 (Rebs)

4.47 (Asts)

1.67 (Stls)

0.60 (Blks)

Marqus Blakely

39.20 mins

 50.753 (Efficiency)

0.13 (3 pt FG)

.498 (2pt FG)

.551 (FT)

15.73 (Rebs)

3.60 (Asts)

2.07 (Stls)

2.60 (Blks)  

Basing on their numbers, we can easily distinguish that while Arizona Reid is a better outside and free throw shooter, Blakely on the other hand loves to operate inside and do notable stops.

Will they guard each other?

AZ Reid had a hard time guarding Henry Walker in their Semifinals series whom likewise having the same athleticism with Blakely and having said that, Coach Yeng might not gamble on that idea.

On the other hand, Blakely is more versatile when it comes to defense, who I believe will be forced to stop his counterpart in some crucial stretches of the game.

How to stop AZ Reid?

Offense is his primary weapon so limit his touches and let him work hardly in defense.

Possible stopper: Joe de Vance or Marqus Blakely

How to stop Marqus Blakely?

Help defense must always be ready and get him into early foul trouble. Hack-a-Blakely sounds inviting, but his improvement in free throw shooting is quite noticeable.

Possible stopper: Beau Belga or Raymond Almazan

2014 PBA Governors’ Cup Finals Preview: San Mig Super Coffee Mixers versus Rain Or Shine Elasto Painters

On Tuesday night, two teams will clash against each other to try on dating with destiny and be on the history. One will be chasing a grand-slam, and the other one will be playing the role of a spoiler – San Mig Coffee and Rain Or Shine respectively.

Road to finals

These two teams were both on a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.

San Mig Coffee though finishing the match in first game, it was a closed and hard – fought one, with only leading 97-91, to enter their semifinals series against the No.1 seed Talk ‘N Text.   

On the other hand, Rain or Shine was able to dominate Air 21 in their match, having a 21 commanding point lead, 111-90 to make their way into the semifinals up against the Alaska Aces.

Coming into the next round, San Mig Coffee took a strong start as they lead the series, 2-0 against Talk ‘N Text. However, Jayson Castro and Ranidel de Ocampo, the known to be, one-two punch of the Texters together with their import Paul Harris, refused to give-up that easy. On the next two games, they were able to caught San Mig Coffee off-guard with their suffocating zone defense and hot shooting from all the cylinders. During the game four of this series, James Yap’s off-balanced, one-hander shot put the game into overtime and just when we were about to feel, that momentum totally shifted with the Mixers, Coach Norman Black’s 15-man rotation had paid-off, and tied the series to force a do-or-die game.  

Flipping on the next page, the Painters had a slight edge, considering that 51 point dominating victory against the Aces during their eliminations match. But Alaska fought hard and also forced Rain or Shine on a game five. The perfect evidence was in their 4^th game bout; Alaska also took the game into overtime but just fell short as JV Casio slipped and unable to finish the game; ROS won and tied the series.

Both series went to the fullest. That’s what we call, basketball as its finest. These four teams showed that they all deserved to be here. But, only two needs to complete the finals seats in the finals.

San Mig Coffee booked the first ticket, after beating Talk ‘N Text lead by Big Game James Yap who became consistent in their fourth to last semifinals game. Then, last Saturday, Coach Yeng Guiao with the rest of his players ended Coach Alex Compton and his Alaska’s hopes on dating with San Mig Coffee in the finals.

Key Match Ups

Chris Tiu and Marc Barroca

These point guards are identified as two-dimensional players. They both defend huskily but could also create for themselves to get much needed points.

Gabe Norwood and Joe de Vance

If Tim Cone goes big, Coach Yeng can do it too because of these two. Point guard, forward and center (if there’s a chance) are all the positions they can fill up. I believe that these two are both a “walking mismatch” on the floor on whichever team they are up against to. Well, but not this time.

Beau Belga vs Marc Pingris

I’m pretty sure that, these two will be assigned tasked to guard each opponent’s import. Belga and Pingris are both role players who can rise up when badly needed, do not back down easily and both can do the dirty works and everything invisible in the stats sheets.

Arizona Reid vs Marqus Blakely

These two imports are both best on their own style and brand of play. Reid is more on an offensive player who can shoot both from two and three point area in any given time. On the other hand, Blakely is a defensive demon who sparks his team by grabbing rebounds, blocking shots, and will just muscle his way through the paint continuously if needed.

Jeff Chan and Paul Lee vs James Yap and PJ Simon.

Though having that “no superstars policy” by Coach Yeng Guiao, we can’t escape the fact that Chan and Lee are the ones who are most remembered when fans think about Rain or Shine, besides the fact that they are all part of the National Team. These two are known to be snipers from the rainbow country but also capable enough on driving strong towards the basket.

On the other hand, although San Mig Coffee has numerous rising stars, Coach Tim Cone still relies on these two veterans who began to evolve from scorers to be reliable defenders also.  

ROS will win if:

1.       They do not settle for the outside shots.

2.       They will pound on San Mig’s interior defense putting either or both Blakely and Pingris into early foul trouble.

3.       They will attack as early as possible; don’t let San Mig Coffee establish their defense.

4.       Coach Yeng Guiao shall keep fresher legs; of course to make the game’s pace be as fast as possible.

San Mig Coffee will win if:

1.       They do not force their shots and look for an open man.

2.       Blakely will get his touch early and avoid an early foul-trouble by playing honest defense.

3.       They will maintain the tempo as slow as possible, as keeping the score low; but run if will have a chance.

4.       Coach Tim Cone shall widen up his rotation; the starters played a lot of minutes in the semifinals.

Fearless Forecast

The last time they faced each other in the Phillipine Cup’s Finals just this season, San Mig Coffee ended the series early in 4-2.

Coach Yeng said, “We want to make our own history” and having said that, ROS will try everything to spoil San Mig Coffee’s Grand Slam dream.

But, San Mig Coffee’s series against Talk ‘N Text toughened them, having them learned a lot that will be useful in ending the Series on Game Five and be the fifth team in the PBA to accomplish a Grand Slam.

Rain or Shine to face San Mig Coffee in the finals after game five victory over Alaska

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters ended their Semifinals series against Alaska Aces, 97-94 in a tight do-or-die Game Five of PLDT Home Telpad Governors’ Cup on Saturday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Even losing Gabby Espinas (fractured left ankle), Sonny Thoss (back spasm) and JV Casio (sprained left ankle), the Alaska Aces was able to keep the game close lead by their import Henry Walker with 29 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists by being only down by three points to end the first half, 55-52.

On the other hand, Rain or Shine import, Arizona Reid shot 35 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and 5 assists who consistently lead his team from start to finish as he only got some late help from Jeff Chan and Paul Lee who made some crucial baskets in the fourth period.

Walker gave Alaska a breather after hitting a trey to put them within one, 95-94, with only 23 ticks remaining in the clock.

Possession went back to the Painters, but Alaska still tried to force a turnover but to end up Paul sinking his two freethrows which sealed the game, and book their return ticket to the finals against the slam-chasing San Mig Coffee Super Mixers.

Key Statistics

Free Throws

ROS -91%

Alaska - 70%

Rebounds

ROS - 54

Alaska - 42

Second Chance Points

ROS - 22

Alaska - 9

Assists

ROS - 19

Alaska - 15

The beauty of surviving do-or-die games

Coach Tim Cone and the rest of the San Mig Coffee Mixers were able to pass eight do-or-die games including this Governor’s Cup semifinals against a Powerhouse team coached by one of the greats, Coach Norman Black.

But before heading to this game, a lot of fans thought that, this will be very different for sure. Why? A much coveted grand slam is at stake for the Mixers, and a role of spoiler being handed down to Talk ‘N Text considering the fact that they have a lot of talented players from first up to the deepest unit.

How the Mixers were able to enter their fourth straight finals appearance and a has a nearer chance to Grand Slam?

First. It’s the MOTIVATION. What’s their driving force again? G-R-A-N-D-S-L-A-M They might not be highlighting that in every huddle, but deep inside of each player’s heart is they want to see themselves in the BOOK again after that 3-peat. It’s the motivation that seems to be the pressure that caught them off guard and put them into this 8 straight do-or-die game.    

Second. They know each other well. Familiarity, chemistry and trust- gave them enough confidence that each of them can contribute in every little to big ways. They know who to give the ball to, where to go and what to do. Since they know each other well, they were able to play SELFLESS basketball. None of them is in the top 5 of BPC nor in MVP race. Does it mean, none of them are good? Nah! It’s like every game, choosing a BPG is hard. Why? In first quarter, its James next it will be either Sangalang, Melton, Mallari or Maliksi, on the third quarter, it could be Barroca or PJ then fourth, Blakely will take charge, alongside Pingris, then could be PJ again, James, or Barroca. See?  

Third. Tim Cone. A lot of fans, including me, thought that, he’s seemed to be not being smart in using his bench for the past 2 losses. Oh well, who am I to question that?  Haha But, seeing Coach Black utilizing his 15 players, made me think of why not copy that? On game four, Coach Tim relied on the vets, they almost got the win, but felt short in the over time. In Game five, I thought that he’ll give Maliksi, Melton and Mallari more minutes. But then I failed. What does it implies me though? I think Coach Tim wants his veterans to feel that they are still the most trusted ones. That, in situations like this, they are and should be the one taking charge. And it paid off! Pingris, PJ, Barroca, JDV and of course Big Game James Yap hand in hand together with Blakely, were able to survive TNT.

Fourth. Do-or-die game experiences. Those are either in the quarterfinals, semi-finals or a championship match. They’ve been in those tough situations before, when their backs are against the wall. When their bodies seemingly giving up because of fatigue, considering how physical this league is. Those experiences really toughened this team. Even to the point that Marc Pingris can promise a victory, or at least give some assurance that they could win a certain series. It’s such a confident builder that you know your team knows what to do in such event that seems to be not going on your way, yet you could still find a hole in it, go hard, grind out and get that win.

             Now, this team will be facing either Alaska or Rain or Shine, both are all determined to create a final stop to spoil the Mixers’ Grand Slam dream. The question is, do San Mig Coffee Mixers still have their Aces or Storm to battle another possible 5-game series or the time isn’t on their hands yet? 

           That, we will altogether find out as we follow this Grand-Slam Chase of San Mig Coffee Mixers to start in just a few days. 

           

#MarcHisWord

San Mig Coffee Mixers now found themselves into another do-or-die game in trying to clinch the 4^th Straight Finals Appearance and possibly a Grand Slam against a Power house team Talk N’ Text Tropang Texters.

Just a month ago, the Mixers was able to snatch Texter’s chance of going a conference sweep or getting the championship coming from a clean elimination round record. That was a heart breaking loss for a Dominant team in the league, but now, just a win away in order for them to stop the Mixers’ Grand Slam dream.

Now, Mixers’ road to Grand Slam becomes narrower.

Game 4 was about to fall on TNT’s hand when James Yap hit a buzzer-beater, one-hander shot to put the game into overtime.

“Papa!!! OWVERTAYM!”

That’s how I shamelessly exclaimed it.

I hugged my pillow very tight and jumped as James Yap’s face was flashed in the screen.

I thought the momentum totally shifted to the Mixers. I was already thinking of a celebration and congratulatory article for my team.

I thought Talk N Text’s bid will end on that night.

BUT, Paul Harris and the rest of his team said “No, not this time.”

Coach Norman Black went back to his Zone D, and Coach Tim Cone wasn't able to find antidote to that.

(Actually he has one, and was able to use it against Air 21 last conference, but I just couldn't understand why he didn't impose it.)

Mixers were down by three with about just 11 seconds left in the overtime.

I believed all San Mig Coffee fans had one thing in mind, “Give the ball to James Yap”.

Unfortunately… that, didn't happen.

Thanks to Talk ‘N Text tremendous defense; the defense that supposedly, Mixers are known for. hahaha! (sarcastic laugh)

Joe de Vance wasn't able to hand off the ball to James Yap and was forced to take that off-balance trey.

The buzzer sounded that tied the series.

Tears fell down from my eyes and kept on asking myself…

“Bakit?” “Bakit natalo pa?” “Bakit may game 5 pa?”

It took me an hour to recover until a friend of mine informed me that Marc Pingris finally gave his strong prophecy, 

"Kaya naming talunin yan. Next game tignan mo, kaming mananalo." @carlopamintuan's twitter account

That stopped my tears from falling and gave at peace to my disappointed and broken-hearted state of being. #MarcHisWord

Now, that the Road to Grand Slam gets narrowed, there’s only one thing that a die-hard fan can think of:

This kind of fire sharpens an iron.

So as like, this kind of experience toughens a team.

We’ve been in this tough situation before. If this sweet fate is really for us, then nothing can hold us down.

God bless to our San Mig Coffee Mixers.

#WeBelieve

Getting Closer: SMCM's Grand Slam Journey

The guys ONCE again, amazed me so much.
They were able to play strong from 1st up to the final buzzer.
I can clearly see that the players want to make history upon getting that grand slam.
Grabe, from starters to second-third unit, all are willing to contribute in every little ways they can.

TNT can hardly dominate the paint so they opt to play outside.
It doesn't really makes sense na sasabihin ng TNT na., "hindi namin nakukuha yung foul" kasi if they really know that SMCM's fouling them, they should keep on pounding inside and finally get a call.
But NO!

They were really got intimidated by the Mixers' defense.
BEAST example was Barroca, blocking Harris and Castro.
The small guy can guard that well, what more the bigs?

On the other hand, TNT wasn't able to perfectly stop San Mig without fouling.
Specially on the fourth.
All TNT's fouls earlier were clear and unquestionable calls.

(Sorry, nadadala na naman ako sa mga Asa sa ref/ refolyo posts sa FB haha)


Thank You Lord for another victory.
Thank you team for making us proud and happy.
God bless your Grand slam journey!

Mixers defense holds down Texters, one win away from fourth straight finals appearance

San Mig Coffee Mixers lead by Marqus Blakely and Joe de Vance dominated Game 2 of the Semifinals Series against Talk N Text Tropang Texters, 93-85 on Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Mixers' exploded for 32 points in the opening quarter as their defense was able to hold the opponent,  only to score 13 points .

But the Texters trimmed down the deficit into 13, as the second quarter ended with the score of 47-34.

Heading onto the third quarter, Talk N Text managed to keep the scores close, cutting the Mixers' lead into five, 64-59. 

Come to final canto, San Mig Coffee headed by Marqus Blakely and Marc Barroca showed up once again the defense that keeps them on winning games.

Paul Harris, lead Talk N Text by scoring thirty-three points but got no enough help from the locals with only Jason Castro scoring twelve points to be followed by De Ocampo's nine baskets. 

With this win, the defending champion San Mig Coffee Mixers is just one win away from entering their fourth straight finals appearance since the same conference last year. 

The scores:

SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE 93 – Blakely 19, Devance 19, Barroca 13, Yap 9, Pingris 8, Mallari 8, Simon 8, Sangalang 7, Maliksi 2, Taha 0, Melton 0.

TALK N’ TEXT 85 – Harris 33, Castro 12, De Ocampo 9, Canaleta 8, Williams 7, Alapag 6, Carey 4, Reys Ryan 2, Reyes Rob 2, Baclao 0, Fonacier 0.

Quarters: 32-13, 47-34, 64-59, 93-85

Sizzling semifinals opening, Blakely leads San Mig Coffee to gain one game advantage against Talk N Text

Photo taken from Interaktv

Forty eight minutes of action was not enough as San Mig Coffee defeated Talk N Text, 92-88 in overtime as the PLDT Home Telpad Governors’ Cup semifinals series started on Thursday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Defense is the name of the game, as the Mixers held the Tropang Texters into just 12 points in the fourth quarter and extended the game in overtime by a crucial trey hit by Allein Maliksi as he took over in absence of James Yap in the fourth.

Jayson Castro and Ranidel de Ocampo piloted Texters with 24 and 19 buckets apiece with a late help from their import Paul Harris with his tournament low - 17 points.

Marc Pingris and Mark Barroca both hit timely shots as the Mixers started to pull away in the overtime.

But, the Reigning Best Import, Marqus Blakely was still the one who made the biggest contributions with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks to put San Mig Coffee one game ahead in this semifinals series.   

Honorable Mentions:

Melton, Sangalang and Mallari once again provided energy on both ends of the court and was able to give quality minutes off the bench.

* Texters was held into a 36.4% 3-pt FG and 36.2% 2-pt FG shooting against to a 41.7% and 46% of the Mixers

* Pj Simon was still absent due to back spasms

*James Yap also hurt his foot and had to sit out in 4th quarter 

The scores:

SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE 92 – Blakely 20, Yap 13, Barroca 11, Maliksi 10, Pingris 10, Devance 9, Sangalang 9, Mallari 6, Melton 4, Reavis 0.

TALK N’ TEXT 88 – Castro 24, De Ocampo 19, Harris 17, Williams 9, Alapag 5, Fonacier 4, Baclao 4, Reyes 3, Canaleta 3, Carey 0.

Quarters: 18-22, 39-40, 62-65, 77-77, 92-88

Alaska routs import-less Ginebra to book the last semifinals ticket

With a 92-81 victory against the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, Alaska Aces completed final four, Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum heading into the semifinal round against Rain or Shine Elasto Painters as the PLDT Home Telpad Governors’ Cup continues.

Ginebra was able to take control of the game, 21-14 earlier in the second quarter until their young import Mason got a right-knee injury that kept him out of the game. By that, the Aces took the advantage by taking the lead, 39-33 to end the first half.

Mason tried to play in the third quarter but soon needed to be seated out. As he, wasn’t able to come back, Alaska stormed Ginebra with a huge deficit 54-38 in the same canto.

In the final quarter, Kings got closer to within four points, 81-77 after Japeth Aguilar sank two charities. But Jvee Casio and the rest of the Aces scored back quickly as the former hit a bail-out three, followed by Dondon Hontiveros off to Espinas’ assist to thrust back the lead into 10, 87-77 with almost 3 minutes left.

The Aces didn’t look back as they took the victory over the Kings, completing the sweep of all teams having a twice-to-beat advantage, thus dating the Semis to start on Thursday.

Henry Walker held down to just seven points but grabbed 10 rebounds and dished of six assists as he played a point guard role is some instances.

The scores:

Alaska 92 - Casio 15, Espinas 12, Hontiveros 12, Abueva 12, Manuel 12, Thoss 11, Walker 7, Jazul 7, Dela Cruz 2, Baguio 2, Belasco 0.

Ginebra 81 - Aguilar 18, Slaughter 16, Baracael 10, Ababou 10, Helterbrand 7, Caguioa 7, Tenorio 6, Mamaril 3, Mason 2, Reyes 2, Ellis 0, Monfort 0.

Story by Mariz Fernando

Photo credits from Sports 5

San Mig Coffee, Inches closer to its Grand Slam dream

          With the 97-90 win by San Mig Coffee Mixers against the San Miguel Beermen, their Grand Slam dream gets closer as they enter their 8^th straight Semi-Finals appearance to face Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters either on Thursday or Saturday.

PJ Simon, suffering for a back spasm, was out of the game, making Coach Tim Cone to start Marc Barroca alongside James Yap. Meaning to say, it’s a depleted line up going up against a complete starters for the Beermen. But game, prior to this, we saw Coach Tim utilizing and digging deeper upto his 3^rd unit that almost enable for them to snatch the win against Rain or Shine. Having said that, it shows that Tim Cone gave these players confidence and be ready when duty calls.

Rising to the occasion, the second unit stepped up composed of Allein Maliksi (9 points), Ian Sangalang (8 points) and Justin Melton who finished in a career-high 16 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal as they helped the reigning best import Marqus Blakely who did everything, finishing with 25 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 5 blocks and of course not to forget the Walking Mismatch, Joe de Vance who plays a huge role in the Triangle contributing 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 2 blocks.

Defense is really the name of the game. 

           It’s not just all about the Triangle Offense, but it’s the unforgiving defense that damaged any San Mig Coffee opponents for the previous coaching stint of Tim Cone. 

Playoff time: Mixers fall to No.4 Spot, to face Beermen in the Quarterfinals

San Mig Coffee Mixers felt short against Rain or Shine Elasto Painters after a 48 minutes of seems-to-be pressure-less ballgame, to end the elimination round of the Governors Cup 2014.

Coach Tim Cone had a some sort of experimentation, digging deeper up to his third unit, fielding in for the first time the newly-acquired Matias and Taha.

Though having this kind of strategy, the Mixers still managed to keep the game close even almost getting a win after a putback of Ronnie Mattias of a Blakely's miss. 

But AZ Reid sank a game-winning trey to save the Painters and secure 2nd seed coming on to the playoffs.

Coach Tim's Gamble 

It was a real big gamble for Coach Tim, giving more minutes to the 2nd to 3rd unit instead of relying on his vets to try on win this game. But, what the fans saw on this match was the bright future that this team awaits.

What now for the Mixers?

This loss put them at the 4th spot with still a twice-to-beat advantage to face Beermen in the quarterfinals.

It's a tougher path that they will be heading on to their quest for a grandslam, for if they win this match, either Talk and Text or Barako Bull is the team they will be facing with in the Semifinals and if surpassed, whichever team wins among Alaska, Ginebra, ROS or Air 21 will be the ones to try stopping the Grand Slam dream of the Mixers.

 Another long and winding road for the San Mig Coffee Mixers. The road that they've been walking to in the previous conferences.

Respect For Coach Tim!

Ronnie Nathanielsz
@ronnathanielsz
Just checked to find out that SanMig Coffee got 57 free throws as against Air21's 24! Its evident who the favorites are. Where is integrity?

--------------------------------------------------

Sa totoo lang those tirades are not just a humiliation to the players' effort but most specially to Coach Tim.
Ibig sabihin, Coach Tim tied then surpassed Baby Dalupan and is now the winningest coach in the PBA because of Referees' help?

Come on!

#RespectForCoachTim naman sana TATANG!