Paano nga ba naka-abot ang Pilipinas sa FIBA World?

Paano nga ba naka-abot ang Pilipinas sa FIBA World?

Hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin nawawala sa isip ng mga Pilipino ang nakaraang FIBA Asia Championship semifinals.

Ang pagka-injure ni Marcus Douthit. Ang walang patawad ng pag-atake ni Jayson Castro sa ring. Ang dalawang three-points na pinakawalan ni Jimmy Alapag. Lahat yon ay hindi makakalimutan ng mga Pilipinong nanood sa MOA Arena o sa bahay nila.

Ngunit bago ang makasaysayang laro na ito, paano nga ba nakarating ang mga Pinoy sa Finals ng pinakamalaking kompetisyon ng basketball sa Asya? Narito ang isang pagbalik-tanaw

Aug. 1-2 - PHI def. KSA 78-66, PHI def. JOR 77-71

Si Gary David (kanan) ay sumubok ng tira laban sa isang Jordanian defender

Ang unang dalawang laro ay naipanalo ng Gilas Pilipinas, at iba’t ibang manlalaro ang nagbida sa mga larong ito. Si LA Tenorio at Larry Fonacier  ay may tag-labing-dalawang puntos upang pangunahan ang koponan sa pagbigo sa Saudi Arabia, 78-66. Samantala, si Jeff Chan ay nagbuhos ng labimpitong puntos para pangunahan ang Pilipinas sa 77-71 na pagdapa sa Jordan.

Aug. 3 - TPE def. PHI 84-79 

Sumagitsit si Jayson Castro sa gitna ng dalawang player ng Taipei

Matapos ang matagumpay na dalawang laro, nakatikim ang mga Pilipino ng pagkatalo sa kamay ng Chinese Taipei. Hindi napigilan ng Pilipinas ang mainit na tikada sa labas ng Chinese Taipei sa pangunguna ni Cheng-Ju Lu (TPE) at sa kabila ng magandang laro ni Fonacier at Marcus Douthit, natalo ang mga Pinoy 79-84.

Aug. 5-7 - PHI def. JPE 90-71, def. QAT 80-70, def. HKG 67-55

Sinalampak ni Japeth Aguilar ang bola sa laban nila sa Japan

Bumangon sa pagkadapa ang mga Pinoy at tinapos ang eight-final round ng walang bahid ng pagkadapa. Una nilang sinilat ang Japan, 90-71, sa likod ng mainit na shooting ni Chan at ang magandang laro ni Douthit. Sinunod nila ang Qatar, 80-70, sa pangunguna muli ni Chan at Douthit, at ang matibay na laro ni Japeth Paul Aguilar. Huli nila dinispatsya ang Hong Kong, 67-55, gamit ang magagandang laro ni Chan, Jayson Castro, Gabe Norwood, at Douthit.

Aug. 9 - PHI def. KAZ 88-58

Tumira si Gary David sa harap ng isang Kazakh defender.

Nagliyab ang mga kamay ni Gary David sa quarterfinal game na ito, at nagbuhos siya ng dalawampu’t dalawang puntos para pangunahan ang Gilas sa isang 88-58 na pagbigo sa Kazakhstan. Nagbigay naman ng labintatlong puntos si Castro, habang labing-isang puntos naman ang inambag ni Norwood.

Aug. 10 - PHI def. KOR 86-79

Sumalaksak si Jimmy Alapag habang binabantayan ni Kim Min-goo

Pagkatapos ng isang 36-39 na kalamangan ng South Korea sa first half, at ang pagka-injure sa tuhod ni Douthit sa gitna ng second quarter, binuhat ni Marc Pingris sa balikat niya ang Gilas Pilipinas habang iniinda ang isang hamstring injury para sa isang 65-56 na bentahe matapos ang third quarter. At nang subukan ng Korea na humabol sa likod ng shooter Kim Mingoo, napasok ni Jimmy Alapag at Ranidel de Ocampo ang mga importanteng three-point shot upang maselyuhan ang panalo at opisyal na makapasok sa FIBA World Cup.

Aug. 11 - IRI def. PHI 85-71

Tumira si Larry Fonacier habang sinubakang tapalin ni Oshin Sahakian

Nabigo ang Pilipinas na masungkit ang ginto, at parte ng dahilan ang hindi paglaro ni Douthit. Gayunpaman, ang laban ng Pilipinas at Iran ay isang napakagandang laro, sapagkat hindi sumuko ang Pilipinas. Marahil ay ito ay dahilan kung bakit labing-apat na puntos lamang ang pagitan ng laro, ang pinakakaunting lamang sa lahat ng nakalaban ng Iran sa torneyo. Nakasama rin si Jayson Castro sa All-Tournament Team.

Talk n' Text holds off Alaska; Meralco halts Air21 in overtime thrillers

Saturday night was a great night for PBA patrons, as they witnessed not one, but two overtime matches between four different teams.

Talk n' Text holds off Alaska

 

Gilas stalwarts Ranidel de Ocampo and Jimmy Alapag held their own for the Tropang Texters as the two guys hit crucial shots to give their team a 121-117 victory over the Aces.

De Ocampo hit a wide-open triple that bounced on the front rim before fatefully dropping in the basket to give Talk n' Text a 119-115 lead with 35.6 seconds to go.

Veteran big man Sonny Thoss managed a basket underneath after a rebound battle, a glimpse of his career-high 30 points, to cut the lead to two points.

But two free throws for Alapag off a JV Casio foul, and a missed desperation heave for rookie Chris Exciminiano, sealed the deal for the Tropang Texters, who nailed its seventh win in ten games.

De Ocampo and Alapag had huge help from their teammates, as de Ocampo was one of the six players in double figures, highlighted by a double-double performance from another former Gilas member in Kelly Williams, who tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds. 

Alaska falls to a precarious 4-7 slate, narrowing their chances for a playoff finish. Talk n' Text, meanwhile, goes up to a 7-3 record to tie with Rain or Shine.

Meralco halts Air21

 

Gary David, the reigning PBA scoring champ, once again showed his prowess when it comes to getting points on the board.

David poured 34 big points on 13-of-26 shooting and 4-of-7 from long distance, while returning veteran Danny Ildefonso had 14 points to go with 6 rebounds and 5 assists to lead Meralco to a thrilling 92-88 victory against Air21.

Air21 was on Meralco's coat tails from the tip-off, and until the regulation buzzer, when KG Canaleta, the three-point king, buried a tough baseline triple contested by Ildefonso to send the game to an extra five minutes.

It was a neck-and-neck match in overtime, with neither team backing down. But "El Granada", as he is famously known, nailed back-to-back jumpers for a 87-84 count heading to the final minute.

A Reynel Hugnatan short stab and Ildefonso's free throw countered two shots by Asi Taulava late in the game to seal the Bolt's fourth win in 11 games.

The win spoiled a great game for Canaleta, who finished with 32 markers on 11-of-23 shooting, and a conference-high 26 boards for Taulava to complement his 15 points.

Air21 falls deeper in the cellar with a 2-9 slate, while Meralco ends up at 4-7 after the game to tie Alaska and Barako. (GS)

The scores: 

First game 

Talk 'N Text 121 – Williams 18, Reyes 17, De Ocampo 16, Castro 16, Fonacier 14, Anthony 13, Seigle 9, Carey 8, Alapag 5, Reyes J. 3, Baclao 2.

Alaska 117 – Thoss 30, Jazul 18, Espinas 18, Baguio 17, Casio 11, Abueva 9, Ramos 7, Eximiniano 3, Dela Cruz 2, Eman 2, Hontiveros 0.

Quarterscores: 26-26; 48-40; 83-80; 108-108; 121-117

Second game

The scores:

Meralco 98 – David 34, Ildefonso 14, Wilson 13, Hugnatan 9, Dillinger 8, Salvacion 5, Guevarra 5, Hodge 4, Timberlake 0, Al-Hussaini 0, Artadi 0.

Air21 88 – Canaleta 32, Taulava 15, Yeo 10, Manuel 8, Vardona 7, Sharma 6, Camson 4, Matias 2, Arboleda 2, Ritualo 2, Jaime 0, Menor 0, Custodio 0.

Quarterscores:  21-15; 38-31; 56-56; 79-79; 92-88.

The injury bug bites for Meralco (again)

Another injury plagues the Meralco squad again.

Two games after the return of former Sinag Pilipinas member Clifford Hodge, and a day after signing veteran forward Danny Ildefonso, Mike Cortez was the next one victimized by an injury.

The point guard out of De La Salle underwent a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) test the day before New Year and results show a torn meniscus in his right knee.

According to the man dubbed the "Cool Cat" for his level-headed play, he sustained the injury during their game against GlobalPort, where his team endured a 89-93 loss. He continued playing through the use of anti-inflammatory and pain killers. 

He will be talking to team doctors about this injury, although most likely he will be out for the Philippine Cup. He managed to play the last five games for the Bolts, but was obviously hampered by his injury, averaging only 11.4 points against 13 points in his first five games.

Cortez is expected to be sidelined for eight weeks after the surgery. 

The benching of the former top overall pick will give way for other point guards in the Meralco rotation, such as Chris Timberlake and San Beda stalwart Anjo Caram, and test the versatility of former Gilas player Jared Dillinger.(GS)

Fajardo injures knee, but not ACL, says coach

Looks like the renewal of a rivalry will wait a bit longer.

It has earlier been posted on Spin.ph that Petron giant June Mar Fajardo had injured its right knee in practice, and now Gee Abanilla, current head coach of Petron, has confirmed that Fajardo wll be out for the much-awaited Petron-Ginebra match.

Good news for the Booster’s fans though: Doctors ruled out a potential ACL injury.

“Although hindi pa rin s'ya puwede (for the Ginebra game) because we're still waiting for the official announcement from doctors, pero 'yung kinakatakutan namin na baka ACL, di naman.”

"As it is, may injury pa rin talaga. Pero (June Mar) being sidelined for more than six months, medyo wala na sa equation.",  said Abanilla.

Abanilla, though, said that orthopedic surgeon George Canlas has yet to interpret the MRIR result on June Mar’s knee, which according to the coach was twisted after stepping on the foot of primary back-up center Doug Kramer during a 5-on-5 scrimmage. (GS)

Who to change in Gilas Pilipinas?

With the FIBA Basketball World Cup coming in 8 months, I think I would like to make my own roster for Team Pilipinas. Okay, okay, some may say that this is too early, but I'd like to make this a monthly (or on a two-week basis, it depends) watch till the World Cup, as players tend to change games, up or down, so some may be removed, some may be added.

So, let us start by reviewing the current line-up of Smart Gilas Pilipinas, shall we?

Name	Pos.	#	Age	Ht.	Club
Alapag, Jimmy	PG	4	35	5 ft 9 in	Talk n' Text
Tenorio, Lewis Alfred	PG	5	29	5 ft 8 in	Barangay Ginebra
Chan, Jeffrei Allan	G/F	6	30	6 ft 2 in	Rain or Shine
William, Jayson	PG	7	27	5 ft 11 in	Talk n' Text
David, Gary	G/F	8	35	6 ft 2 in	Meralco
de Ocampo, Ranidel	PF	9	31	6 ft 5 in	Talk n' Text
Norwood, Gabriel Daniel	G/F	10	28	6 ft 5 in	Rain or Shine
Douthit, Marcus	C	11	32	6 ft 11 in	Naturalized
Fonacier, Larry	G/F	12	31	6 ft 2 in	Talk n' Text
Fajardo, June Mar	C	13	23	6 ft 11 in	Petron Blaze
Aguilar, Japeth Paul	F/C	14	26	6 ft 10 in	Barangay Ginebra
Pingris, Jean Marc	PF	15	31	6 ft 5 in	San Mig Coffee
Belga, Beau	C/F	-	27	6 ft 6 in	Rain or Shine
Slaughter, Gregory	C	-	25	7 ft 0 in	Barangay Ginebra
Thoss, Joachim	C	-	32	6 ft 7 in	Alaska
Reyes, Ryan	G	-	30	6 ft 2 in	Talk n' Text
Williams, Kelly	F	-	31	6 ft 7 in	Talk n' Text
Dillinger, Jared	G/F	-	29	6 ft 5 in	Meralco

  
A pretty solid line-up, isn't it? However, the World Cup is in a class of its own. Most of the centers there are those tall but agile types (think Pau Gasol, Kevin Love). Point guards are super quick and tall by Philippine standards (Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook). So how will Philippines compete with teams like USA, France, Spain, etc.?

I believe three-point sniping will be the key for Philippines. Sure, run-and-gun may work, but unlike in FIBA-Asia, centers in the World Cup are sure to chase down every single fastbreak attempt by Gilas. Fonacier, David, Tenorio, Alapag, and Chan will be relied on the three-point sniping. When the defense spreads out, then Douthit, Fajardo, and Pingris can operate inside.

But will the shooters be consistent? David has been really inconsistent the last FIBA-Asia, and if that slump continues on the international stage, then Coach Chot Reyes can't afford to put him in clutch situations. So, I guess David could go out of the line-up for a while. Also, the 1-time PBA Best Player of the Conference is at an old age (35).

So, my choices lead down to Paul Lee of Rain or Shine, Terrence Romeo of GlobalPort, and Marcio Lassiter of Petron. Romeo would immediately not be a choice due to his size, and I guess Mahdi Kamrani of Iran would be happy posting him up. I guess Lassiter's up sides are his experience in international basketball (2-time Philippine team member), his scrappy defense, and consistency with the three-ball. Lee, on the other hand, has that excellent upper body control, wide body, and also an aggressive mindset on attacking the basket.

Name	Pos.	#	Age	Ht.	Club
Alapag, Jimmy	PG	4	35	5 ft 9 in	Talk n' Text
Tenorio, Lewis Alfred	PG	5	29	5 ft 8 in	Barangay Ginebra
Chan, Jeffrei Allan	G/F	6	30	6 ft 2 in	Rain or Shine
William, Jayson	PG	7	27	5 ft 11 in	Talk n' Text
Lassiter, Marcio	G/F	8	26	6 ft 2 in	Petron Blaze
de Ocampo, Ranidel	PF	9	31	6 ft 5 in	Talk n' Text
Norwood, Gabriel Daniel	G/F	10	28	6 ft 5 in	Rain or Shine
Douthit, Marcus	C	11	32	6 ft 11 in	Naturalized
Fonacier, Larry	G/F	12	31	6 ft 2 in	Talk n' Text
Fajardo, June Mar	C	13	23	6 ft 11 in	Petron Blaze
Aguilar, Japeth Paul	F/C	14	26	6 ft 10 in	Barangay Ginebra
Pingris, Jean Marc	PF	15	31	6 ft 5 in	San Mig Coffee

I decided that Lassiter is a better choice for Smart-Gilas, as his great on-ball defense will work wonders against stars of the big league in the world. Also, his shooting touch, paired up with a quick first step, would be of great help for Philippines. His veteran smarts on the international floor is also a great addition to the team.

So, what are your thoughts? Will Lassiter really be a factor? Or should Gilas stick with Gary? Who knows? I'm not Chot Reyes, for heaven's sake. (GS)