Monday Night Hoops: Chism debuts vs. GlobalPort; Talk n' Text stakes unbeaten slate versus San Mig Coffee

Another edition of Monday Night Hoops will ensue today, and the stakes are pretty high for this day.

One aims to keep itself alive, another tries to seal a precious advantage, and one will try to avoid the twice-to-win disadvantage.

Chism debuts vs. GlobalPort

 

 

 

A new import, a new start.

In hope of a better standing, Rain or Shine taps 6-8 import Wayne Chism to replace Alex McLean, who in spite of a solid performance has not produced any wins.

Today, Chism's mettle will be tested against a great reinforcement in GlobalPort's Evan Brock

Brock has been spectacular for the Batang Pier, but has not resulted in a single win. Many people will point out the lackluster performance of the locals, notably point guard Alex Cabagnot. Rookie Terrence Romeo and Jay Washington has also been obviously out of their game.

Both teams need this win, but for different reasons. GlobalPort needs to win three straight, including this one, to keep them in contention of a playoff spot. On the other hand, the E-Painters need to win three of four games to avoid falling into a treacherous twice-to-win disadvantage.

Rain or Shine will bank on Gilas stalwarts Jeff Chan, Gabe Norwood and Beau Belga, along with Jervy Cruz and Wayne Chism. The Batang Pier will have to hope for a breakout game from Washington, Romeo and Cabagnot, to back up Brock.

Talk n' Text stakes unbeaten slate against San Mig Coffee

 

 

 

After a seven-day break, the Texters are ready to get a crucial advantage.

Talk n' Text will gun for a twice-to-beat advantage as it takes on recent Philippine Cup champions San Mig Coffee. In the tournament format, the #1 and #2 seeded teams get a twice-to-beat advantage over the #7 and #8 seed, respectively.

Talk n' Text has practically been unstoppable, showing the fangs of a championship-caliber team. They have torn apart their opponents, using a combination of great defense and offense under Coach Norman Black. As of the moment, they have a 6-0 card

San Mig Coffee has been on the same road, until Barako Bull came. The Energy overcame a 16-point deficit, but then Willie Miller and Josh Dollard exploded to edge out the Mixers 92-90. Miller had a double-double of 19 and 10, Dollard had 32 and 17 points and rebounds, respectively.

 

The GlobalPort enigma

Lately, we've been seeing trades (and trade rumors) flying all around the league. And one team sticks out.

GlobalPort Batang Pier.

In its debut season, you can see 12 players come to the Mikee Romero-owned franchise and 10 players go. They can't seem to shrug off their trade-happy instincts.

Romero already said that they need to find the right mix in a team of young players. But in retrospect, if you keep on mixing and matching in between conferences, leaving no time for players to jell, then nothing will ever go right for them.

The success of chemistry

If we look into the recent champions, we will see that most of the champions are not trade-happy teams. Talk n' Text, for one, is a great example.

Talk n' Text stuck to its normal lineup that gave them a lot of championships. Their camaraderie makes basketball look easy. The core of veteran stars remains every conference, trading only their back-ups (i.e, Eliud Poligrates and Sean Anthony for KG Canaleta).

Rain or Shine has been another team that has not been on the trading block often, and most of their success is owed to the great passing from their chemistry. Major additions usually come from first-round to early second-round picks. Plus, Coach Yeng Guiao's equal opportunities attitude makes any player an instant contributor for him.

I can't really say that trade-happy teams are not successful, but if players keep on adjusting to new teammates, then a spot on the 8th seed is almost assured.

Stick to one helm

 Another contributor to GlobalPort's woes is the frequent change of coaches. In 5 conferences, they have had 4 different coaches (Glenn Capacio, Junel Baculi, Richie Ticzon, and Pido Jarencio). All these coaches have different systems, that more or less require a change in the team's manpower. And even though the newly-acquired players adjust to the system, will the holdovers adjust.

Take Alaska for example. They also went through this stage, frequently losing like its normal. They changed coaches, but their new coach sort of abandoned the triangle offense Tim Cone employed to his former team. As a result, their downhill slide continued. But when Luigi Trillo, long-time assistant to Cone took helm, and reinstated a modified version of the TO (with a bit of run-and-gun), success went their way.

I'm an avid fan of GlobalPort, and of course I want them to win (because I frequently lose in bets). And for me, If I were Romero, I'd keep this line-up for at least 3 more conferences and see if this will turn out well. (GS)

Ian Sangalang: Gregzilla's rival to the ROY (A player profile)

During the draft, everybody was talking about the likes of Greg Slaughter, Raymond Almazan, Jeric Teng, Terrence Romeo, and others. In the shadows of the draft, however, one big name was seemingly forgotten.

It was Ian Paul Sangalang.

Projected at 2nd overall, the the reigning D-League MVP and King Stag was completely underrated at the draft. And for good reason. After all, in the minds of the people, he couldn't possibly stop Greg. Or even replace Marc Pingris.

Nobody expected him to drop at San Mig Coffee, after he expressed his desire to play for sister team Barangay Ginebra. Many were expecting the short contract, which was seen as the ticket to the crowd favorites. But still, he is playing as solid as concrete.

He, up to now, has no monicker for himself. Slaughter is Gregzilla. Almazan is Rock n' Roll. Romeo is Swaggy T. Even 2nd-rounder and SMC teammate Justin Melton has earned the name "Quickmelt". But he is steady as ever.

At least, since the playoffs began.

Ian attempts a shot over Elmer Espiritu.

During the start of the Philippine Cup, Sangalang was playing miserably. Missing wide-open shots and other things. For me, it was like he had the jitters. He was the complete opposite of what Tim Cone said about him. He seemingly was not PBA-ready.

As time passed by, the jitters slowly but surely disappeared. He started playing in Cone's signature triangle offense. He was slowly getting into the groove of things.

Then came the PBA Finals. By that time, he had established his spot at the San Mig Coffee rotation. After a miserable Game 1 performance, his game went up several notches higher. After a decent performance of 10 points and 6 rebounds in Game 2, Cone was all praises for him.

“Ian has been absolutely huge because we have a tendency to overplay our guys. We overplay Ping, Joe [Devance], and Rafi [Reavis],” the coach said on an interview with Yahoo! Sports. “Ian has been God-sent. Mostly because he does everything quietly.” 

“Even in practice he’s very quiet. I think he’s a combination of Bong Hawkins and Reynel Hugnatan,” Cone added. “He’s that quiet operator that people really don’t notice that much but he’s absolutely killing you. Sometimes teams don’t even realize that Ian is beating them.”

 

Sangalang under the paint against JR Quinahan on Game 4

On Game 3, Sangalang had his best game in terms of PER. He had 12 points on 5-of-6 field goal shooting. He also added 5 boards and one steal for a Player Efficiency Rating of 28.15. If you are new to advanced statistics, a rating of 20 or higher indicates a great season, or in this situation, a game.

But the best was yet to come. He followed up his terrific performance with another great one, where in he co-top-scored for his team with 17 points and also led the team in rebounds (8). He also had an assist and steal for a PER of 25.61. He did this while Pingris left the floor due to a scratch to his eye.

On Game 6, he had 15 points behind eventual Finals MVP Mark Barocca to put the icing on the top of his very first conference, where he left his mark as one of the best rookies in the league.

We could safely say that finally, the Gregzilla has found a worthy rival for the Rookie of the Year. During the Finals he averaged 9.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 21.7 minutes per game. He had a PER of 15.49, roughly the NBA average.

One question remains for Sangalang. Can he replace Pingris once the Pinoy Sakuragi retires? The answer remains to be seen, but the future seems to be bright for Ian Paul Sangalang (GS)

NBA Review: All-Star Friday

All-Star Friday was a big treat for NBA fans across the globe. This edition of the All-Star Break featured some tweaks to the rules.

Sprint All-Star Celebrity Game| EAST def. WEST 60-56

Nobody actually knew US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan had mad ballin' skills.

Until last Friday.

Duncan led the East to a 60-56 win with a record 20 points, while grabbing 11 rebounds and 6 assists, the last of which was a beautiful behind-the-head pass to a cutting Skylar Diggins of the WNBA.

A few possessions later, it was Diggins' turn to dish out the ball. She found Romeo Miller (musician/actor) for a wide-open triple that put the game away for the East.

Over-dribbler Kevin Hart (comedian) was voted MVP by the fans, but he humbly gave the award to the true MVP, Arne Duncan of the US Department of Education.

BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge | HILL def. WEBB 142-136

This might be the most thrilling Rising Stars Challenge in history.

While double-double machine Andre Drummond (DET) earned MVP Honors with 30 points and a Rising Stars record-high 25 boards for Team Hill, the game will be most remembered for the duel between Team Hill's Dion Waiters (CLE) and Team Webber's Tim Hardaway Jr. (NYK).

During a three-minute shootout, Waiters and Hardaway Jr. exchanged threes after threes like two boxers. Hardaway Jr. opened it up to put Team Webber ahead 101-99 and ended with a 114-112 count in favor of Team Hill via two freethrows by Waiters.

Hardaway Jr., who finished with a game-high 34 points, hit two more triples, but Waiters, who had 31 markers and 7 assists, had the last laugh, scoring eight consecutive points.

2013 1st overall pick Anthony Davis (NOP) of Team Webber also had a shining moment during the first half. After blocking a Jonas Valanciunas (TOR) hook shot, he sprinted to their side of the court, leaving Valanciunas on his heels. He then completes a dunk of a Victor Oladipo (ORL) lob.

Highlights of the game can be seen here.

Rain or Shine draws first blood

Sports5 file/Pranz Kaeno Billones

Paul Lee, struggling or not, is a definite threat during clutch time.

With .9 ticks on the clock, Lee nailed an inbound alley-oop pass to lift Rain or Shine up over San Mig Coffee to draw first blood in their finals showdown, 83-80, on Valentine's Day.

The game was a close one, with Rain or Shine not gaining enough ground over San Mig Coffee. Where the E-Painters went, the Mixers seemed to be always close by, stalking within striking distance.

Rain or Shine was still up, 69-67, when San Mig Coffee, led by back-up guards Alex Mallari and Justin Melton, unleashed a 9-1 flurry to gain the lead, 76-70.

But the Elasto Painters were quick to recover, and two back-to-back triples by Gilas wingman Jeff Chan sparked a 8-0 counterattack to relinquish the lead, 78-76.

Not wanting to let up, Tim Cone put his starters back. Mixers undisputed star, James Yap, answered the call, nailing two consecutive jumpers to put his squad ahead, 80-78.

Chan miffed a three-ball in the ensuing play, but scrappy forward Jervy Cruz recovered the loose ball and made a hook shot over veteran forward Marc Pingris. The score is tied, 80-80

Cone drew up a play for Yap, but point guard Mark Barocca deviated from the play and took matters into his own hands. His plan was foiled, however, and, Rain or Shine had one more chance to put the game away.

Then came Lee's fateful shot, which surprisingly wasn't the original play designated. Guiao's play was supposed to be a three by Chan off a Lee screen. But Gabe Norwood saw Lee open, and the man dubbed Angas ng Tondo did not fail Norwood.

San Mig Coffee called an extra timeout, resulting in a made technical free-throw by Lee. Their desperation heave was also futile.

Key Statline

The Key Statline of the Game goes to Jervy Cruz, the former King Tiger out of University of Santo Tomas. Cruz scored 15 points, including a game-tying hook shot. He also grabbed 7 rebounds, an effective Field Goal percentage of 77.8%, and a Game Score of 13.8.

Game Score Formula: PTS + .4 x FGm -.7 x FGa - .4 x (FTa-FTm) +.7 x OREB + .3 x DREB + STL + .7 x AST + .7 x BLK - .7 x PFs - TOV

Effective Field Goal % Formula : (FGm + .5 x 3PTm) divided by FGA

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.