PBA Governor's Cup Game 7: It's winning time!

It's going to be a war out there tonight, and I will stick to my original prediction that Talk 'n' Text will rise to the occasion as a team and come out with their third straight title and be recognized as the league's only 3rd Grand Slam franchise.

If Game 6 were any indication, it clearly showed the disparity in talent between both teams. Petron has managed to survive through vintage performance Danny Ildefonso, the super human efforts of Arwind Santos and the resurrection of Denok Miranda's playing career as a high-caliber point guard. On the other hand, TNT, whenever it had its best pieces on the floor, continues to be just downright unstoppable.

Will Petron take advantage of TNT's many injuries? They should, since Jayson Castro and Ryan Reyes are both playing at 60%. If anything, Petron needs to put Arwind Santos on Castro and someone rough like Sunday Salvacion and Ray Guevarra on Reyes to make TNT's injured prized guards work harder on both ends of the court.

TNT only needs to push the tempo and attack the rim at a hellish, bull-headed pace. Petron doesn't have the defensive frontline that has made it a force in the early years, having to rely on an aging Ildefonso whose best back-up is equally aging and more slow-footed Mick Pennisi. If someone can wake Jimmy Alapag from his slumber and convince him to drive more by giving him more screens from the outside, then he could finally shut some people up and show his MVP form if only for a game.

Keep an eye on Alapag, Castro, Reyes and Harvey Carey tonight as I believe those four will come in and give Petron hell.

At Petron's end, I hope to see another 20-14 performance from Santos, and wouldn't mind if Danny Ildefonso gets a dunk in there and "raises the roof" off the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

Still, I pick TNT to win it all and would be surprised if they don't.

Breaking news: Dondon out of Gilas, Paul Lee or JV Casio?

While local basketball junkies are still recovering from the recently concluded Petron-Talk 'n' Text match, there were other basketball-related news floating around which saw the light of print be it on paper or the Internet.

Dondon Hontiveros withdraws from SMART Gilas program

Despite what you and I think, Hontiveros clearly showed signs of aging in the Williams Jones Cup. Yes, he had that vintage game versus Japan I'll give you that. But he struggled to play defense (his bread and butter whenever his shooting was off) and was committing one too many turnovers (which, for an accomplished veteran like himself, was a no-no). He has already proven his gifts and played for our country one too many times, and his withdrawal should be seen as a positive since it would allow Gilas to get a younger SG in the future. Either way, daghang salamat Cebuano Hotshot!

Who should go first in the PBA 2011 draft; Paul Lee or JV Casio

Paul Lee has finally decided to throw his hat in the PBA Draft and is my automatic choice for the number one pick. Yes, Casio has shown that he is clutch at the PG spot for Gilas, but Lee is a legit PBA superstar SG. We've seen what he could do in UE when in his first year alone he was already drawing comparisons to DLSU's Joseph Yeo-- which he quickly shed off by becoming a more complete player by playing D and learning to pass to teammates. In the PBL and the PBA Developmental League, he dominated and played both guard positions with ease. Now tell me why I should pick Casio, who will face stronger PGs in the PBA like Denok Miranda, Ryan Reyes and Jayson Castro over Lee again? Powerade or Welcoat both need a guy like Lee, and this one should be a no brainer regardless if Casio joins the draft or not.

Why Japeth Aguilar left off the SMART Gilas "wish list" five

Serbian head coach Rajko Toroman probably gave up on the athletic Aguilar who has not learned to shoot from the outside with consistency or play in the paint. He's a flashy workhorse, we'll give him that, but with his history of injuries and bull-headedness, maybe a year or two in the PBA wherein he won't be babied by opponents and fans will force him to work on his game. That, or he ends up being a taller Raffi Reavis-- which isn't a bad thing really, but frustrating for a guy with the potential of being the best athletic big man in the PBA since Mon Fernandez.

TNT Reveals Heart of Champions; trashes Petron 104-78

In what should be considered as another blockbuster and high quality basketball atmosphere in Filipino basketball standards, the Talk 'n' Text Tropang Texters were able to salvage a blowout loss versus the recently fancied Petron Blaze Boosters.

Though the Boosters started the game hot behind arguably the best local talent in the PBA today Arwind Santos, TNT was quick to counter by pulling out a jittery Kelly Williams and sacrificing rebounding in favor of Jayson Castro (who was a game time decision) and his blitzkrieg scoring.

And blitzkrieg it was. Castro, who has long built his reputation as an attack point guard was literally raining ice cold buckets on the confused Boosters. Either he was dropping bombs from the outside, or slashing hard into the paint and dishing out bullet kick-out passes, the man was flat-out Derrick Rose-esque unstoppable.

From then on, the Boosters didn't know what to do on defense and their game fell apart. It also helped that TNT, which gambled on Game 6 replacement Maurice Baker over the ineffective Scottie Reynolds, held his counterpart Anthony Grundy to an abysmal scoring night.

Credit should go to TNT's Castro for his superhuman effort despite a rumored MCL tear and also to another unsung hero, Ryan Reyes, who was clearly limping but was seen in several instances battling through screens and just holding his own against Grundy.

Now I know why the Boosters enjoyed a 3-2 series lead prior to today's pivotal Game 6. Reyes and Castro, TNT's best guards today (I'm sorry Jimmy Alapag fans including myself) are playing hurt. There's a difference when you're running a short rotation of healthy guys (as Petron does) and playing your stars while they're at 60% capacity.

Had Reyes and Castro been healthy to start the series, I believe that this would've been over in 4 or 5 games.

Hat's off to Ranidel de Ocampo, who still plays like a SG and must be the cause of Coach Chot Reyes' constant frustrations. Danny Ildefonso is the best big man in this series in the paint, but if RDO decided to play closer to the basket instead of waiting for kick-out threes, he won't be so bad in there as well.

Fortunately for him, his shots were falling and that someone probably got on his case during halftime because he was grabbing rebounds and boxing out more in the second half rather than the first.

But here we are, looking forward to Game 7. A fitting end to the return of the Governor's Cup, with a great and competitive match-up that will decide the Grandslam hopes of one team, and the valiant stand of a depleted one.

Oh yeah, I called it. I said that TNT will win via blowout and they did. Hopefully, the don't spoil the fun I'm having with my predictions, make me look like a basketball blogging genius and win on Sunday.

Either way, I'm having fun watching the games and just being a true blue PBA fan.

Petron turns table on Talk 'n' Text, only a win away from title

Are the Talk 'n' Text players finally breaking down mentally amid all the pressures of the "Grandslam or bust" brought forth by the local media?

In all honesty, there's nothing wrong should the Tropang Texters lose the Governor's Cup title to their now esteemed rivals, the Petron Blaze Boosters. Though it will definitely ruin their "grandslam" bid, it won't be enough to take away what they have accomplished this year-- winning and dominating both Philippine and Commissioner's Cup conferences.

What makes last night's 93-80 loss is that it wasn't even close or competitive considering Petron's depleted (yet it now seems to be more well-balanced) line-up.

Was it Jayson Castro's absence?

Or has Petron head coach Ato Agustin *gasp!* finally figured out how to stop the TNT juggernaut?

I say, a little of both.

Castro's absence shouldn't have been THAT much of a hindrance considering the guys left on the roster. What's obvious here is that newly minted MVP Jimmy Alapag has been struggling and partner Ryan Reyes is being taken out of the equation by several cross matches.

Agustin, in the last two wins, has decided to stick his MVP Arwind Santos on PBA MVP Alapag which is pretty much like how the Miami Heat negated NBA MVP Derrick Rose in the recent playoffs. Alapag, though he's no longer the high scorer of yesteryears, is still the guy who the entire TNT squad looks to follow on the court. Unfortunately, it's hard to find Alapag when you have a guy like Santos draped all over him like a wet towel.

Then there's Ryan Reyes, who is being guarded by then Santa Lucia backcourt partner Denok Miranda. Those two are arguably the best defenders on the PG spot and it is showing. Miranda's advantage, as with most Filipino guards, is his moxy and gulang that Fil-ams just don't have. What hurts TNT is, Reyes is expected to at least contribute on offense, while Miranda is not. Meaning, Miranda's break-out games are a byproduct of TNT not locking him up as opposed to Reyes who is watched by his Kuya Nok 24/7.

Another "change" has come in the way the games are being played. In an all out footrace and battle of athleticism, there's no denying that TNT will whoop Petron's ass from players 3 to 14 (1 and 2 being Santos and the injured Jay Washington). In last night's game, Ali Peek was being taken out of the whole game by a lot of pushing, shoving, hacking (Sunday Salvacion), jersey grabbing (Danny Ildefonso) and the like, same with Harvey Carey. Ranidel de Ocampo, arguably this series' best big man ON PAPER, would've made a big difference but is back to playing way outside and settling for spot-up jumpers (if you're a Smart Gilas fan, you'd be worried and begging Rajko Toroman to get another PBA PF as an import).

The tide has indeed changed and the name of the game is "old school, grind it out, Filipino basketball" that Petron's stalwarts of Santos, Miranda, Ildefonso and Salvacion know and love while TNT's Alapag, Fonacier, Peek and De Ocampo seem to be having problems with.

While I still see TNT pulling it off in seven games, we won't be hearing any "benta" rumors when this is all said and done. Not with the current MVP-SMC rivalry, which I believe is good for the league as a whole, looking into the future.

SMART Gilas: Who should stay, go

Andy to Chris: Pare mauna na ako ha.

Following the recent developments within the SMART Gilas fold, team members who have applied for the upcoming 2011 PBA Draft are rumored to be having second thoughts. Guys like Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz who are both being eyed as certain Top 5 draft picks, are mulling withdrawal now that the Gilas program is a lock to continue for another two years.

Rumor has it that there will be an even bigger compensation waiting for these guys including names like Mac Baracael, Andy Barroca and Jason Ballesteros as compared to the PBA's fixed maximum rookie salary of Php 150,000.

But let's breakdown the team as it is. Who should stay on with the program, and who should move on to the PBA (before it's too late)

Stay

JV Casio
There will always be a spot on any team in the PBA for a high IQ, clutch PG like Casio and him playing for Gilas has been nothing but a revelation as he continues to build his credibility and move from long time San Beda/DLSU gunner to a Ronnie Magsanoc 2.0.

Chris Tiu
Yes, I will continue to bash the minutes that this guy receives from the coaching staff. But Tiu's game is definitely built for Toroman's system, and he is the most recognizable face on the line-up that will help put this team over with non-basketball fans. I fear that once he sets foot in the PBA and doesn't end up with an MVP team, that all his flaws will be exposed and that he will suffer a career similar to Gec Chia (one time Ateneo hero, PBA blah).

Mac Baracael
I want Baracael to play for Gilas until the wheels fall off. He plays with Pinoy passion and swagger and has the game to back everything he does (even the sneers) up out on the hardcourt.

Japeth Aguilar
I am a Japeth hater. No, I don't hate him personally. I just hate his game. So much wasted potential spent on trying to dunk everytime down the floor instead of concentrating on the little things that would help make him the most dominant Pinoy big man in years. The only reason I want him to stay with Gilas is so that people around him could make him realize his shortcomings. Once he sets foot on the PBA where the game is faster and more undisciplined, he'd be a superstar with all the dunks and volleyball spike-like blocks (think Rafi Reavis + Marc Pingris combined). Great entertainment, bad for him as a basketball player.

Go


Andy Barroca
Somewhere in the last year and a half, Barroca lost some of his speed and even his starting job to JV Casio. And since this country is full of PGs, Barroca needs to move on while his stock is high and teams like Powerade, Rain or Shine and even Meralco need a starting PG.

Marcio Lassiter
Let's face it, Lassiter will never steal Tiu's spot as the starting two guard and will always be forced to play out of position and asked to defend bigger guys. I say, stop wasting time and head to the PBA to become a legit star.

Chris Lutz
While most observers are quick to point out that Lutz' game is similar to Lassiter's, I beg to disagree. They play the same roles, yes, but Lutz is more spot-up shooter while Lassiter is a more intense, slash to the hoop and play defense player. Lutz is a perfect fit for Alaska where he can fill in the role of a Jojo Lastimosa, Brandon Cablay, and the one vacated by Larry Fonacier.

Jason Ballesteros
Too skinny to play PF for Rajko Toroman. So head to the PBA and give Marc Pingris hell.

Dylan Ababou
Mr. Nice Guy. Well, I don't know what's going on in that head of his, but no one remembers his UAAP MVP season anymore. We haven't seen this guy play in a VERY LONG time which is sad. No, he's not superstar-like, but he does have game. I don't know if it's the added weight, or just the fact that Baracael can do what Ababou can, only faster, better and with more intensity.

What do you think?