DEFENDING CHAMPS FINISH ELIMS AT NO. 3
In a game where usual substitutes stepped in place of the starters, Alaska secured the No. 3 seeding in the playoffs after beating import-less San Mig Coffee, 85-66, Sunday in the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Raffy Reyes had eight points, four assists, two rebounds, and two steals while Rob Dozier and Vic Manuel also finished with the same scoring output for the Aces who will await which team ends up at No. 6 after the elims, which will be Alaska’s best-of-3 quarterfinal opponent.
The best-of-3 quarterfinals begin at once Monday also at the Big Dome.
No player finished in double-digits in scoring for the Aces – likely a first in a conference with imports in league history but all 15 Alaska players scored for head coach Luigi Trillo in the game.
“For us, it’s more about rhythm. We wanted to shorten the minutes of our starters, but we wanted them getting good rhythm,” said Trillo, whose team ended the elims with its fifth straight win.
“You look at San Mig, their best three players aren’t there for them. To them, it is about rest in this game. We know coach Tim (Cone) and he would play those guys. It was a game about their third group against our third group and it’s just one of those games you have to go on with,” he added.
With San Mig import James Mays sitting out the game due to back spasms, Trillo had the luxury of resting his own reinforcement Dozier, and gave ample playing time to his fringe rotation players.
“Whoever came in for us after that winning streak, you wanted guys playing well. For Dozier, for Cy (Baguio), for JVee (Casio), and the rest of them, you come in four minutes and then youre sluggish in the playoffs, it’s not a nice thing to do,” he said. “Our third stringers, (Ryan) Buenafe, Raphy Reyes, Sam Eman, it’s a nice outing for them today. It’s their chance to show their worth and contribute.”
Yancy de Ocampo led the Mixers with 10 points.
An all-around effort from the whole squad allowed the Aces to break the game wide open in the first half, prompting both coaches to empty their bench from that point on, allowing Alaska to take a lead as big as 23.
“Regardless of our win… we’re certain that we’re in the Top 6 (after the elims). The one who’s not is Ginebra, who needs to win (in the second game against Rain or Shine). It is what it is, but (San Mig) is a totally different team when Pingris, Yap, Mays, and Melton are there,” Trillo said.
Aside from Mays, San Mig also rested Marc Pingris, James Yap, and Justin Melton, all suffering from different injuries.
Before the game, both teams already assured themselves spots in the two best-of-three series, with the quarterfinal pairings still to be determined.
Alaska finished the eliminations at 6-3, and dropped San Mig Coffee to a 4-5 record, the Mixers’ worst for an elimination round under Cone.
Curiously, both teams will likely meet each other in the best-of-3 quarterfinals if Rain or Shine wins in its game versus Barangay Ginebra in the second game, which would drop the Mixers to No.6. (RL)
The scores: (Click HERE for full boxscores)
SAN MIG COFFEE 85 – Dozier 8, Reyes 8, Manuel 8, Jazul 7, Buenafe 7, Abueva 7, Espinas 6, Exciminiano 6, Eman 6, Casio 5, Baguio 5, Dela Cruz 4, Thoss 4, Belasco 2, Hontiveros 2.
ALASKA 66 – de Ocampo 10, Acuna 9, Gaco 9, Cawaling 8, Devance 6, Simon 5, Reavis 5, Barroca 4, Mallari 4, Holstein 4, Sangalang 2.
Quarterscores: 22-14, 44-34, 67-48, 85-66.
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