NEW HEROES, OLD FACES CARRY TEAMS’ MARCH TO FINALS
The champion of the Governors’ Cup in 2011 and last season’s runner-up are back in the Finals. New heroes have emerged while old and tested faces continued to do what they do best by steering their teams to victories. An import virtually playing with one arm gave a lasting performance that will serve as an inspiration to his team in the future.
HITS
Petron Blaze – This team made its return trip to glory by whipping Rain or Shine in Game Four of their best-of-five semifinal series.
A team in turmoil the previous conferences, the Boosters buckled down to business and the result was a 33rd Finals appearance, the most by any ballclub in the pro league.
Coach Gee Abanilla, a rookie mentor, will try to become one of only a handful of coaches to win a championship in just his maiden conference.
San Mig Coffee – After a slow start, the Mixers are back in the thick of the fight for the season-ending tiara.
This time, Tim Cone and his troops want nothing else but to secure a 10th title for the franchise.
It will also give Cone a chance to tie his idol, the legendary Virigilio “Baby” Dalupan as the winningest mentor in PBA history with 15 championships.
Alex Cabagnot – When the playoffs start, expect this guy to preserve his A-grade game.
Cabagnot was on top of his game during the semifinals as he led his team’s local scoring ladder with 15.5 points, aside from recording 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
His overall play helped make the rest of the Boosters look better as Petron finally put an end to a series of miseries in previous conferences.
James Yap – Struggling at the start of the conference, the two-time Most Valuable Player finally got his rhythm back when the team needed it most.
He has emerged as San Mig Coffee’s most consistent local producer, averaging 15 points and close to five rebounds as he elevated his game in the absence of Allein Maliksi, who went down with an injured knee prior to the start of the Coffee Mixers’ semifinal series against the Meralco Bolts.
Not only did Yap reassert himself as the team’s focal point of offense, he also thrived on the defensive end, earning praises from the coaching staff.
With Yap back in the groove, the Coffee Mixers rode on his timely baskets all the way to their return trip to the Finals.
June Mar Fajardo – The sleeping giant has finally awakened.
The 6-foot-10 slotman was a dominant force in their semifinal series against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
Not even the combined forces of the Extra Rice tandem can bring down Fajardo, who imposed his will down low and churned up double-double averages of 14.8 points and 12.5 rebounds in four games.
Marcio Lassiter – His last semifinal game will be remembered as the best game of his young career.
Truly, Lassiter has found a home in Petron Blaze.
The 6-foot-3 deadshot went 7-of-10 from beyond the arc in the Boosters’ demolition job in Game Four.
All series long, the sophomore swingman had been a picture of consistency, averaging 13.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and a steady 11-of-22 shooting from beyond the arc.
Alex Mallari – Maybe this time, San Mig Coffee and its fans have started to realize the true value of this 6-foot-3 rookie, who is not only capable of playing multiple positions, but loves to do everything on both ends of the floor.
His scoring may have improved a lot in the series against the Meralco Bolts, capped by his career-high 23 output in Game Three, but there’s more to Mallari’s game than just shooting buckets and slashing his way in the lane.
He has provided stability in the sensitive point guard position for the Mixers while also showing a lot of promise on the other end of the floor.
Marqus Blakely – Mr. Everything is what people call him. Gone are the games where teams would simply foul him automatically due to his penchant of throwing bricks from the stripe.
Now, people are beginning to see what Blakely can do. Everyone sees him as an intense player who can score, grab rebounds, defend, provide the energy and hustle and make his teammates look better.
His stats simply tell it all – 20.8 points, 16.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 2.3 steals per outing.
But Blakely knows all these numbers that drive everybody crazy will soon be forgotten if he doesn’t lead his team to the championship.
Elijah Millsap – Silent but effective.
That’s how Millsap’s game has been summed up and the brother of NBA veteran Paul Millsap has blended well with the talented Blaze Boosters squad.
Averaging 27.8 points and 12 rebounds in four meetings in the semis, Millsap’s role included getting everyone involved and his willingness to share the ball proved to be a factor in drawing good games from Fajardo, Lassiter, Cabagnot and MVP candidate Arwind Santos among others.
Mario West’s gutsy performance in Game 4 – Mario West was an inspiration to the Meralco Bolts, who went down fighting against the Coffee Mixers.
Playing with one healthy arm, West bucked the pain in his right shoulder and finished with decent numbers of 22 points and 17 rebounds in Meralco’s losing effort.
He may be hurt now, but the good news is West will most probably be back for the Bolts next season.
MISSES
Pingris, Devance scoreless in Game 2 – They’re two of the best forwards playing in the PBA under one team.
But versatile Joe Devance and hard working Marc Pingris were completely thrown out of sync in Game 2. With the two players failing to contribute, San Mig Coffee’s production was visibly affected, allowing the Bolts to tie the series at 1-1.
Elijah Millsap’s horrible showing in Game 3 – After steady games in the first two outings, including a personal high 41 points in the series opener victory, Millsap was grounded by Gabe Norwood’s length and athleticism in Game Three.
His point production was reduced to 17 as Norwood did a pretty good job stopping the import, who was held scoreless in the second and third periods, allowing the Elasto Painters to avert a sweep.
Gabe Norwood’s free throw shooting in Game 4 – No, it wasn’t a case of a Marqus Blakely syndrome, but Norwood was definitely out of his game in Game Four. He missed all but one of six attempts from the foul line.
With Jeff Chan already out of the game with a severe sprain in his ankle that happened in the second period, Norwood’s point production would have been a big help. (RJ)
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