BIG MEN DOMINATE BPC DERBY
Frontline operators dominated the stats race in the PBA Governors’ Cup that’s now in its closing stage, thus, limiting among themselves the battle for the Best Player of the Conference honors.
Left to dispute the coveted award in the balloting are San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo, Air21’s Asi Taulava, Meralco’s Cliff Hodge, Barangay Ginebra’s Greg Slaughter and Talk n Text’s Ranidel de Ocampo.
The winner will be named Thursday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum before Game 2 of the San Mig Super Coffee – Rain or Shine best-of-five duel for the PLDT Home Telpad PBA Governors’ Cup championship.
To be feted on the same night is the winner of the Best Import race among Rain or Shine’s AZ Reid, San Mig Coffee’s Marqus Blakely, Alaska’s Henry Walker and Talk n Text’s Paul Harris.
In making the Finals, Reid and Blakely are the top choices for the Best Import plum. Either of them could be the league’s first multi-winner of the Best Import honors since Gabe Freeman won two in a row in 2009 and 2010.
The BPC race, meanwhile, could be down to a one-on-one battle between Fajardo and De Ocampo.
Fajardo is a strong contender for his whopping averages of 21.2 points and 15.9 rebounds, making him the runaway stats winner. Going against him was his inability to carry the Beermen past the quarterfinals of the season-ending tourney.
De Ocampo, meanwhile, is in the thick of the battle for being the only BPC contender to show his worth all the way to the semifinals.
The Tanza, Cavite native was the main source of strength of the TnT team which barely missed the Finals following a loss to San Mig Coffee in the deciding Game Five of their semis face-off.
Outside the Top Five in the stats race through the elims, De Ocampo broke into it with a sustained solid showing in the playoffs.
Thus, it could really be Fajardo’s numbers versus De Ocampo’s playoffs breakthrough.
If ever, Fajardo would only be the third player to win at least two BPC awards in a season after Vergel Meneses in 1995 and Danny Ildefonso in 2000.
De Ocampo, however, is a big threat with his strong charge in the playoffs.
This BPC derby is likely to make an impact in the race for the season’s MVP award.
Another BPC win by Fajardo, the Philippine Cup best player, could well seal his MVP coronation in the season.
A win by De Ocampo, meanwhile, makes the MVP race a three-cornered fight among Fajardo, De Ocampo and Commissioner’s Cup BPC Jayson Castro. (SB)
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