#PBA2015 PREVIEW: PUREFOODS STAR HOTSHOTS vs BGY. GINEBRA GIN KINGS – LONG LIVE MANILA CLASICO
Manila Clasico is always something to watch. It’s always a throw-the-stats-out-the-window kind of thing no matter what the stakes are. In this particular edition, the stakes are pretty high as both teams are coming off painful losses and both want to gain ground as they inch closer to the end of the elims. Purefoods definitely wants to rebound after getting embarrassed by Kia, while Ginebra hopes to recover after falling short against TNT.
Here are some things to look at in this game:
1. ON AND OFF THE MARK?
Starting at PG, Mark Barroca was pretty awesome against Kia, well, save for the fact he turned the ball over SEVEN TIMES. He also got schooled a little bit by Kia’s LA Revilla, who seemed to run rings around the PUR defense. Barroca still had a great offensive performance, leading PUR in scoring, but he’ll need to do a better job on defense, especially today against LA Tenorio.
Comm Cup Stats: 12.8ppg, 6.2rpg, 1.8apg, 1.3spg, 2.2 TOpg
vs KIA: 18pts, 8rebs, 0 asts, 3stls, 7 TOs
2. OLDY BUT GOODY
Old man Mick Pennisi came off the bench and was on-target from long range. At his advanced age, Pennisi cannot really be counted on for much else aside from his three-point shooting so the fact he hit 4 trifectas was a big bonus despite the loss to Kia. If he can continue waxing hot, GIN will be in trouble.
Comm Cup stats: 3.5ppg, 3.0rpg, 0.3bpg, 41.2 3pt%
vs KIA: 12pts, 4rebs, 1blk, 4 triples
3. PARTNERS IN CRIME
Frontline partners Marc Pingris and Joe Devance did pretty well against Kia, combining for 22 points, 19 rebounds, and 9 assists, but even their production wasn’t enough to negate the monster numbers of Kia import PJ Ramos, who dropped 32 points and 26 boards. Against GIN’s Mike Dunigan, it looks like both JDV and Ping will need to work extra hard again if they want to contain the burly big man.
JDV Comm Cup stats: 7.7ppg, 6.2rpg, 3.0apg
Ping Comm Cup stats: 8.8ppg, 7.7rpg, 2.5apg
Combined vs KIA: 22pts, 19rebs, 9 asts
4. JOKE’S ON HIM
After losing to Kia, not to mention fouling out, import Daniel Orton made some scathing and rather inappropriately-worded comments directed at the officiating and Kia playing-coach Manny Pacquiao. He basically said that both the officiating and Pacman were jokes. Unfortunatley for Orton, he was given summons by the Commish’s Office and is expected to incur a hefty penalty for his outburst of frustration. He called the refs and Manny jokes, but, in the end, it seems the joke was on him.
first 2 games: 19.5ppg, 17.5ppg, 5.0bpg
vs KIA: 6pts, 3rebs, 0blks
5. DOMINANT DUNIGAN
On the other end of the spectrum, GIN’s Mike Dunigan was splendid against TNT. He outplayed counterpart Richard Howell and was super solid for the Gin Kings. Unfortunately, GIN lost that game, but they cannot fault Dunigan for the result. If he continues to put up good numbers against PUR’s frustrated Danniel Orton, GIN should have a fair shot of winning here.
Comm Cup stats: 22.8ppg, 13.6rpg, 1.0bpg, 40.7 FG%
vs TNT: 30pts, 18rebs, 2blks, 10/19 FGs (52.6%)
6. CALIBER 45
Another guy who did really well for GIN in its last game was Caliber 45, Mac Baracael. The former FEU swingman waxed hot against TNT, drilling 5 triples on his way to a conference-high 20 points. He also grabbed 6 rebounds in an all-around effort. He’ll have a tough test against rookie Matt Rosser in this game, but if he can keep on hitting those threes, he should be able to spread the floor for GIN effectively.
Comm Cup stats: 9.4ppg, 3.8rpg, 1.8 triples per game, 47.4 FG%
vs TNT: 20pts, 6rebs, 5 triples, 7/12 FGs (58.3%)
7. TENORIO’S TROUBLES
LA Tenorio, too, had a a good game against TNT, but it was a steal by Jayson Castro off Tenorio that sealed the win for the Texters. Tenorio was efficient in scoring, hitting 6 of his 9 shots en route to 14 points. He was also effective at finding his teammates (6 asts) and on defense (4 stls), but, again, this was off-set by his 4 turnovers.
Comm Cup stats: 8.0ppg, 4.6rpg, 4.4apg, 2.8spg, 2.8TOpg
vs TNT: 14pts, 6rebs, 4 asts, 4stls, 4TOs
8. THOSE TURNOVERS…
Speaking of turnovers, as a team, GIN coughed up the ball 19 times against TNT. This led to the Texter scoring 23 points off TOs. In a game as tight as the one these two clubs played, those TOs were huge. Three guys had 4 or more TOs for GIN, which is surely not a good sign heading into this match with PUR.
Last game vs TNT: 19 turnovers
Tenorio, Yeo, and Baracael: 4 turnovers each.
9. CAGUIOA vs YAP – THE ULTIMATE MATCH-UP
As always, when we talk of Manila Clasico, one of the most anticipated match-ups is between icons Mark Caguioa and James Yap. The production for both of these guys has tapered off a bit in recent years, but that doesn’t mean they’ve lost their fire and will to compete. Caguioa is coming off a decent game against TNT where he scored 11pts, so he should be prime and ready, though the big question ark is for Yap, who missed the Kia game because of soreness in his knee. No major damage was seen, though, so he could still be back and reprise his role as the main foil to Ginebra’s machinations. He’s only had one great game so far this conference, so look for him to really want to bounce back.
Caguioa stats so far: 11.0ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.2apg, 1.0spg, 42.6 FG%
Yap stats so far: 8.6ppg, 1.6rpg, 1.4apg, 28.6 FG%
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