2016 PBA Governors’ Cup Preview: Alaska Aces vs Mahindra Enforcer
The MAH Enforcers have been the darlings of the conference so far, going 3-0 for the first time in franchise history. The teams they’ve beaten aren’t any pansies, too — STA, GLO, & SMB. Now they face the ALA Aces, who are hoping to rebound from a tight loss to TNT last Friday. Tuloy pa ba ang ligaya ng Mahindra sa tuktok, o paluluhurin na ba sila ng Alaska?
MAH outlasted SMB in their last game thanks to big games from import James White and versatile scorer KG Cañaleta. Despite being smaller than SMB, MAH outscored the Beermen big time in the paint, and that is something they will look to do again here against the Aces. MAH also forced SMB to commit a ton of TOs, and if MAH’s defense holds up here, ALA may be in trouble.
Speaking of ALA, the Aces just fell short of handing TNT its first defeat of the conference. Calvin Abueva didn’t play in that game, though, and his activity was sorely missed. Abueva will be playing tonight against MAH, though, and it is reasonable to expect that he will be out for blood, so to speak. Expect the Beast to be unleashed big time.
Interestingly, these two teams split their previous two games this season. ALA beat MAH in the PHL Cup, 98-94, while MAH returned the favor in the COMM Cup, 102-94. This face off, therefore, will be a rubber match of sorts in their head-to-head this season.
1. KG CONNECTS
– Canaleta had a woeful outing against GLO, but he recovered well against SMB, putting up 17 points on the strength of 4 triples. If KG gets going again here, MAH should be in good shape.
vs SMB: 17pts, 3rebs, 1stl, 4 triples, 4/9 3pts.
First 2 games: 8.5ppg, 3.0rpg, 2/7 3pts, 31.3 FG%.
2. WHITE IS A WINNER
– James White has undoubtedly been one of the biggest reasons for MAH’s success this conference. He has plugged MAH’s hole in the middle and his presence has enabled the other MAH players to play more loosely. As long as White is able to continue dominating around the basket, MAH will have a chance of gaining win #4.
vs SMB: 34pts, 11rebs, 2asts, 1stl, 15/25 FGs.
Stats: 28.0ppg, 13.0rpg, 1.3apg, 1.0spg, 1.7bpg, 56.7 FG%.
3. MAH: TURNING DEFENSE INTO OFFENSE
– MAH was very good at forcing turnovers on SMB and scoring off of these turnovers. They were able to turn tight defense into efficient offense, and that disrupted SMB’s flow in their last game. If MAH can do that again here, it’ll be very hard for ALA to get much momentum.
Last game:
Pts off TOs – MAH 29, SMB 14
TOs – MAH 14, SMB 23
Reid – 7 TOs
Ross – 5 TOs
Fajardo – 5 TOs
4. HEFTY HENTON
– Import LaDontae Henton has been very good for ALA, their 1-2 record notwithstanding. Henton dropped 35pts and 14rebs on TNT in their last game, and he will need to continue being very productive lest the Aces find themselves on the business end of an upset here against MAH. He also needs to check his errors since he turned the ball over 8 times in their last contest.
vs TNT: 35pts, 14rebs, 2asts, 15/22 FGs, 8 TOs.
Stats: 32.3ppg, 11.7rpg, 1.3apg, 3/7 triples per game, 45.8 3pt%, 55.9 FG%
5. MISSING THE BEAST
– Abueva missed his second game of the conference, and for sure he won’t want to miss any more. Abueva is one of the best players in the league, and the Aces just are not the same kind of team without him. If he can put a stamp on this game, the Aces may just be in their usual deadly form.
vs GIN: 12pts, 8rebs, 3asts, 1stl, 1blk, 1 triple, 3/11 FGs.
Season stats: 15.4ppg, 8.5rpg, 2.5apg, 1.1spg, 31.6 3pt%, 43.1 FG%.
6. ALA: BOMBS AWAY
– ALA is the best offensive team in terms of sheer scoring, and they are also the best three-point shooting squad. With Abueva back in tow, the Aces should be even tougher to contain, and if their offense heats up, they won’t be easy pickings. Coach Alex Compton and his wards need to be relentless in attack if they want to avoid being MAH’s latest victim.
Conference Stats:
PTS – 107.7ppg – 1st
3pt% – 42.9% – 1st
FT% – 73.2% – 2nd
PTS off TOs – 21.0ppg – 3rd
7. KEY MATCH-UP: PAOLO TAHA X CHRIS BANCHERO
– Paolo Taha has been stepping up big time for MAH, and that’s one big reason the team has done so well. He has scored in double-digits in every game and has really given MAH a huge lift. Banchero has also done well of late, scoring in double-figures in ALA’s last 2 contests. If he continues to be effective at the guard spot, he can cancel out Taha’s production and pair up well with Abueva.
Taha last game: 12pts, 3rebs, 3asts, 1stl, 5/9 FGs.
Banchero last game: 18pts, 2rebs, 3asts, 1stl.
Taha stats: 10.7ppg, 4.0rpg, 2.7apg, 52.0 FG%.
Banchero stats: 15.0ppg, 2.3rpg, 2.7apg, 2.0spg, 48.6 FG%.
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