BOONE LEADS BEERMEN PAST GINEBRA
And San Miguel Beer is suddenly faced with a delicate question.
Josh Boone gave San Miguel a matter to ponder as the four-year NBA veteran put up another heckuva job to lead the Beermen to a 2-0 start in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
With supposed replacement Kevin Jones already in the country, Boone produced 32 points and 21 rebounds as the Beermen made it two in a row with a 112-96 whipping of the Barangay Ginebra Kings at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.
Jones arrived Saturday and is set to join the Beermen in practice Monday.
“Yes, we have to address this delicate matter,” said San Miguel coach Biboy Ravanes. “We have a problem ahead of us, but I consider it a good problem. Andyan na iyan. Kailangan pagisipan ng husto.”
“Josh is professional beyond belief. I can’t say enough about Josh whatever the outcome of our meeting,” said San Miguel Beer consultant Todd Purves.
On Friday, Boone came through with 30 rebounds and 15 markers as the team celebrated their return to the fabled San Miguel Beer uniform with a 94-76 thrashing of the Meralco Bolts.
Arwind Santos, Marcio Lassiter and Sol Mercado also made impact as the Beermen followed up their 18-point rout of the Bolts with another dominant victory over the Kings.
Santos fired 18 points, Lassiter got away with 15 markers, six rebounds, three assists and two steals while Mercado chipped in 14 buckets, four dish-offs, two boards and two steals.
Paolo Hubalde, Chris Ross, Doug Kramer, Rico Maierhofer and Chris Lutz also put in their shares, making it easier for the Beermen to hurdle the Kings and import Leon Rodgers.
San Miguel led from start to finish even as Philippine Cup BPC winner Junmar Fajardo missed the game due to a sprained left ankle.
Boone towered above everybody at the paint and allowed the Beermen to rip the Kings, 24-2, on fastbreaks.
San Miguel also beat Ginebra, 22-13, on second-chance points and, 25-8, on points off turnovers.
Curiously, Boone alone matched the 21 combined rebounds of Ginebra frontliners Rodgers, Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar.
Boone was also there on the floor as the Beermen uncorked an 11-to-nothing run to storm to a 19-point spread at 91-72.
The two teams simply went through the motion from there.
Rodgers, making a reputation in the Chinese league as a flat-out shooter, went 0-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Nonetheless, he paced the Kings with 33 points on 9-of-20 twinners and 15-of-20 (SB)
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