THE TIDE IS HIGH
One more win for the Governors’ Cup title. One more win for the coveted Grand Slam.
It’s an achievement that will not only put San Mig Super Coffee in rare and elite company but it will at once elevate Tim Cone to another plane.
The focus of the Coffee Mixers has been uncanny especially in this day and age where there are constant player movements, more distractions, and the petri dish in which they are viewed that is called the internet and social media.
Do they feel the pressure? Sure but I think that for most of these past two years, San Mig Super Coffee has shown that it can handle it all right. No one seems better equipped mentally to handle it than the Mixers.
Aside from Cone’s genius, I believe that one factor of their success is they arguably have the top players at their position – Mark Barroca at point guard, James Yap at the shooting guard spot, and Marc Pingris at power forward. That’s pretty much three-fifths of your all-PBA first five (in my opinion) right there.
If you go down the line, they’ve got the do-it-all Marqus Blakely to close it out. They’ve also got super subs like Peter June Simon and Justin Melton to clock in quality minutes.
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters have been baffling to me. I thought that after Talk ‘N Text, they were ready to be the next dominant team.
The Elasto Painters won the Governors’ Cup two seasons ago and made it right back to the next Finals, of the Philippine Cup of the 2013 season but once there, they were swept by the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters. TNT was in the midst of its own run at glory winning four conferences in seven Finals appearances (they lost on two other occasions).
Rain or Shine battled San Mig in the Philippine Cup Finals of this season but also lost, 4-2. And now they hope not to serve as a bookend to San Mig Super Coffee’s Grand Slam Dreams.
A couple of years ago, I thought that this San Mig team (then known as Purefoods) has run its course. But I conveniently forget that the PBA is a different animal from its NBA cousin. In the PBA, teams have an opportunity to rebound much more quickly because of the three-conference a year format. Plus, not having to deal with extensive traveling and hostile arenas is a non-factor save for the popular ballclubs who own home court advantage pretty much anywhere they play.
I wonder how the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are feeling. They have a great lineup that will surely compete for years to come. Wrapped in the controversy of the recent draft lottery, they must feel that they have their backs against the wall.
Talk ‘N Text showed that San Mig can be beaten back-to-back. It’s a tall order for RoS given everything that is happening. The tide is high and nigh.
It’s time for both teams to give it all they’ve got.
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