B-Meg ties PBA Finals; Paul Lee reinjures shoulder

MANILA, Philippines—James Yap came through in the clutch to lift B-Meg over Rain or Shine, 85-80, and tie the two teams’ PBA Governors Cup best-of-seven Finals series at 1-1 Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Yap finished with 24 points including a tough left corner turnaround jumper that gave the Llamados an 82-78 cushion with 15.6 seconds left.
“This was a crucial game for us. We had to, at some point, convince ourselves that we could beat this team. We haven’t changed that yet but this one win can help us turn that around,” said B-Meg head coach Tim Cone.
“‘Big Game’ James turned to ‘Big Shot’ James,” Cone said of Yap. “The defense was so shattered that he was able to get a good look and knock it down.”
B-Meg built an 11-point lead twice in the third quarter before ROS was able to tie the game at 74, with 5:25 left.
Jamelly Cornley, the conference’s best import, sank two free throws that pulled the Elasto Painters to within two, 78-80, before Yap’s clutch shot.
Marcus Blakely bounced back from his poor Game 1 outing with game highs of 26 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks to offset his seven errors.
Game 3 is set on Friday with both teams looking for a pivotal 2-1 series lead.
For Rain or Shine, though, the squad may have to make do sans its best player Paul Lee.
Lee, who came in second to Mark Caguioa as the conference’s Best Player, reinjured his left shoulder after swiping at the ball at the 2:22 mark of the fourth quarter.
The former University of the East star immediately went down on the floor in tremendous pain while grabbing his shoulder. He was then carried out of the court on a stretcher in the waning seconds of the game.
Concerned but unfazed, ROS head coach Yeng Guiao even made a bold statement: “We will win this series with or without Paul Lee.”

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PBA Governor Cup Latest Updates

As the PBA Governor’s Cup continuously rages on, a number of teams had started to come up from the competition, B-Meg Llamados with their second straight win with Barako Bulls, and Powerade Tigers with their first win of the competition.

 

B-Meg’s Second Straight Win B-MEG booked a second straight victory after repulsing Barako Bull, 95-90, on a night when Powerade finally won a game in the PBA Governors’ Cup eliminations at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Marcus Blakely scored 29 points, had 15 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks despite an aching back and carried the Llamados to a 2-1 record after the Tigers ripped Alaska, 114-97.

According to latest PBA News, Marc Pingris returned after a two-game absence to shoot 11 and grab the same number of boards, while Willie Miller couldn’t save the Energy from losing a second straight game and dropping to 1-2 despite shooting 29.

Powerade’s Comeback After Powerade’s continuous winless efforts in the PBA Governor’s Cup, the Tigers had finally won their first victory over Alaska with the help of their new import, Omar Sneed.

Sneed, a 34-year-old journeyman who has seen extensive action in Belgium, Venezuela and the Netherlands, replaces the celebrated, but disappointing, Rashad McCants when the Tigers clash with the Aces in the 5:15 p.m. contest set at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

McCants averaged 25 points in his two games with the Tigers, but the talent and skill that took him to stints with Minnesota and Sacramento in the NBA have clearly deserted him, forcing Powerade officials to look for a replacement.

With their win, Powerade is set to challenge Talk N’ Text, in which both teams are in the bottom half of the standings. According to PBA Latest News, the Texters will come into the match with a three-day rest while the Tigers will be playing a second game in three nights with Gary David, the tournament’s best local scorer, expected to be the focus of the Talk ‘N Text defense.

After shooting 31 points in a 114-97 rout of Alaska on Friday, David is the logical man to stop for the Texters if they wish to score a follow up of a masterful conquest of defending champion Petron Blaze.

Llamados seek clincher today

It was quite odd to hear what B-Meg coach Tim Cone had to say Wednesday night after his Llamados moved a step closer to winning the PBA Commissioner’s Cup title.

It was just as odd that Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes— whose Tropang Texters could be unseated as champions and lose what looks like a second stab at a Grand Slam—practically echoed Cone.

“It took a tremendous effort by us to win tonight,” Cone said Wednesday after moving within another win of a first PBA title for a team other than Alaska. “I hope we have another one left in us.”

Said Reyes: “As a coach, I need to sense if we have anything left in our gas tank. We really need to think hard about our desire to win the series.”

Whether they were talking facts or not will be known at 6:45 p.m. today, when both powerhouses square off in Game 6 of what has been an up-and-down series, where neither team has won consecutive games, at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

This time, the Llamados will try to end it all after a masterful 82-66 Game 5 victory that Cone said may have drained his boys and left them with little energy for the finishing kick.

“We gave our absolute all to win this (Game 5),” Cone said. “The pressure is now on the team with three wins to close out the series, especially against a great team like Talk ‘N Text.”

Reyes practically admitted that his star-studded lineup was already running on an empty tank after hammering out wins in Games 2 and 4 to tie the best-of-seven playoffs twice.

If the Texters follow the trend and prevail in the third even-numbered game, one of the most exciting duels for the title culminates in a Game 7 this Sunday.

Being down in a series is nothing new to Reyes and the Texters, who erased a 1-3 deficit against Petron Blaze to win the Philippine Cup. In the best-of-five semifinals here, Talk ‘N Text came back from a 1-2 hole to eliminate Barako Bull and make the Finals.

“Against Barako Bull, it was just in the semis, and we didn’t play a team as strong and as big as B-Meg,” Reyes said.

“At this point, the players need to decide if they want to give it a final push.”

If there is one most motivated player to end it all tonight, it is James Yap, the former two-time MVP who spoke with so much excitement and desire after unloading a tournament-best 30 points Wednesday, the most by anyone in the title series.

“It will be hard work as always in Game 6,” Yap said in Filipino “Patayan ulit. Basta’t walang bibitaw (It’s do or die. We have to hang on till the end).”

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Before the Start of PBA Commissioner Cup Quarterfinals

As the PBA Commissioner’s Cup had closely come to a finish, many teams and players have yet again proven that they are the best of the best in PBA, while others had shocked fans in their stunts in winning their piece of the cup.

Rain or Shine Shining through B-Meg Lefty marksman Jeff Chan shot 10 of his 19 points in the final quarter as Rain or Shine stunned B-Meg, 101-95, Wednesday night in the 37th PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The win kept the Elasto Painters’ quarterfinal bid alive.

According to latest PBA News, import Duke Crews had 24 points but had 20 cracks and only made nine. Crews also grabbed 16 rebounds. Rain or Shine bucked a 38-point explosion from the Llamados’ reinforcement Denzel Bowles, who had 15 markers in the final quarter alone.

B-Meg, on the other hand, remained in second place at 5-3 but blew its opportunity to seize an outright semifinals berth.

Barako Bulls Whipping Petron Blaze As two of the most prominent teams in PBA, the battle between Barako Bulls and Petron Blaze had become a scorcher when the Barako Bulls bulled its way across the field and landed its win against Petron Blaze.

Rodney White fired 41 points and had 22 rebounds and Mick Pennisi stole the show with a classic comical act way before Barako Bull routed Petron Blaze, 94-80, which kept the Energy in the hunt for a quarterfinal berth in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

White, who chalked up the season’s first triple double of 18 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in an 89-82 victory over Meralco last Saturday, was virtually unstoppable as the Energy rose to 4-4, now tied for fifth overall.

New Petron import Will McDonald got tossed out of the court with 8:45 left in the second period after he threw the ball to the head of Pennisi, who did a good overacting job—although way delayed—of falling to the floor after the incident, eliciting laughter from both benches and the Smart Araneta Coliseum crowd.
Pennisi’s antic already trended on Twitter and was getting numerous hits on YouTube and more than that, even Barako Bull coach Junel Baculi said “the flop” helped his team, without taking credit away from his players who played their hearts out.

“I was surprised at how their (Petron) import acted, and we were lucky that he got thrown out,” Baculi told reporters. “It would have been a different story had he been around to finish the game.”

All-Star Game Top Bets Perennial MVP contender Arwind Santos of Petron Blaze and crack rookie JV Casio of Powerade are the early frontrunners for starting spots in the Veterans and Rookies, Sophomores, Juniors team for this year’s PBA All-Star Game.

According to UAAP News, fans have another week to select members of the Veterans and RSJ sides, which will be mentored by Chot Reyes of Talk ‘N Text and Powerade’s Bo Perasol, respectively. The Event is set May 10 to 13 in Laoag City.

Before the Start of PBA Commissioner Cup Quarterfinals

As the PBA Commissioner’s Cup had closely come to a finish, many teams and players have yet again proven that they are the best of the best in PBA, while others had shocked fans in their stunts in winning their piece of the cup.

Rain or Shine Shining through B-Meg Lefty marksman Jeff Chan shot 10 of his 19 points in the final quarter as Rain or Shine stunned B-Meg, 101-95, Wednesday night in the 37th PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The win kept the Elasto Painters’ quarterfinal bid alive.

According to latest PBA News, import Duke Crews had 24 points but had 20 cracks and only made nine. Crews also grabbed 16 rebounds. Rain or Shine bucked a 38-point explosion from the Llamados’ reinforcement Denzel Bowles, who had 15 markers in the final quarter alone.

B-Meg, on the other hand, remained in second place at 5-3 but blew its opportunity to seize an outright semifinals berth.

Barako Bulls Whipping Petron Blaze As two of the most prominent teams in PBA, the battle between Barako Bulls and Petron Blaze had become a scorcher when the Barako Bulls bulled its way across the field and landed its win against Petron Blaze.

Rodney White fired 41 points and had 22 rebounds and Mick Pennisi stole the show with a classic comical act way before Barako Bull routed Petron Blaze, 94-80, which kept the Energy in the hunt for a quarterfinal berth in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

White, who chalked up the season’s first triple double of 18 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in an 89-82 victory over Meralco last Saturday, was virtually unstoppable as the Energy rose to 4-4, now tied for fifth overall.

New Petron import Will McDonald got tossed out of the court with 8:45 left in the second period after he threw the ball to the head of Pennisi, who did a good overacting job—although way delayed—of falling to the floor after the incident, eliciting laughter from both benches and the Smart Araneta Coliseum crowd.
Pennisi’s antic already trended on Twitter and was getting numerous hits on YouTube and more than that, even Barako Bull coach Junel Baculi said “the flop” helped his team, without taking credit away from his players who played their hearts out.

“I was surprised at how their (Petron) import acted, and we were lucky that he got thrown out,” Baculi told reporters. “It would have been a different story had he been around to finish the game.”

All-Star Game Top Bets Perennial MVP contender Arwind Santos of Petron Blaze and crack rookie JV Casio of Powerade are the early frontrunners for starting spots in the Veterans and Rookies, Sophomores, Juniors team for this year’s PBA All-Star Game.

According to UAAP News, fans have another week to select members of the Veterans and RSJ sides, which will be mentored by Chot Reyes of Talk ‘N Text and Powerade’s Bo Perasol, respectively. The Event is set May 10 to 13 in Laoag City.

Powerades run for the Commissioners Cup

Powerade is one of the most prominent teams of PBA to get into the finals of this season’s Commissioner’s Cup. This path, however, is not without any challenges, and that Powerade will still have to face its greatest challenges.

With their offense clicking, the Tigers pummeled the Air21 Express, 121-92, Sunday night, but somehow, things still aren’t as easy as it looks for Powerade. The team sits on third place at 4-3 with two games left in the elimination round.

Powerade’s Toughest Challenges Yet “Looking ahead, it’s really going to be down-the wire towards the last two games that we have, we have to win at least one, better if two,” said Powerade mentor Bo Perasol. Though it may seem easy, actually doing it and achieving their goal is not as easy as the Tigers perhaps have the hardest last two games among the remaining squads left vying for a playoff spot.

According to latest PBA News, some of the teams that Powerade will still have to face include the Alaska Aces in which the team will battle on Friday, as well as B-Meg, which is currently raring to bounce back after losing to Rain or Shine.

“For all the distractions, it was really difficult for us to focus but they still believe that we really have what it takes to win in this tournament,” Perasol said.

“So they just played together. I challenged them that the little things are going to matter in this game. I think they responded well to the challenge but there’s still so much difficulty ahead in those last two games,” added Perasol.

The Tigers played minus immense pressure last conference as the team went all the way to the Finals before losing to the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters in five games. This time’s different, however, according to UAAP News. After that successful run, the expectation rose and now, perhaps anything short of a finals berth is a failure.

Pressure is Good for the Team For Perasol, pressure is a good thing. “I’m okay with pressure. Pressure is for the better. It’s a challenge for us to be better. We just have to do what we can with what we have,” Perasol said.

And what they have with scoring maching Gary David and prized rookies Marcio Lassiter and JV Casio are vital pieces not every team has.

“No question Gary David is the best scorer today if he wants to he can score but it all boils down again if are we going to win with those kinds of numbers. Is he going to share, which he did (tonight),” Perasol told INQUIRER.net.

Texters forge finals vs B-Meg

TALK ‘N TEXT’s  veterans can deliver as well.

Ranidel de Ocampo and Jimmy Alapag, silent for most of last night, drilled the baskets that mattered when the outcome was in the balance as the Tropang Texters tripped Barako Bull, 101-90, to enter the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

De Ocampo and Alapag combined for 11 critical points in the stretch that held off the Energy as the rubber match of this best-of-five series went down the wire.

The Texters advanced against the B-Meg  Llamados, who made the best-of-seven title  series on Tuesday after a 108-84 win over Barangay Ginebra and a 3-1 triumph.

“In the end, it’s about making the shots that matter. Jimmy’s triple and Ranidel’s four-point play. That’s how it is,” coach Chot Reyes, who will make the 15th title series appearance of his career, said.

“We had no illusions about the other team. We knew they were going to be very good,” Reyes said. “In the finals (against B-Meg), it will be that way again.”

The only two times in this series that the results weren’t blowouts were games won by the Energy, as their veterans carried the fight in the stretch.

It was De Ocampo and Alapag’s turn last night for the Texters, whose first two wins in the series were by an average of  23 points.

Alapag first drained a triple from close to 30 feet, and after the Energy had come to within four points heading into the final three minutes, De Ocampo completed a rare four-point play that kept the Texters’ heads above water, 96-88.

The reigning MVP Alapag then had an unmolested lay-up and De Ocampo sewed it all up for the Texters with two free throws with 60 seconds remaining for a 100-90 lead.

Donnell Harvey led the Texters with 29 points, 14 rebounds and three steals and De Ocampo finished with 18 that went with seven boards.

Reyes said Alapag shouldn’t have even played. Alapag’s father is battling cancer and his brother just suffered a stroke a day before the series started.

The scores:

TALK N’ TEXT 101—Harvey 29, De Ocampo 18, Dillinger 14, Castro 14, Williams 9, Peek 7, Alapag 6, Fonacier 3, Reyes 1, Alvarez 0.

BARAKO 90—Freeman 22, Seigle 21, Tubid 18, Allado 12, Miller 6, Salvador 4, Najorda 3, Arboleda 2, Pena 2, Weinstein 0, Pennisi 0.

Quarters: 25-27, 56-47, 77-74, 101-90

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