It was in the cards!
Card-game aficionados reminded me before the PBA 2013 Commissioner’s Cup Finals began that an ace beats a king. In this series, however, many, I included, thought that the Ginebra Kings would give the Alaska Aces a run for their money and push it to four, maybe five games, or perhaps even win it all. Well, how wrong we were.
RELATED: Alaska holds all the aces in Game 1 rout
Alaska utterly dominated the Best-of-5 series, winning in three straight ballgames by an average of more than eighteen points per game. After getting routed as early as the first quarter in Game 1 (Alaska led 28-6 after one quarter.), Ginebra was only really in it in the first quarter and a half of Game 2 before Alaska again went on a tear before halftime, to lead 54-37 at the break. In Game 3, trying to stay alive, Ginebra still led early in the fourth quarter when, all of a sudden, the Kings started missing, piling up turnovers, and allowing Alaska to grab the lead and run away with the game and the series, winning by twenty-four points, 104-80. It all happened so fast and so swiftly, that Ginebra did not know what hit it. Alaska was like a hunter lulling its prey to complacency, then going in for the kill.
RELATED: Two down, one to go for Alaska
I had the privilege of covering all three games as the Anchorman on board for the radio coverage of the series, which was simulcast over the usual DZSR 918 AM Sports Radio and, for the first time, on 92.3 FM Radyo 5, partnering with the Bombastic Barry Pascua (Games 1 and 3), and “Brother Bengga” Chiqui Reyes (Game 2). Chiqui provided outstanding courtside reports for Games 1 and 3, as did James Velasquez for Game 2. Sultry Rizza Diaz took care of studio duties on Radyo 5.
Perhaps each so-called basketball “expert” will have his own analysis as to how Alaska won the series, or why Ginebra lost. For me, there is really no other explanation than that Alaska was just the better team overall, with every single person on the team, including the coaching staff, utility personnel, and owners, contributing his share to reach the Promised Land. In Game 1, six Aces scored in double figures led by RJ Jazul’s 16, and in Game 2, six Aces duplicated the feat, this time led by Finals MVP Sonny Thoss’ 16. Gabby Espinas had 9 and 8, respectively. Gang rebounding, a swarming defense, and thoroughly unselfish play were in full display for the now fourteen-time champion Alaska Aces. Amazing.
Last week, I wrote about five things to expect from the series. Let’s see how each of them turned out.
Crowd factor. Pretending to speak on behalf of the Alaska Aces, I invited the Gatas Republik to show up in full force at the venue to cheer their Aces on. As expected, Barangay Ginebra still had more fans in attendance in every game. Without an official count, I cannot give the numbers, but the Ginebra crowd, when chanting, when cheering and/or jeering, was LOUD! But there were more than enough Alaska fans in the house who started their very own “A-LAS-KA!” chant every so often, loud enough to be heard, loud enough to spur their team to hustle and play hard. Great play from the team and a fighting crowd proved to be a lethal combination. In Game 3, when Alaska went up by about fifteen in the Fourth Quarter, the Gatas Republik started chanting, “Three-zero! Three-zero!”, and there was nothing in response. Right then and there, it was over.
The Beast. The TV coverage highlighted every time Calvin Abueva would hit the deck or knock others down on the hard court (Calvin Crash). Abueva did fall very often, leading Barry Pascua to ask if some of his falls were flops to get the referees to whistle. From our vantage point, most of his falls were legitimate, both while he was going for the ball or absorbing a blow from various Gin Kings and, yes, often he would take down other players with him. He was basically just being himself, which is plenty. Abueva could very well have been named the Finals MVP instead of Thoss, as the Beast was scoring well, rebounding relentlessly, and tracking down loose balls to save possession. He also baited the opponent into getting upset, while smiling his way to free throws and easy field goals. He flexed his muscles (literally) and was a major factor in almost every aspect. The undisputed Rookie of the Year race leader outshined every defender thrown at him. In the midst of all the jeers every time he touched the ball or was shown on the big screen, he performed big-time for Coach Luigi Trillo.
RELATED: The Beast lives through hell and loves it
Coaches’ Chess Match. I’m no grandmaster, but I know that at the start, both players’ chess pieces are placed on the board in the same manner. It’s how they’re moved later on that counts. Well, much shuffling did in fact happen, as each coach reacted to the other’s moves, but clearly, Trillo was seeing things two or maybe three steps ahead. Remember, though, that Coach Alfrancis Chua’s troops had labored through a difficult elimination round and tough quarters and semis, and some were battling injuries, but still, they seemed to be a step slow, sluggish to react, and reaching in desperation on so many Alaska incursions inside, resulting in and-one situations for the Aces again and again. The pieces just seemed to fit so well for Trillo, and anyone he inserted did what he had to. His timeouts were well-timed and momentum-breaking. As for the Kings, it just appeared that never did all five players in at any given time jelled the way they wanted. Talk about a quick maturation process. Trillo surely stepped out of the shadow of his mentor, Tim Cone, and kicked the door into these Finals with such determination and resolve to win it all.
Imports. I said last week that Robert Dozier “should be the hands down choice for Best Import.” He did get his Bobby Parks Best Import Award prior to Game 3, to nobody’s surprise, but was he Finals worthy? All he did was be the Best Player of the Game for Games 1 and 3, not scoring too much in the first two games (14 and 15 pts), but grabbing a ton of rebounds and blocking shots and, basically, doing what he has done all Conference long. In what was a close game 3, he realized his teammates were struggling to score at times, so he took the load and delivered 27 points, to go with 20 rebounds, 7 assists and 6 blocks – monster numbers from a quiet, humble ball player indeed.
Vernon Macklin is said to have battled injuries in the series. His subpar performance has been castigated by many. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and say he was indeed hampered, but let’s also credit the Alaska defense that stymied him every time he touched the ball. Let’s also be truthful and say that this match-up was an utter mismatch.
Pointing in the right direction. Numbers wise, both Conference Best Player LA Tenorio and JVee Casio were pretty outstanding. But numbers only tell part of the story and it seems Tenorio’s frustration in facing his former team Alaska continued into this series and his numbers, although good, did not provide the usual Tenorio impact. Casio, though, was productive without having to dominate the ball. His scoring went up each game (10, 13, and 18 pts), but he did things all within the system and, particularly in Game 3, at the perfect time. This will remain a premiere matchup for years to come.
As for the backups, I mentioned Jazul and Josh Urbiztondo as those who need to produce and asked the question, “Which one will help his team more?” Well, Jazul established himself as a top-tier reserve lead guard with timely and accurate outside bombing and relentless defense. Urbiztondo, though, will need to regroup and re-focus after a series that, I’m sure, he knows he could have done much better. Frustration got to him at times, as he admitted to James Velasquez at halftime of Game 2, but Josh has what it takes to reestablish himself as a great floor leader, one who would start on many other teams, but who here must necessarily play behind or beside Tenorio.
I also mentioned last week that fans should watch the post, where I think the difference in the series could really be found. Thoss, Dozier, Abueva, and Gabby Espinas, surely dominated the post on both ends of the court. Nic Belasco was another Ace who helped on defense. In the second half of Game 3, when Trillo felt his team was straying from their effective game plan, Chiqui Reyes reported that Trillo said during a timeout to remember to always go into the post, to Thoss, on every play, and then play off of that. They did that, and they righted the ship, started scoring at will, and blew the game wide open.
I commend Ginebra for their great run despite early odds. They just didn’t have enough in their tanks in the Finals, but have nothing to be ashamed about. Congratulations to Mr Fred Uytengsu, Coach Trillo and his staff, the Alaska Aces, and the Gatas Republik on the victory. Congratulations as well to LA Tenorio and Rob Dozier for their conference awards, Sonny Thoss for being named Finals MVP, and to the PBA for a great conference with record-breaking crowds.
You can follow Charlie on Twitter @CharlieC.
Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.
