PBA: Aces, Tigers try to stay in top half of standings

In a battle rife with seeding implications, the Alaska Aces will try to end their PBA Commissioner's Cup regular season above .500, while the Powerade Tigers seek a tie with idle B-MEG Llamados at second place, Friday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Alaska (4-4)	Averages	Powerade (4-3)
89.00	Points	102.71
4.25 / 13.63	3pt made / attempts	10.57 / 27.29
29.63 / 66.25	2pt made / attempts	26.14 / 57.57
17.00 / 22.25	Free throws made / attempts	18.71 / 26.86
13.75	Offensive rebounds	16.29
19.88	Assists	23.29
68.14 - 29.38	Starter - bench points	84.57 - 18.14
91.54	Possessions	96.67
28.66%	3pt percentage allowed	32.24%
45.42%	2pt percentage allowed	47.52%

As of March 22, 2012 A week after the Alaska Aces couldn't bring enough scoring to bear against the B-MEG Llamados, they face an even more daunting task, either keeping up with the league's highest-scoring team, or finding a way to slow them down. The Powerade Tigers score on average 13.71 more points than their opponents, their fast-paced offense allow them more looks at the basket, more free throws, and they're not bad at getting second-chance opportunities either, all of which can come together to overwhelm their opponent, which is what they did in their last game against the Air21 Express. Factor in a league-best assist mark, and those scoring opportunities are firing off at a higher percentage. So how can Alaska solve this problem? Powerade's reliance on their starters can be something worth attacking. Shut down Lassiter or Casio, and their reserves could find it hard to compensate. The Tigers' defense isn't that up to snuff either, which means someone like LA Tenorio could catch fire. This therefore becomes a case of offense versus defense, and the winner will likely be the squad that successfully forces their style of play on the other. Import Match-Up

Averages	Adam Parada (Alaska)	Dwayne Jones (Powerade)
Minutes	36.50	38.43
Points	20.25	18.57
Field goal attempts	14.13	11.43
Field goal percentage	50.44%	52.50%
Defensive rebounds	9.88	10.43
Offensive rebounds	3.88	6.57
Blocks	2.38	2.86
Turnovers	3.13	1.86
Usage percentage	25.67%	20.67%

Adam Parada and Dwayne Jones are two of the lower-scoring imports, but one thing they both have going for them is their high shooting percentages. Both big men shoot better than 50 percent, but in the overall picture, Jones has the edge in this match-up. Jones may score less, but Powerade's import hauls down more rebounds, on both ends of the court. He also turns the ball over less than Parada, which is vital if they're to really make it a high-scoring game that Alaska can't match. It's worth noting, however, that in the Tigers' blowout win against the Express, Jones had just eight points, but he managed to haul down 15 boards. Perhaps more than keeping Jones' offense in check, Parada needs to box him out on misses, and make sure Powerade gets just one look on each offensive possession. M.I.A. - Missing in Alaska

Cyrus Baguio	First seven games	In loss to B-MEG
Points	19.71	7.00
Field goal percentage	48.08% (50/104)	27.27% (3/11)

Bonbon Custodio	First seven games	In loss to B-MEG
Points	7.71	1.00
Field goal percentage	37.71% (23/61)	0.00% (0/4)

Versus the B-MEG Llamados, Alaska looked like a two-player team, leaning heavily on Parada and point guard LA Tenorio to put points on the board. That's because the two other Aces that normally aid with the scoring chores, Cyrus Baguio and Bonbon Custodio, were shut down, held to a collective 3-of-15 from the field. As mentioned, if this becomes a high-scoring game, these two players will need to bring their guns to bear. On the flip side, if Powerade can reduce both these guys into non-factors again, it will be a long game for head coach Joel Banal. A torrent of triples

	3pt made/attempts
Gary David	6/10
Marcio Lassiter	4/8
Francis Allera	1/1
Rudy Lingganay	1/1
James Martinez	1/1
Sean Anthony	1/1
Will Antonio	1/1
Team total	18/35

Gary David burying opponents from downtown isn't exactly uncommon. In fact, it's almost something opposing teams have to accept from the league's best scorer. But when multiple shooters on Powerade catch fire, that's when they're truly difficult to beat, as Air21 experienced when they got blown out last March 18, 121-92. 10 out of 15 players they fielded connected from downtown, led by a demoralizing 10/18 clip between David and Marcio Lassiter. X-Factors Height is might?

AVERAGES	Height	MINS	PTS	REBS	BLK	FLS
Jay-R Reyes	6’8”	17.13	2.38	3.75	0.13	2.00
Samigue Eman	6’9”	11.13	3.00	2.50	1.13	2.38

The Alaska Aces quietly have two of the bigger locals on their roster in Jay-R Reyes and Samigue Eman. True, in the 28 or so minutes they play, they only average a minuscule 5.38 points and 6.25 rebounds, but the duo does at least help them contain opposing imports, when needed. Add in Joachim Thoss, the fact that Powerade will be without Alex Crisano, and the team normally starts the undersized Sean Anthony at power forward, and it's not hard to see a scenario in which Alaska rules the glass.  Lassiter the stat sheet-stuffer 

	Average	Rank among locals
Points	17.57	6th
Rebounding	6.43	9th
Assists	3.57	11th
Steals	1.43	2nd

  Versatility is often under-appreciated, but not in the case of Lassiter, who does so many different things, it's no wonder other teams covet him. At the same time, should he get into foul trouble, Powerade would lose that glue that binds together their other four players on the court. Thus, if Alaska could somehow neutralize him or prevent him from getting off to a blazing start, the Aces could see the game evened considerably. — JVP, GMA News