PBA-DL: Rested NLEX Road Warriors take on upset-minded Air21 JRU

Despite their last D-League game having been back in December, the NLEX Road Warriors, sole champions in PBA Developmental League history to date, will be looking to book their fourth straight trip to the Finals, when they face off against an upset-hungry Air21 JRU Heavy Bombers squad, in one of the two semifinal pairings of the 2012-13 Aspirants Cup. With several of their players having been released to the Gilas national team cadet pool for a pair of international tournaments in January, the Road Warriors took that entire month off, with their last outing as a complete team happening on December 20, a fact that raises the possibility of rust. On the other side, Air21 JRU is riding a wave of success, after taking down the Big Chill Superchargers, the other squad in last conference's Finals, despite needing to beat them twice.

Who are the #5 Heavy Bombers? Projected starting-five: Key reserves: Jeckster Apinan, Alex Almario, John Villarias, Kenneth Ighalo, Nard Pinto The Air21 JRU Heavy Bombers play a lot like their collegiate counterparts. Stingy, in-your-face defensive pressure results in their opponents turning the ball over a league-high 20.33 times, giving them 18.25 turnover points a game, a mark that's also tops in the PBA-DL. [Related: Air21 JRU Heavy Bombers' artillery blasts Big Chill Superchargers out of the postseason] In the quarterfinals though, the fifth seed showed that they could also win even without forcing their opponents into miscues, as their deep bench (42.17 points from their reserves, third in the league) proved to be too difficult for fourth-ranked Big Chill to handle. Who are the #1 Road Warriors? Projected starting-five: Key reserves: Kevin Alas, Greg Slaughter, Matt Ganuelas, Nico Salva, RR Garcia With a roster worthy of an all-star game, the NLEX Road Warriors just as imposing on the court as their line-up is on paper. They lost just one game in the elimination round, and have won all of the trophies up for grabs in D-League history to date. More impressive perhaps is how this team wins. NLEX leads the league in assists (19.3 per game) and boast of the fewest turnovers (12.20). They're also the best free throw shooting squad (68.67 percent), and they have even more depth than their foes. NLEX is second-best in scoring (84.60) and tops in bench scoring (47.60). Previous encounter Air21 JRU took the fight to NLEX when they clashed last November 13, and nearly came away with the upset win, falling by just four points, 91-87. [Related: NLEX survive upset-minded JRU; Blackwater notch first win] The Road Warriors actually led by as much as 20 markers, 39-19, early on, but a flurry of scores from Air21 JRU big men Prince Caperal and Dexter Maiquez sliced their deficit all the way down to four, 67-63, at the end of the third. Then the Heavy Bombers went and snatched the lead way outright, building a double-digit advantage, 78-67. In the twilight portion of the game however, NLEX's veteran wiles emerged, as they systematically erased Air21 JRU's lead. An and-one play by Ronald Pascual put his side up by two, and then RR Garcia iced the game at the line. The Heavy Bombers finished with a 55.6 clip from the field, with Khazim Mirza dropping 19 points. Kenneth Ighalo and Dexter Maiquez combined for 25 points and 19 rebounds too. NLEX meanwhile got 17 points and 10 rebounds from Jake Pascual, while Ian Sangalang backed him up with 15 points and six boards. How do these two teams match-up? If Air21 JRU is going to win this game, it will have to be via defense. Their usual tactic of scoring via turnovers might be compromised, given how sure-handed the NLEX guards are. And with that option not available, they can't afford to get into a slugfest with the superior firepower the Road Warriors can bring to the table. On the flip side, NLEX needs to play up to their size. Despite a roster with 7'0" Greg Slaughter and 6'7" Ian Sangalang down low, this squad actually gives up a league-worst 12.40 second-chance points. That means Maiquez, Lopez and Caperal could have a field day in the paint, and they might need to, given their squad's reluctance to throw it up from downtown (14.25 three-point attempts per game, last in the league). - GMA News