PBA Finals Preview: The Clash of the Titans

After all the smoke has cleared, the dream match-up is finally here, with two powerhouses taking center court starting Saturday in Victorias City, Negros Occidental. Top-seeded Talk N’ Text takes on second-seeded San Miguel in what promises to be a slugfest of epic proportions as the Philippine Basketball Association unveils the Finals of the Philippine Cup for the 36th season. Based on what transpired in their 2007 semifinal showdown in the same tournament, where both teams scored 100+ points for almost the entire series, and given that they are currently the top two offensive machines in the pro league (1. TnT 95.7 ppg 2. SMB 92.3 ppg), the Tropang Texters and the Beermen should give basketball fans a Race-to-4 to remember once again. The cast may not exactly be the same, but the organizations remain. In fact, those offensive numbers may have already been diluted, as both squads needed six games in the previous round to dispose of the top defensive teams in the land. As much as any purist would enjoy a lockdown type of game (with teams giving up less than 90 per contest), who wouldn’t enjoy a wicked gunfight right out of the wild west? Of course something’s gotta give, and one of these two will make it to those four wins and get to hoist that Jun Bernardino trophy by early February. Looking at the matchups, we find the heart and soul of TnT in Jimmy Alapag, who goes up against the young upstart with everything to prove — Alex Cabagnot. Both are in the Top 3 in assists and have also averaged 13 points a game so far. Alapag will be backed up by the so-called X-factor in the last round — Jason Castro (13.2 p 4.5 r 4 a 1.3 s) — and the ever reliable Ryan Reyes (10.5 p 4.7 r 1.3 a 1.3 s), while Cabagnot will be spelled by Paul Artadi, Denok Miranda and the ageless Olsen Racela. Alapag a.k.a. The Mighty Mouse, arguably still the best PG in the PBA today, will have to take on four different rhythms as presented by those four Beermen (Cabagnot's gung-ho spirit, Artadi’s tenacity, Denok with a capital D, and Racela’s overall poise). How he deals with them and how his crew helps counter them will spell a world of difference for this series. Throw in Larry Fonacier and Aaron Aban, and how well they face off against Dondon Hontiveros (14.8 p 48% 3FGs) and the always dangerous Joseph Yeo, the battle in the backcourt should produce plenty of fireworks to enjoy. Moving to the 3-4-5s makes this series even more interesting. Machine Gun Kelly Williams vs vengeance-driven former Texter Jay Washington, Ali Peek vs Dorian Peña, Arwind Santos against the comebacking Ranidel de Ocampo, Jared Dillinger and Harvey Carey vs the 2 Dannys (Ildefonso and Seigle). Expect a gruesome battle in the paint. It should all boil down to desire. Both teams are stacked with athletic big men who can play multiple positions, with SMB having the slight edge with legit Cs in Peña and Pennisi. But who would ever think that having the Man Mountain would ever put a team at a disadvantage? In the semis, TnT was led in scoring by Ali Peek and Castro off the bench, while neither averaged more than 26 minutes a game. SMB on the other hand relied heavily on two starters in Washington and Hontiveros, who played more than three quarters each game. With these contrasting patterns, the two tacticians, rookie coach Ato Agustin and multi-titled mentor Chot Reyes will of course have their own battle to determine who makes history. There are so many other angles to look at: Can Kelly stop or at least slow down JWash? How much control will Alapag have? Can Santos and Cabagnot settle down enough to win their first PBA rings? Will Olsen ride off into the sunset with his 10th championship? Will Carey bounce back after a so-so semis? How will the coaches outwit each other? What may prove critical is how strongly De Ocampo can come up against the plethora of SMB bigs? And will Sunday Salvacion make the most of being the Beermen’s playoff addition? With so many questions that will take their actions to answer, one thing is for certain. The two strongest teams with the deepest pockets in the PBA today are going head-to-head for the most prestigious title of the season... Passion, desire, composure, focus and heart. These are words often thrown around, but they will definitely be witnessed in this best-of-7 that will spell the difference between failure and the promised land. Purists, die-hards, haters, bandwagoners, regular, loyal and casual fans, wake up! The next two weeks are just going to be absolutely nuts. -- KY/OMG, GMANews.TV Click on the video below for another preview of this PBA finals from FTW hosts Richard del Rosario, Mico Halili and Jason Webb.
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