The Final Score: Petron's victory is triumph of the unexpected

Part of my brain, the part I call the basketball genius (not genius as in Albert Einstein but genius as in Pinoy Henyo because, aminin na natin, every Filipino sports fan has this microchip in the head) thought it knew the outcome of the PBA Finals. It considered Talk N' Text's two straight championships and track record of success. It also looked at Petron's liabilities: no Jay Washington, no semblance of invincibility, no chance to sweep. The other half of my brain, the part I call the basketball optimist, meantime, waited for things to unfold. This moderate side considered nothing. It assumed nothing. It expected anything. I wish I knew Danny Ildefonso would sink a buzzer-beater to win Game 1. That baseline jump-shot defined the series. Ildefonso has attempted that shot a million times; in practice, during games, in his sleep, when guys like Danny Seigle and Dondon Hontiveros were still around, even after guys like Danny S. and Dondon no longer were. It was a regular-looking jumper, crafted out of the consistency of Danny's form and release. Catch. Aim. Shoot. Follow-through. The most predictable shot in Danny I's arsenal produced a most unexpected result. A 34-year-old felt like he was 24 again. Petron, underdogs versus TNT, felt the surge of old-school San Miguel-style confidence. I wish I knew Denok Miranda would play so hard and play so well. Forever buried in a point guard rotation that once featured Olsen Racela, Mike Cortez, BonBon Custodio and Jonas Villanueva, Miranda emerged as Petron's catalyst in the Finals. People realized, "Nasa Petron pala si Denok." And if fans wondered, “Si Denok ba talaga yan?" His 3 of 19 three-point shooting in the Finals was undeniable proof. "Si Denok nga yan!" But Miranda's real task was to match the intensity of TNT's backcourt. He scored 14 ppg in the series to become Petron's x-factor. More importantly, he gave up four playoff-caliber fouls per game. Alongside Jojo Duncil and Paolo Hubalde, Denok ably captained Petron's Sons of Anarchy. I wish I knew Arwind Santos couldn't act. You've seen his "Sapal" television commercial, right? Like a statue with moving lips. Nevertheless, in the Finals, Santos played like a rebounding machine with moving arms. He had 86 total rebounds (to complement his 17 ppg) in seven games. From Games 4 to 7, he averaged 15 rebounds per game -- against the frontline of Kelly Williams, Ranidel de Ocampo, Ali Peek and Harvey Carey! Rebounding monster? Nope. Rebounding genius. I wasn't surprised with Arwind's stat-line from Game 7: 16 points, 16 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks. With the way Arwind played this entire tournament, any Pinoy Henyo could've predicted that. He can’t act but he can win. Some try to predict outcomes better than others. Petron showed why a part of me prefers not to. Sometimes, the better answer to the question "What will happen in the PBA Finals?" is not "Tinatanong pa ba yun?" Sometimes, the more intelligent response, really, is "Panuorin mo na lang." -- GMA News