PBA: Fate brings Alaska and San Mig Coffee together again

Do you believe in fate? That all things come together for a purpose, a reason unexplainable to many? If you saw how the dots connected to give the fans a basketball showdown between the Alaska Aces and San Mig Coffee Mixers, you just might believe in fate. For the longest time, Alaska was stuck behind the huge shadow cast by B-Meg/San Mig Coffee. There is no clearer evidence of this than when the Aces’ beloved head coach Tim Cone decided to move on from his team of more than 20 years to take on a new challenge with the Purefoods franchise. For the Aces, it was like their general and leader being shot in the midst of a war. For San Mig, it was the arrival of the final piece in their puzzle of perennial championship aspirations. One team would go on to win a championship and reach the semifinals in every single conference since the switch. The other team would have to withstand a year of losing and questions before surprising the basketball world. Tigerella run. Rain or Shine’s Jamelle Cornley. Painful losses that San Mig Coffee had to endure. But they made the climb, and were so close. “There’s a foul!” “Denzel Bowles!” A championship in the second conference of Tim Cone with B-Meg. Instant results. Instant winning ways. While the Llamados were living up to their name, Alaska was left soul-searching, like a painful Urbandub love song. All they could do was watch, and think about the good times in the past. Their present at the time was bleak, consisting of outright eliminations in embarrassing fashion, and a lack of chemistry on and off the court. Nothing to show. Unable to pick up the pieces.   But things have changed for the Alaska Aces. They stuck together. They trusted in Tim Cone’s successor, Luigi Trillo. They thought out of the box, drafted and traded for the perfect pieces for their team. And it all fit together slowly but surely. They bowed down to the eventual All-Filipino champions in Talk N Text, but they gave the Texters a bigger fight than their actual Finals foes.   Now, they are in the semifinals anew, with the top record after the elimination round, having took care of business, namely the eighth-seeded Air21 Express. But you can’t completely move on until you face the biggest obstacle in front of you. And for the Aces, it was San Mig. And they could not beat the Mixers. Zero wins and eight losses against their tormentors in a span of two years. It’s no accident that San Mig has their number. They know what they have. They have the personnel that Alaska has always had no answer for in Marc Pingris. They have an awesome import who has delivered consistent wins in Denzel Bowles. And they have Tim Cone. A perfect mix of domination that Alaska has been unable to overcome. [Series infographic: #1 Alaska Aces vs #4 San Mig Coffee Mixers] Alaska is in the semis. But with San Mig’s ferocious victory over the Meralco Bolts, they booked a seat inside the octagon. Another chance to torment the tormented. Do you believe in destiny? This is a tale as old as time. The defending champions against the challengers. San Mig wants to repeat as champions and establish themselves as the most dominant force in the league this side of Talk 'N Text, while Alaska wants to inch further and further away from the demons that haunt them. If you are wondering why I have taken a poetic tone with this article, it is because of the following reason: I am an Alaska fan. And I fear the San Mig Coffee Mixers. I have taken the identity of the Aces, who seemed to be intimidated by the Mixers over and over again. They couldn’t beat them, therefore I have not been able to overcome my fear. And while Alaska has improved from conference to conference, San Mig Coffee is still there, still waiting around the corridor to bully me and take my lunch money. Because that’s the mystique that San Mig holds with Alaska. And that’s why match-ups with the Mixers in the elimination round left me hoping against hope that they would find a way to win. But they didn’t. And the Mixers are standing in front of the Aces ready to beat them, make it 11-0 and move on. When the Mixers beat Meralco, when Pingris broke down in tears over his Best Player of the Conference-like performance, when James Yap rose again to 'Big Game' levels, many thoughts came to my head. But only one remained: I believe in fate. In destiny. And deep down, I knew that Alaska would face the Mixers in the semis. As soon as they fell into the same bracket, I believed they were on a collision course to meet and provide the greatest semifinals matchup in history. And I was not wrong. Both teams have a story to tell, and endings yet unwritten. For the Mixers, it is to defend the crown and prove to everyone just how damn amazing the resilience and unity found within each player wearing the baby blue and white is. The Aces are another obstacle in their march to greatness. For Alaska, it’s simply learning to move on and facing their goliath. They cannot run around the giant, they have to run through him. With every loss to the Mixers, they came closer and closer to breaking through. Only time will tell what will break first: their losing streak, or their fighting spirit. [Numerophilia preview: Alaska tries to break through versus San Mig Coffee in Comm. Cup semis] There will be no stats in this preview, because others will have tackled this matchup with that angle.  And for this series, perhaps none are needed. This is simply a face-off between two franchises that have been linked together in battle for more than three decades. This is a battle between players on the court who long to overcome, for largely different reasons. A chess match between a mentor and former disciple, stuck in a bizarre love affair with a Triangle. This is between rabid and dedicated fans on both ends, ready to scream themselves hoarse. This is between two teams that have the potential to make this the greatest semifinals match-up in history (at least in the eyes of their supporters). It exists in a vacuum, this San Mig Coffee Mixers and Alaska Aces rivalry. It is fiercely personal, full of heartbreak and triumph on both sides. And when they resume their battle on playing court on Saturday night, one thing is clear: there will be no end in sight.   This is their fate. This is their destiny. - AMD, GMA News