TNT Finally Ends Title Drought in 2021

I wrote this post more than three years ago, ending with this statement "Castro, Romeo, Pogoy and Rosario could be the best local core that TNT can use to match up against SMB."

With the exception of Romeo, who by the way, ended up with SMB, Castro, Pogoy, and Rosario are still part of the TNT team that won this year's Philippine Cup. But they wouldn't have done it without the additions of Rookie of the Year, Mikey Williams, and the best local center who can match up against Jun Mar Fajardo, Poy Eram.

Mikey Williams was simply incredible for a rookie. His consistency beyond the arc is just stunning. Magnolia could not find anyone to guard against his three point shots. Small players cannot match his three-point jump shot. Tall players who try to guard him are slow to get to him, and he can opt to drive to the basket. TNT may have lost Ray Parks Jr., but who cares. Mikey Williams might just inherit Jason Castro's mantle, unless he also ends up in Japan like most of the young Filipino players nowadays.

Poy Eram showed his potential against Jun Mar Fajardo long ago when he was still with Blackwater. In one of their matches, he showcased that he could hit the three-point shot, forcing Jun Mar to defend the perimeter, freeing the paint for other TNT offensive players to operate. That's why the MVP group wanted Eram bad, and he might have had to go through NLEX for a few seasons, but eventually landed in TNT.

You could see the hunger in Pogoy, Castro, Rosario and Eram. Even vets like Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes had renewed vigor. And with the return of Coach Chot Reyes, this had to be the year TNT finally overcame SMB. Now that they know how to win over the Beermen, we might just see a new dynasty for the next few seasons.

San Miguel Beermen Win Their 5th Straight Philippine Cup Championship

As an SMB fan, it was difficult to watch Game 7. What started out as a 7 point lead by the Beermen turned into a double-digit deficit by half-time. And while San Miguel has been able to come back from double-digit leads in the past, somehow, during this game, I don't think their fans were as confident they could pull a win off.

But the reason I admire this team is that they never gave up. Just like their 0-3 comeback, they never gave up in this game. Even when Marcio Lassiter lost the ball during an inbound where the Beermen could have won already, his teammates did not give up on him. I could just imagine Jun Mar encouraging Marcio and Chris Ross to move past the blunder and focus on the defensive stop ahead. And the Beermen won on a defensive stop. Jun Mar Fajardo was incredible on the rebounds, coming up with 31, breaking the PBA record for most rebounds by a player in a single game.

I hope Terrence Romeo does not retire after winning his first PBA championship. He has a place with the Beermen, and they wouldn't have been able to stay in this series if not for Romeo's heroics in some of the games.

I also hope the Beermen can finally win the Grandslam this year. SMB, congratulations.

Is Almazan Worth It?

Now that Raymond Almazan is doing a Calvin Abueva trading maneuver, let's see what might happen. Just like what happened with Terrence Romeo and Calvin Abueva, I doubt that a team can force a player to stay on with the team if he no longer wants to. So a trade might be best for both player and team.

If I had to name the top 5 best centers in the PBA right now, I would say Jun Mar Fajardo, Poy Erram, Japeth Aguilar, Greg Slaughter, and maybe Ian Sanggalang. Raymond Almazan isn't even in that top 5 list.

I tried looking at his stats during the 2018 Philippine Cup. He averaged 9 points, 6.33 rebounds and 1.78 blocks per game. That doesn't even come close to Jun Mar Fajardo's 22.8 points, 13.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game or Poy Erram's 14.18 points, 13.82 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. So getting Almazan on one's team isn't as good as getting a Fajardo or an Erram. But some teams could sure use the shot blocking.

So, which PBA teams lack a legitimate center. The following teams come to mind.
1. TNT Katropa
2. Meralco Bolts
3. Columbian Dyip
4. Northport Batang Pier
5. Phoenix Fuel Masters
6. Alaska Aces

Let's try to analyze the potential trades for each of these teams.

TNT Katropa has been lacking a decent center for a long time now. Kelly Williams has been forced to play this spot even though he is better at the power forward position. The departure or Ranidel de Ocampo and Moala Tautua has turned this team into a shooting dependent team. And once your shooters are having an off-night, there's no one to rebound and get second chance opportunities. I'm not saying that Almazan is famous for getting second chance opportunities, but he might help improve TNT's rebounding. TNT might have to shed one of their premier guards for an Almazan trade. But I'm not sure if Rain or Shine would want another guard. They would probably want a center or power forward. And Kelly Williams might not be on the table despite his age.

Even though the Meralco Bolts have Dillinger, Hodge and De Ocampo, they could still use someone like Almazan at the center position. One of those three though might be up for trade.

The Columbian Dyip might want to trade Jackson Corpuz for Almazan. They would end up getting the roughly the same numbers, but a player who is taller.

Despite having Tautua, I think Northport still needs a decent center. I would actually go for a Tautua Almazan trade.

With the addition of Abueva, the Phoenix fuel masters just need a center and point guard to complete their core five. Phelps is doing a great job at the center position which is the reason why Phoenix is a contender during this Governor's Cup conference. But once he is gone during the Philippine Cup, then Phoenix might become a middle tier team. So if there was any reason for them to acquire Almazan, it is in preparation for the future. I would trade Intal or Eriobu for Almazan.

Alaska still has Sonny Thoss. And they might have an up and coming star in Magat. But until that time comes, they will need a center like Almazan to help Vic Manuel down low. Trade Thoss, Racal or Baclao for Almazan.

The other PBA teams could still benefit with the addition of Almazan. For example, Black Water could trade Raba Al-hussaini for Almazan and become an even better team. And a reunion with coach Yeng Guiao is possible at NLEX although I don't know who they would trade for Almazan. Maybe Marcelo. Magnolia, too, could use another center to help Sanggalang. Would they trade Pingris for Almazan? Would Rain or Shine be willing to wait for Pingris to recover?

Teams like San Miguel or Ginebra would probably have a hard time inserting Almazan in the rotation even if they could acquire him.

MVP teams probably have the best chance of getting Almazan. And with no potential premier centers in the 2019 PBA draft, getting Raymond Almazan could be the best move before 2019 even begins.

SMB Loses to Ginebra Despite Absence of Slaughter & Aguilar

Ginebra is now considered the top San Miguel Corporation team in the PBA. The Gin Kings proved their mastery over the San Miguel Beermen last night. Their Commissioner's Cup win was no fluke. And to add insult to injury, they won without their twin towers, Japeth Aguilar and Greg Slaughter who were both injured.

While the Beermen might say they had no Jun Mar Fajardo and Marcio Lassiter, they were still expected to win the match since they had a healthy Alex Cabagnot, Chris Ross, Arwind Santos and Christian Stanhardinger to support their import AZ Reid. But their import seems to be nursing an injury, too. And it might be time for SMB to replace Reid while it is still early in the Governor's Cup Conference. Reid might have been great in the past, but he won't be able to match up against the likes of Justin Brownlee, Eugene Phelps or Henry Walker - imports in teams currently dominating this conference. And don't discount TNT with a Markus Blakely.

Reid was shooting blanks from beyond the arc. He was hardly a post up threat. And his defense against Brownlee was nothing special. An import should be able to cancel out the opposing team's import at the very least. This can be done by matching or exceeding point production, or shutting down the opposing import's offense.

The Beermen might have offensive night outbursts like their game against Columbian, but their offense has not been consistent. So, if I were to get a replacement import, it has to be someone who can pick up the offensive slack, if the locals are stuttering. Without Fajardo, the Beermen have no go to guy if their shooters are missing their shots. A potential bright spot was Chris Ross, who tried to score with a lot of drives to the basket. But a scoring Ross means less facilitation. I would rather have a facilitating Ross who makes sure that the other SMB players are getting the ball, than an offensive minded Ross.

SMB's coaching staff should also remind Standhardinger and Santos to defend better. I miss the Arwind blocks. And I think Standhardinger could become a great defender if he decides to focus on this. He could be the key to defending against imports. Another potential defender could be Kelly Nabong. He should drop his offense and focus on being the best defender on the team, if not in the league. Learn from Dennis Rodman, who despite being small, defended the likes of Shaq really well. MGR could join the defensive party too. SMB should be able to come up with a defensive play against Brownlee, Phelps, and Walker, in case it ends up matching against these teams if ever it reaches the quarter finals. Otherwise, SMB might be taking an early vacation in this conference.

Weak Imports Against Justin Brownlee Might Guarantee Ginebra 2018 Governor's Cup Defense

Coach Tim Cone understands the power of the spoken word. He always makes pronouncements early in a conference and his insights usually result in a positive outcome. Take his pronouncements about Greg Slaughter being the best defense against the PBA's reigning MVP Jun Mar Fajardo. While he did this early in the year, and it didn't happen during the Philippine Cup, Ginebra was able to bag the Commissioner's Cup. Having the media play on the facts that Slaughter beat Fajardo when they were in college and that Fajardo and Slaughter have never faced each other in a finals series placed doubt in Fajardo's mind and was used to Ginebra's advantage. Never mind the fact that Fajardo has been the MVP for the past four years. And never mind the fact that Fajardo has faced taller competition in the international arena and bigger and stronger imports like Onuaku and Smith. Suddenly, Fajardo doubted his ability to dominate the paint because of this masterful tactic. So, if San Miguel wants to dominate again, Fajardo has to be mentally tough.

And San Miguel, as a team, should remove the idea of being the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) in the PBA. You shouldn't talk about that until you've retired as a team. Lebron shouldn't be in the conversation until he has retired like Michael Jordan. And neither should the current SMB Core, until they are finally done. They still have a lot of future accomplishments as long as they keep healthy and as long as they improve their bench. And many years from now, when that time finally comes, then we can compare this SMB team with the Alaska of the 90's, or Star Hotshots or other PBA teams who have achieved a grandslam. As a fan, having a grandslam would still be one of the benchmarks to be included in the discussion for a GOAT Team.

Now, with the recent article of SPIN on the 2018 Governor's Cup imports, I wonder if any team really wants to beat Ginebra, knowing that they've had the best Governor's Cup import for the past two years. Durham is still there, but we've already seen that Meralco doesn't stand a chance against Ginebra, and more so now that Ginebra has gained confidence against SMB. Arizona Reid was an import who left San Miguel in recent memory. Why would you give this guy another chance at redemption? We know how that story will end since we've just seen it in the recently concluded Commisioner's Cup.

What SMB needs is an import that can do it all just like Brownlee. One who is a three-point threat and can slash to the basket.  And more important than this skill set is that  preferably, this import has beaten Justin Brownlee numerous times in the past. An import that has the mental edge over Brownlee and will cause Brownlee to doubt his ability to lead Ginebra to a title defense. If teams can find that import, then they will have the edge over Ginebra in a potential finals match up. And when the leader of the team doubts himself, then the team begins to doubt their ability, too. And if that happens, Ginebra will no longer be the Governor's Cup champions.

Down 2-3, San Miguel Beer Has To Dig Deep

Reynaldo Balkman should just focus on game 6 instead of the non-calls in the Commissioner's Cup 2018 Finals. In a series where he is fighting against Ginebra and their fans, you'ld expect the PBA would want the heavily favored team to win. This was the same type of mentality faced by Tim Cone when he was coaching for Alaska against Ginebra in the 90s. And what made that Tim Cone led Alaska a great team is that they defied the odds, trusting in each other despite what they were up against.

I don't know if SMB's core has enough in it's tank. Unlike the Beeracle 0-3 run, they don't have momentum this time. And for a team known for it's offensive prowess, the shooters seem to have lost their touch at such a critical time. Arwind Santos was given a lot of opportunities to score, but was firing blanks. He was even doing Stephen Curry type shots, shooting away from his comfort zone. Alex Cabagnot has been a non-factor after his Michael Jordan like performance in game 2. And Chris Ross, being assigned as the primary defender for Justin Brownlee, is probably too tired to score or call the plays when at the offensive end. And in a long series, if your starters are too tired, they can't perform.

SMB should also trust it's bench. Austria should trust Balkman, MGR and Stanhardinger with the defensive chores against Brownlee. Even Heruela can be entrusted to defend against LA Tenorio whom he was effective against before in their other Finals series.

And Fajardo is still the focal point of your offense. Rotate the ball from him from the post. Or he along with the other power forwards should be setting up ball screens to free up the shooters. Ginebra has done a good job forcing awkward shots from SMB shooters since they are not in their comfort zone. But the times when SMB shooters are left open, they shouldn't miss - easier said than done.

I don't know if SMB can still force a game 7. Being dominant for the last 3 years can take its toll on any team. Are they prepared to relinquish the torch to the potential upstarts? Is this the time to give others a chance at league dominance? As an SMB fan, I'd hate to think so.

What I do know is that I saw an SMB team that was fighting in Game 5. Sometimes, shots simply don't drop and calls are not made. But as long as their is still another game to be played in the series, their is still hope. SMB simply needs to refocus on what makes them a great team - trusting each other, giving the open man the chance to score, and defending well against their opponents.

Commissioner's Cup 2018 Finals: San Miguel Versus Ginebra

Ginebra finished off Rain or Shine in Game 4 of their semi-finals match up to grab the last seat to the Commissioner's Cup 2018 Finals. The San Miguel Beermen already took the first seat last Sunday when they won against Alaska. Despite these two teams being lower seeded during the eliminations, I think that many fans and analysts somehow expected this match-up was going to happen and I feel that these two teams are still considered the top teams in the PBA, with San Miguel winning this years Philippine Cup and Ginebra winning last year's Governor's Cup.

Justin Brownlee and Reynaldo Balkman may have been teammates on Alab Pilipinas, but they are now rivals in this Finals match-up. And imports are critical in this series. I'm not sure if Reynaldo is 100% since he appears to have been hurt in the SMB-Alaska semis. Brownlee has proved to be deadly in the Ginebra-ROS series, and has the edge of having a 3-point shot and being clutch, so I would say Ginebra has the edge over SMB in terms of the imports.

Jeff Chan has found his shooting touch with Ginebra. Marcio Lassiter has had some games where he scores big and some games where he scores little. But both shooters are positives for their respective teams when they are on the court. So I would say that this match-up is an even one.

LA Tenorio has had a hard time against SMB's guards. Coach Leo Austria usually uses Brian Heruela to match well against LA's speed. Chris Ross has the height advantage over Tenorio, but I really am not sure Ross can take advantage of this at the post. Hopefully, Chris Ross' 3-point shooting continues on in the Finals. Otherwise, if LA has those games where he scores in bunches, SMB will be in a lot of trouble. LA also is clutch, just like Brownlee, and this can give Ginebra the edge in close game situations.

Jun Mar Fajardo is undoubtedly the best center in the PBA today. But Greg Slaughter would want to change the status quo. Slaughter has proven to be one of the centers that can guard Jun Mar well so I'm thinking the two will cancel each other out in this series.

Japeth Aguilar was a scoring beast when Slaughter was out. I was even surprised that he wasn't as explosive in the ROS series, but perhaps this is due to his injury. Stanhardinger has yet to have a really explosive game in the post eliminations. I'm not even sure if Stanhardinger will be used to match up with Aguilar, or against Slaughter or Joe Devance. Among forwards, Joe Devance has the 3-point edge. So maybe matching Arwind Santos against Devance is more likely. Even Kelly Nabong can enter this conversation. And Kevin Ferrer. But I guess matching heft against heft will be key in the forward match-ups so that neither team gains a significant advantage down low. So the team that gains the edge is the team that can maximize their forward's advantage beyond the perimeter.

Scottie Thompson has been a special player for Ginebra. He's like a Dennis Rodman at the guard position. He is also an energy guy for the team. Maybe Chris Ross will be matched up against him.

Sol Mercado and Alex Cabagnot will probably be matched against each other, too. Sol Mercado has some games where he just scores in bunches. So does Alex Cabagnot. Hopefully, they will cancel each other out.

As for bench players, it could also go either way because both benches have a lot of talented players. Maybe Julian Sargent will be showcased in this series. Matt Ganuelas-Rosser can probably be matched against him. Jet Manuel could also show up. Maybe Vigil could match well against him.

Tim Cone is the coach with the most wins in the PBA. Leo Austria is the coach with the most wins in the last 3 seasons of the PBA. It will be nice to see how each adjusts to the other's strategies and tactics.

SMB is the defending champion of the Commissioner's Cup. Ginebra hasn't won a Commissioner's Cup since 1997. In terms of hunger as a motivation, you could say that Ginebra is hungrier. But SMB fans are hoping this will be the Beermen's Grandslam year. And in order to do that, they have to win the Commissioner's Cup.

These are just some of the things that will make this best-of-seven series exciting. And the PBA fans are the winners in this match-up, with each game being a potential thriller.

San Miguel Gives Alaska Hope

Having a 2-0 lead, you'ld think that the San Miguel Beermen would close out their semifinals series against the Alaska Aces. But instead of finishing off their opponent, San Miguel has given the Aces a chance to tie the series on Sunday. This, despite the Aces being undermanned and undersized.

The Beermen were sloppy in the waning minutes of the 3rd Quarter. They were mounting a comeback, being down nine points. They even cut the Aces lead down to 3 points. But Balkman uncharacteristically made a lot of careless turnovers for an NBA caliber player. Blame it on fatigue, perhaps, since he never got any rest from the 1st to the 3rd Quarter.

I don't know why the Beermen like to give their opponents a double digit lead early in the game. But this has turned into a habit since they have been able to catch up and win most of the games anyway. But today was not one of those days. Perhaps they Beermen were already too focused on who they would be facing in the finals, and their mistake was taken advantage of by Alaska. Alaska might even enter the finals if the Beermen are not careful. So SMB should refocus, take one game at a time, and make sure that they aren't thinking of anything else but the win for that game.

The Aces will be known as the team that the Beermen won over during their Beeracle Run. The Beermen were down 0-3 and were on the brink of being swept by the Aces, but the Beermen were able to win 4 straight games, the first time in basketball history.

The Aces will never change history, but perhaps they would want to do the same thing to the Beermen. Coming back from a 0-2 deficit in a 5 game series would definitely be easier compared to coming back from a 0-3 deficit.

The main threats to SMB are Diamon Simpson and Vic Manuel. If they are not going to stop Simpson, since Simpson seems to be able to have his way, at least they should prevent Manuel and other locals from scoring easily. Manuel already had a slight fever during the game, and still scored more than twenty points. Reminds me of the time Michael Jordan had the flu, but never gave up and fought for the win for Chicago.

The Beermen have to do a better job on defense. Stanhardinger and Balkman should focus on the intangibles instead of being the first option on scoring. If you look at the past games where Fajardo, Cabagnot, Lassiter, Santos and Ross played as the core five, they would always rotate the ball and find the open man. Sometimes, the Beermen rush offensive plays with Stanhardinger and Balkman which leads to careless errors and turnovers.

The Beermen also needs another guard in their rotation so that Cabagnot, Ross and Lassiter could get some rest. It is good that Heruela and Lanete were able to play. Perhaps give other shooting guards a chance. Coach Leo Austria could actually try a speedier line up to counter Alaska's press and pressure defense by having 4 guards with Jun Mar Fajardo. Having both Fajardo and Stanhardinger at the same time on the floor is simply too slow. Those two should alternate if Stanhardinger is really forced to play. But SMB was able to enter the semis with Stanhardinger injured. Perhaps he should sit out this series and let faster players like Ganuelas-Rosser and Arwind Santos play the 4 spot to give Balkman much needed rest during certain points in the game. Nabong could also replace Fajardo so that he, too could get some rest.

Alaska isn't a team with large players like Rain or Shine or Ginebra. You don't need to use Stanhardinger just because he is your prized rookie. He might be part of San Miguel's future core. But for now, stick with the veteran players who have been tried and tested in winning championships.

As for rumors of a Calvin Abueva for Christian Stanhardinger trade, I would just keep Stanhardinger. He hasn't been integrated well with the team yet, but even SMB's core had to learn how to play together, and that did not happen overnight. Stanhardinger should hone his defense. Perhaps Fajardo and Santos could teach the rookie how to defend well. Once his defense improves, his offense will probably follow. But I would utilize him as an import stopper. It would be great if he could be a Freddie Abuda type of player for SMB.

Abueva is already old and has too many issues that having him on the team might create more chaos than win games. Alaska should definitely trade him to another team. Alaska needs size, and maybe Rain or Shine or Blackwater would be willing to trade their big men for the beast. Even Phoenix might want to trade Eriobu for Abueva. Or Jackson Corpuz. Or Jonathan Grey. I would probably even look for a quality point guard for Alaska to succeed the aging Casio. But Alaska should build around Teng and Manuel, and move on from Abueva. They've reached the semis without the beast, so not having him around is probably better for the team.

SMB Draws First Blood in Best-of-Three Commissioner's Cup Quarterfinals

It takes a different kind of mental toughness to win a game where you find yourself more than twenty points down in the 1st Quarter, and your shots are not going in. But that is just what the San Miguel Beermen did in their first battle against TNT.

TNT was beating SMB at their own specialty - the three-point shot. SMB usually has three players who can shoot the three consistently - Alex Cabagnot, Marcio Lassiter, and Arwind Santos. But in this particular game, the threes were falling for TNT but not for SMB. Even Kelly Williams, TNT's power forward who is known for his alley-oop finishes has added the three-point shot to his arsenal. Most of TNT's players can shoot from beyond the arc, including forwards Don Trollano and Anthony Semerad.

But SMB has a "no quit" attitude. I would even say that they actually embody their sister team's never say die attitude more. (Ginebra owns that slogan). I've seen a lot of come from behind wins by this particular SMB core since 2015 which is probably one of the reasons why they have a lot of respect from their fans.

Still, SMB has to improve its free-throw and three-point shooting. There might be days like today when despite their dismal performance, they were able to come up with a win. But there are a lot of good teams in this late stage of the Commissioner's Cup, and they might regret not sharpening their skills when the game is close and every point counts. And SMB ought to learn to use some of their players off the bench at critical points in the game. I am hoping they can give MGR and Pessumal more confidence during periods when Ross, Cabagnot or Lassiter are shooting blanks in the field. Good thing Heruela is being used at this time to give Cabagnot and Ross some rest.

Now that SMB has a 1 game lead, they should prepare well for Game 2 and finish the series then if possible. You don't want TNT to be able to bounce back and even this series. TNT simply has too much firepower that it should never be taken lightly.

Gabby Espinas Will Be Good For Global Port

As San Miguel continues to experiment with its proven lineup by trading Gabby Espinas for Global Port's Kelly Nabong, you'ld wonder why they would do that since Gabby is the only legitimate back-up local center for Jun Mar Fajardo after Standhardinger's injury. But it wouldn't surprise me if Gabby is the one who asked to be traded with the arrival of Standhardinger since a healthy Standhardinger would eat up Gabby's minutes on the playing court.

I will never forget Espinas' contribution to San Miguel's finals comeback from a 0-3 deficit. There was a point in that series where Jun Mar Fajardo was injured and was out for a couple of games. It was Espinas who placed the center during that All-Filipino conference finals. And he was tough. He was even hitting big time three pointers. So, again, I as a fan ask, why would San Miguel let go of this gem of a back-up big man?

Nabong may have a three-point shot, but that's about it. He has no post game unlike Espinas. Nabong is a bruiser. If you want an enforcer on the court to waste away fouls, then Nabong is your guy. And Nabong is a hot head. If your team was in a crucial game with the score tied, his temper might be a liability. San Miguel's coaching staff might be thinking Nabong is the Dennis Rodman for their San Miguel's version of the Chicago Bulls. I don't know what he will do for the SMB team. That remains to be seen.

But if there was one reason for SMB's acquisition of new blood, it's probably to generate a hunger in the team that seems to have waned since they've already won a lot of championships since 2015. It is hard to maintain a thirst for more championships if your guys are content since they no longer have anything to prove.

A grandslam should be a goal this SMB team should aim for. That should be enough reason for their hunger since they haven't achieved that yet. The core has been through a lot of battles, and a grandslam would cement their status in PBA history as one of the greatest teams that have been formed. From a fan's perspective, I already consider them one of the greats because of the 0-3 deficit comeback. And a grandslam is all I want for them before their core 5 splits up due to age or trades. Hopefully, that will never happen, and Cabagnot, Lassiter, Ross, Santos, and Fajardo can all retire on this team together. But the reality is, no team stays together forever. So get that grandslam guys, while you still can.

But going back to Espinas, he is the legitimate local center that Global Port badly needs. With him in the lineup, Globalport probably just needs to develop a shooting guard... maybe Paulo Taha or use Teng more (although he really should get in shape like his brother Jeron), since Elorde simply gives up a lot of height in matchups. Grey and Anthony can probably go at the 2 and 3 spots, with Espinas at the 4 and the import at 5. Pringle should always be at the 1. Global Port can build on this core, and get back to being competitive.

2018 Gilas Beats Luzon All-Stars

Terrence Romeo broke the record for the highest point-output by a player in a PBA All-Star Game by scoring 48 points to lead Gilas Pilipinas to a victory. The previous record was held by James Yap at 44 points. Terrence Romeo was named the Best Player of the Game.

While an All-Star game is generally seen as a game which lacks defense, Terrence Romeo actually had to face a lot of different defenders from the Luzon All-Stars but not one of them was able to stop him. A healthy Terrence Romeo is probably the closest thing the PBA has ever had to a Kobe Bryant. Romeo was guarded by the likes of LA Tenorio, Calvin Abueva, Alex Cabagnot and even had an almost-scuffle with Arwind Santos. The Luzon team even tried to put Japeth Aguilar in front of Romeo, in the same way that Phil Jackson would put a Scottie Pippen on the opposing team's point guard, but it did little to stop Romeo's offense. Ironically, Japeth was the highest scorer for the Luzon team. He reached 41 points.

It would have been interesting to see Coach Austria assign the one player who I think could have guarded Romeo, Stanley Pringle. But Pringle barely got any playing time, and I didn't see him go against Romeo or vice versa. Since both players used to be teammates on Global Port, they've probably guarded each other during scrimmages and Pringle would have had an idea on how to slow down or stop Romeo. And it would have completely settled the argument on who the better player was once and for all in the minds of the fans and Global Port management.

Despite an 8-man rotation, Gilas managed to pull-off a win. The combination of Romeo, Pogoy, Rosario, and Fajardo proved to be deadly with occasional substitutions from Norwood, Jalalon, and Belo. Maliksi was injured early in the game. The Romeo, Pogoy, Rosario trio is similar to the Cabagnot, Lassiter, Santos support of Jun Mar in San Miguel. I wrote an earlier article on how TNT has copied San Miguel's system. They might actually win the 2018 Commissioner's Cup since the only piece of the puzzle missing is Jun Mar Fajardo. If they could acquire Fajardo and bring him over to TNT, then this game is what it would look like. And the Commissioner's Cup is TNT's chance to prove that this system works, since they can acquire a big import to simulate the presence of Fajardo in the middle.

It is also ironic that Leo Austria was the coach of the Luzon All-Stars. If the Luzon team won, then it means that Austria could win without Fajardo. But could Phil Jackson have won without the MVP of the NBA during his time - Michael Jordan? (He won with Kobe Bryant who was also the dominant player of the league and very similar to Michael Jordan). Perhaps Austria is trying to prove that San Miguel can win without Jun Mar Fajardo, which is why he is favoring Standhardinger in the end games of SMB. But Standhardinger has yet to prove he can become a PBA MVP. Jun Mar might be getting old, but I think the reigning MVP still has a lot of years in him, so why not play him while he is still at his peak?

Also, Austria should stop trying to make the Fajardo Standhardinger simultaneous combination work. It slows down the team, lessens the 3-point options and mobility, and ruins the spacing of the team. It reminds me of a Kelly Williams Mo Tautua combination. And we know that SMB won that matchup against TNT. So if TNT is copying your winning strategy, why are you trying to copy theirs?

Romeo sheds some light into how SMB can get back into it's winning form. SMB shooters should hit their 3-point shots when they are open. Let Jun Mar worry about rebounding and put backs. SMB shooters should just play loose and find their magic touch from the outside. Santos has it as he has shown in this game. Lassiter has it from time to time. But Cabagnot seems to have lost his consistency from beyond the arc. I would rather Coach Austria give minutes to Pessumal and Heruela and even Chito Lanete so that he can maintain 4 shooters on the floor. Standhardinger can sub Fajardo, but Fajardo should still be your primary option for the center position.

Sorry if this has turned into an SMB rant. I just want my team to get back to it's winning form before it reaches a point in this conference which is too late for them to recover and get to the Finals. But if they don't make it, I hope TNT wins the Commissioner's Cup championship. We'll just have to see if either of them end up at the top this year.

SMB Excessive Experimentation Leads to Loss

For an SMB fan like me, it was painful to watch their debut last night in the 2018 Commissioner's Cup. Experimentation led to their downfall.

As if it wasn't enough that an import changes the dynamics of their rotation, they had to give a lot of playing time to their rookie Christian Standhardinger. Unfamiliarity resulted in a lot of turnovers. And having some players in your core play out of their natural positions could also have contributed to their loss. Even the veterans seemed like they were out of place. Their spacing was really affected by having two slow bigs in Standhardinger and Gillenwater.

Standhardinger doesn't seem to have a post up game like Fajardo. And he can't finish on a fast break with a dunk like Matt Ganuelas-Rosser. Why, then, should you be given so much playing time when you are not yet a potential offensive threat?

I personally wouldn't mind experimentation if SMB wasn't chasing after a grand slam. As a fan, the grand slam chase is more important than a top-pick rookie getting playing minutes. Hopefully, SMB's coaching staff will set their priorities straight. Sharing the ball and fluidity on both offense and defense should prioritized. But their import and their rookie were ball hogs in critical moments. Instead of looking for the open man, they were looking to score and prove their worth.

When Matt Ganuelas-Rosser was acquired by SMB in a trade, they did not immediately integrate him into the rotation in that conference. He had to sit it out for a bunch of games. I think he only started getting some minutes in the succeeding conference and he has successfully been integrated into the core. Perhaps the same process can be applied to Standhardinger.

As for their import Gillenwater, he is no Charles Rhoades. SMB should either acquire a defensive import to stop the likes of Onuaku. Or if they are confident Standhardinger can do that (which clearly last night he showed he could not), they can imitate Tim Cone and go after a guard/forward who can finish the fast break with dunks, shoot the three, and is reliable at the free-throw line just like Justin Brownlee. Too bad this guy is already a staple import for Ginebra.

But Rhoades, if you are reading this, the fans need you so that opponents "Get out of the way!"

With too much tinkering, you break things that aren't broke. Having 4 guys that can penetrate or shoot the three and a reliable center is still SMB's strength. Deviate from that formula, and you might end up in the bottom of the cellar and not even defend your crown. Just look at TNT, they are copying SMB's formula for success and are currently at the top of the conference standings.

The time will come when SMB might want to play a three or four-headed monster (think point-guard with Fajardo, Standhardinger, Santos and Import). It might even be a five-headed monster if MGR's point guard skills improve. But this combination's effectiveness is probably very limited. It might only work against Ginebra if they play their four-headed monster. But having more point guards in your rotation means that the ball get's passed to the open man as soon as possible or that the open three is made.

TNT Has Potential To Match SMB With Romeo & Cruz

With the addition of Terrence Romeo and Jericho Cruz in the TNT rotation, TNT has the potential to match San Miguel's guard and forward line up. In the PBA's Commissioner Cup opener, TNT exploded and finished with 128 points against Globalport. Jason Castro, RR Pogoy, Troy Rosario, Terrence Romeo, Jericho Cruz, and Don Trollano proved to be a very good rotation for Coach Nash Racela. And in a conference where all PBA Teams will likely be bringing in big men to match up with PBA MVP Jun Mar Fajardo, Jeremy Tyler seems like a good import who might be able to go against the Kraken.

With the addition of Romeo, four of the TNT players are now members of the Gilas pool. That should help remove doubts about this new unit's cohesion. Perhaps the biggest thing that can get in the way of this new TNT team is ego. But if the players don't mind sacrificing playing time and stats, this team could potentially find itself in the Commissioner's Cup finals.

TNT actually seems to have ended up with the better fit since Tautua, despite being a big man, really had no efficient and reliable post-up game. He could not play the post with his back against the basket and would usually rely on outside shooting and rare dunks if left open. Romeo, on the other hand, can create his own plays and serves as another offensive threat in the local line up. Jason Castro doesn't have to carry the point production burden anymore. And just like SMB, when one star is having an off-night, the other stars can pick up the slack. Castro, Romeo, Pogoy and Rosario could be the best local core that TNT can use to match up against SMB.

SMB Makes History With 4th Straight Philippine Cup

The San Miguel Beermen could have stopped trying when they were already more than 20 points down. They had a 3-to-1 lead in the series, and they could easily have quit, rested their starters and plan for the next game. But that mentality is what cost them their grand slam bid in 2017, and they have learned from their mistakes. Even though the starters were playing heavy minutes, they were still playing all out.

The three point shots were not falling for them. Even Jun Mar was missing from from point blank range and was being doubled and even triple-teamed just so he would give up the ball. Alex wasn't able to contribute anything. And the Magnolia Hotshots were pounding it both outside and in, with Paul Lee suddenly finding his stroke from rainbow country and Barroca, Dela Rosa and  Reavis helping out.

But the Beermen finally woke up in the 4th and in the same fashion that Magnolia whittled down their twenty point deficit in Game 1 of this series, the Beermen clawed their way back in the 4th quarter, with Marcio and Jun Mar taking advantage of every opportunity they could get. Magnolia was in the penalty, so SMB tried to get to the foul line as much as possible. And with Magnolia's limited guard rotation, SMB applied a full court press. This was amazing, again, considering that their starters were doing the press and their starters were logging heavy minutes.

And Arwind gave another heroic moment in his long history of heroic moments for the San Miguel franchise. SMB was down by 3 with less than a minute remaining. They wanted a quick 2, but the play was broken. Alex tried to go for a 3 but the ball bounced out, and Chris got it back by some miracle. He was at the 3 point line and he could have taken it, but SMB plays as a team that recognizes one another's roles. Arwind was at his favorite spot at the three-point line and between Chris and Arwind, the latter was at a better position to make the shot. And BANG! Arwind takes the shot that ties the game. He raises his pistol figured hand in triumph as the Beermen force the game into overtime.

And it had to take two overtimes for SMB to finally put this series away. Props to Magnolia who didn't let them get this win easily. Many will be looking on to the Commissioner's Cup to see how Christian Stanhardinger will affect the existing chemistry of the Beermen. He could be a bane or a boon. And you still have the import to worry about, too, how he will blend with the team. It is an interesting time, and perhaps an exciting time, too. Because with the Philippine Cup win, the current Beermen roster again has a chance at a grand slam - what I personally wish they would attain while their core is intact and as this team stays humble amidst their numerous accomplishments.

Magnolia Chases 20-point Deficit To Take Game 1

The San Miguel Beermen thought that Game 1 was in the bag. They had a 20-point lead after two quarters of play. Paul Lee of Magnolia was not producing his usual offensive output. And yet, Gio Jalalon and Ian Sanggalang kept on playing. And Coach Chito Victolero brings in the game changer - Rob Herndon, who shoots a couple of long distance bombs to help the Magnolia Hotshots erase the huge lead.

Magnolia did an excellent job rotating their men. They actually have more injured key players than SMB, and yet they have been able to pull off an upset. Props to Coach Chito Victolero. He is using the 3-big men defense used by Tim Cone against Jun Mar. This win just shows that the Hotshots are probably hungrier than the Beermen.

But this is just Game 1. I remember the time that the Utah Jazz beat the Chicago Bulls in Game 1 of their best of seven finals series. The Bulls bounced back after that and eventually wins the series in their sixth match. SMB has Championship experience. And they have actually been able to come back down 0-3. That is a feat that probably won't be repeated by this team, but they can always draw inspiration from that. And they had the lead in this game. If Coach Leo Austria probably utilized the bench players more, then the core players would have had more energy in the 4th quarter, the quarter that counts.

Utilize players like Lanete, Vigil, Herjuela, De Ocampo, and Agovida. Like Herndon, Coach Austria might just get lucky and get a huge performance boost from any of them. And with Ross at less than a hundred percent, Pessumal, Espinas and Rosser have to step-up. Any help that the core players can get would be welcome.

At this point, all SMB can do is learn from this loss, and move on to the next game. It should remind them not to be over confident against this Magnolia squad. It is a good thing this was not a knock out game but a seven game series. And it looks like it will be an exciting series ahead - a good thing for all the fans.

Lest the San Miguel Beermen Forget They are Dealing with Coach Tim Cone...

I'm a proud fan of the current San Miguel Beermen core. They are the only basketball team I know of who were able to come back, down 0-3 in a seven game series, to win. And they have been in a lot of battles where they were the underdogs, but they were able to win the game. The most recent example was Game 2 of their current semi-finals series against the Ginebra Gin Kings. They were down by double digits, but they battled back to force overtime, and win in the extra period.

But they are also dealing with my favorite PBA Coach of all time, Tim Cone. And Mr. Cone has proven in the past that even when the team he was leading was down 0-2, he and his team could bounce back. And that is what they are trying to do - convincingly winning Game 3 last night against SMB. Coach Tim is amazing at turning things around for a challenged team. We see in the series that his main big man, Greg Slaughter, is out due to injury, and yet he has been able to utilize Prince Caparal - while other PBA teams have opted to pass over this stretch big man. Under Cone's tutelage, Caparal could be the next Ranidel De Ocampo.

So, as an SMB fan, I hope they don't become complacent and allow the Gin Kings to come back. They should treat Game 4 as a do-or-die game, and remember that it was the Gin Kings who helped ruin their bid for a grand slam last year. (Gin Kings and Meralco, but at the end of the day, the Beermen were also too over confident and perhaps the loss is good for the ego).

SMB also has its share of injured players, Chris Ross most recently. I guess this is a side effect of lax officiating, so that players can get into a brawl more. But the PBA should also consider the long-term health of their super stars. If play gets too rough, there might not be good players for the Gilas program in the future if most are injured or if careers are ended.

So, SMB, if you are reading this, please prepare well for the Gin Kings in Game 4. A tied 2-2 series would probably end up in a semi-finals loss for the SMB Franchise due to a shift in momentum. So you'ld want to end the series early. Players like Arwind Santos should just focus on their game instead of playing the crowd. You don't want the added heat from Ginebra fans. And even if officiating isn't going your way, (since certain people have vested interests in seeing who wins), just play on and play your best. You are currently the best team in the PBA because you play as a team. And I am blessed to have seen this type of chemistry in your past games, and hope that you can sustain it until you cement your place in history with a grand slam. 

Is Terrence Romeo Still Good for Globalport?

After seeing how Terrence Romeo got into a shouting match with Coach Pido Jarencio in Globalport's do-or-die game against the Magnolia Hotshots, it is a wonder if Terrence Romeo is still good for the Batang Pier. If we learn from Kelly Nabong's experience with Meralco, Terrence Romeo is probably on his way out since teams might value respect for coaches than any individual player. Other Globalport players might also begin to think that Romeo runs the team instead of the coaches. And we see that Terrence was actually a liability during the dying minutes of the game when he made a dribbling error on a drive to the basket that could have cut down the Hotshots lead to two points.

The Gilas fan in me is saying they should keep Romeo. Terrence was incredible during one Gilas Pilipinas game where he kept the game close for the country with successive three point shots. But Terrence is also getting old, and has yet to prove that he can give Globalport a championship ring ever since he was drafted in 2013. Five years is a long time to prove your worth, and maybe Terrence will win a championship eventually, but I don't see it with Globalport.

Globalport was actually doing pretty well during Romeo's absence. The team was gelling with Stanley Pringle, Jonathan Grey, Kelly Nabong, Gabaini, Taha, Elorde, Teng, etc. But with Romeo in the rotation, a lot of these players ended up with limited minutes. With Romeo on the floor, the offence has to run through him, and therefore becomes predictable. Disrupt Romeo's play, and chances are, he will be forced to pass to another player who isn't really ready since he was already expecting Romeo to go for the basket. With other players on the floor, play is well distributed and the team is more dangerous if scoring is balanced and the opponent does not know who to guard.

But if Romeo were to be traded, which team would want him? And who would he be traded for? Right now, the best team I can think of that would benefit from Romeo is Kia. They need a star player on that team, someone they can lean on during crunch time. But who can Kia give up for Romeo? I'd probably trade for Jackson Corpuz, Glenn Khobuntin, Rashawn McCarthy and Reden Celda. If I can get multiple players for Romeo, I would.

The next team I can think of that might go for Romeo is Phoenix. Wright for Romeo, since their both guards on Gilas. But with Louie Alas' system, I don't think Romeo would thrive since his play is usually made on the fly.

Blackwater might also want to trade for Romeo since they are lacking a star point guard. But who would the Elite give up for Romeo? Maliksi perhaps? (Since he is in a spot conflict with DiGregorio) I don't think Globalport would go for Pinto. Globalport could always ask for Eram and finally get a legitimate center, but Eram is probably the franchise player for the team, and is even in the running for Most Improved Player this season.

TNT might want to try a Jayson Castro or Roger Pogoy for Romeo. But Pogoy and Rosario are probably the team's future. And they have also recently acquired Jericho Cruz. What TNT actually needs is a post presence.

So, I don't really know if Romeo will be traded. I just hope he doesn't end up in a different league. We've seen players who thought they were too good for their team in the past end up flushing their PBA careers down the drain. A player should always stay humble because after all, they all age and get old and are usually outlasted by the team. And a single injury could end a player's career. To have a legacy, to be remembered by the fans on a good note, that should be a player's motivation in the PBA.

San Miguel Beermen Loses to Black Water Elite

Learning from Ginebra's strategy of throwing multiple big men at Jun Mar Fajardo, Magnolia tried to do the same, and would have won if not for the heroics of Chico Lanete. Black Water Elite utilized the same strategy, throwing Eram, Marcelo, and Sena at Fajardo, with the occasional double team from a guard or small forward. And this time, it appeared to have worked. Or has it really?

I would say Fajardo is tired. Perhaps fatigue from the game is setting in considering he is part of the Gilas pool cramming for a showdown against Australia and Japan later this month. The four-time MVP wasn't churning out the usual numbers.

San Miguel is also missing Alex Cabagnot due to an injury. With Cabagnot on the floor along with Lassiter, Santos, and Ross, the Beermen have four potential three-point shooters well spaced on the floor. This is probably the reason why Lanete was effective against the Magnolia game. The three-point shot is an integral part of the Beermen's offense. But if shooters like Pesumal, Lanete, and Heruela are missing their shots, then it becomes more difficult for Fajardo to operate in the paint. The double teams will keep coming since they know that the Beermen have no reliable outside threat. Only Santos and Lassiter made shots from the perimeter. Black Water actually used the Beermen's strategy against them, with Eram being the inside threat, and DiGregorio, Maliksi, and Palma shooting from the outside. Palma appears to be a promising new comer, with a shooting touch and an ability to slash to the basket.

Ganuelas-Rosser should develop his three-point shooting ability. I actually thought they would develop him as another point guard like Ross. But it seems they are utilizing him as a power forward, due to the Beermen's lack of depth at the 4 position. Espinas is still out, so they have to put someone else at that spot for the Philippine Cup.

Santos is better at the 4 spot than at the 3 spot when Rosser is playing. So, I would rather see three additional guards with Santos and Fajardo, then subbing Mamaril or Rosser for Santos. Hopefully, this loss will teach the Beermen a lesson. Better to lose now than get knocked out of the playoffs.

Ginebra Wins Game 1 of the PBA Governor's Cup Finals

Barring any unfortunate injury, Ginebra might just be on its way to winning another Governor's Cup Championship. With the solid game they played tonight, they outclassed the Meralco Bolts and nearly had a twenty point lead as the game neared the end of the 4th Quarter. Basketball fans in the arena were making an early exit, knowing that the game was more or less decided even with five minutes to spare.

And I expect nothing less from the team that knocked out the Grand Slam seeking San Miguel Beermen with a thirty-point blowout and in only one game. And if you look at Ginebra's front line, they are actually pretty distinguished players. Joe Devance was the first overall draft pick in the 2007 PBA Rookie Draft. Japhet Aguilar was the first overall draft pick in the 2009 PBA Rookie Draft. And Greg slaughter was the first overall draft pick in the 2013 PBA Rookie Draft. LA Tenorio was the 4th pick overall in 2006 and Scottie Thompson was the 5th pick overall in 2015. Not many PBA teams can say they have a core made up of high caliber talent. Plus, you have the PBA's Coach with the most wins.

Greg Slaughter's return has really made this Ginebra team deadlier. It is hard to double Justin Brownlee if you have a 6'11 player who can play the post or go for the rebound. Contrast that with Alan Durham on the Meralco side. Once he decides to go for a three point shot, it has to go in. Otherwise, there's hardly any chance they'll get it back.

And the three point shot is really Meralco's only way of keeping this game close since they don't have any other post threats aside from Alan Durham. Ranidel de Ocampo is really more of a stretch 4 than a post up presence like Kelly Williams. And tonight, Meralco's threes were not falling in as much as they wanted. And even Ginebra's three-point shooters were finding their range.

Tim Cone on the other hand prefers twos rather than threes. The higher percentage shot is better. That's why his teams are susceptible to losing to teams that can shoot the three at an excellent clip. Coach Cone would rather be beaten by the three, than inside the paint. And that's why San Miguel Beer was a nightmare match-up for him. That is until Greg Slaughter solved the Jun Mar Fajardo problem.

Meralco doesn't have a Jun Mar Fajardo. Alan Durham is the closest thing they have to a post up player. So, Durham will have to focus on a purely inside game. Leave the threes to your shooters like Baser Amer, Garvo Lanete, Jared Dillinger and even Reynel Hugnatan. If these players get hot from the three point line, then Meralco might make this finals series interesting to watch.

Coach Norman Black can actually try playing a speed game with Amer, Tolomia, Newsome, Dilinger and Durham. But that would only work if they can get the jump on Ginebra and build up an early lead in their next game. If Newsome could keep dunking in the open court like he did with that incredible dunk in the first quarter, then maybe Meralco could have a chance.

Another strategy is to double Justin Brownlee and let the locals beat Meralco in scoring. But if they can somehow shutdown Brownlee, and keep Ginebra in a low scoring game, then maybe they can tie this series.

It would be interesting to see both teams' adjustments in game 2. But without players who can bang bodies on the inside, a Ginebra sweep is probably gonna happen.

Import-less TNT Goes Down Fighting

Yesterday, the Talk and Text team tried its best to even up a series where Ginebra was leading two games to one. And for about a third of the game, they were doing well, even erecting an 18 point lead against the Gin Kings. And this was despite losing their import, Glen Rice Jr. in the latter part of the 1st Quarter.

If Glen Rice Jr. has already played in the NBA and NBA-D League, it boggles my mind how he ended up letting Ginebra play mind games on him and getting himself ejected. You don't reach the NBA without going through your fare share of heated and tightly contested games. And knowing that your team is depending on you against a power house team like Ginebra, to let a bruiser like Kevin Ferrer get under your skin really shows how immature Glen Rice Jr. is. Either that, or the defense in the NBA is, to borrow from the WWE, sawft (soft for the unfamiliar).

And Kevin Ferrer didn't even seem physical enough. I don't know if Glen Rice Jr. has been defended by Calvin Abueva or Beau Belga. Those two players have created reputations for themselves as being physical defenders. I don't know if Kevin Ferrer used words to get to Glen Rice. Maybe he called him the N word. I don't know. But whatever Ferrer did, it made Glen Rice so mad that he shoved Ferrer and threw the basketball at him while he was down on the floor in front of the officials and the whole Araneta Coliseum crowd.

I don't know if Coach Tim Cone and the rest of the Ginebra coaching staff expected something like this to happen. I know that they already saw the beginnings of this "love story" in Game 3 of their series. And an excellent tactician, will use whatever weaknesses he sees in the opposing team and exploit these. Dirty tactics, maybe, but effective, since the moment Rice threw that ball at his opponent, he set himself up for an ejection. And the Ginebra fans knew that the moment he walked off the court, the game was theirs despite whatever double-digit lead TNT had built up. They were already chanting "Uwian na" (time to go home) in the 1st Quarter despite TNT having a huge lead. They knew that their Gin Kings could easily catch up and beat the Talk and Texters now that their main offensive gun was out.

Now, many will say that Glen Rice Jr. was stupid. But what if he was actually very smart. What if he was offered a lucrative sum to throw the game away. The opposing team saw how effective he was against them in the first three games. Maybe they decided to play the game off the court, and the series was already decided even before game 4 started. All of this is pure speculation. But it makes for a great movie script, like Blue Chips which starred Shaq and Penny Hardaway with Nick Nolte.

Jason Castro tried to fight back for his team. You can't help but admire a player who makes his free throws despite boos and distractions from a thousand strong Ginebra fan base. It reminds you of the guts showed by Alaska players like Johnny Abarrientos and Jojo Lastimosa against Ginebra back in the 90s. Ironically, Coach Tim Cone was coaching against Ginebra back then. And somehow, one would probably feel prouder for a roster of 12-players who fight back and win against a Ginebra team and Ginebra crowd just like Leonidas made three hundred men the stuff of legends.

Except, the difference between TNT and Alaska is that Alaska would win their battles against Ginebra. TNT will simply have to try again next year, hopefully, with a more level headed import. And with stars like Kelly Williams, RR Pogoy, Troy Rosario, Mo Tautua, and Anthony Semerad, they might just get back to TNT's winning ways. But Coach Nash Racela should really get a center with a post-up game since Kelly is more suited for the power forward spot. Easier said than done. Miss the days when they had someone like Asi Taulava at that spot. Maybe they can lure Enrico Villanueva out of retirement or look for some up-and-coming center.

Thank you to both teams for an exciting semi-finals series. Too bad it had to be marred with an ejection. And TNT fans will always wonder, what if Glen Rice Jr. was in that game. Would TNT have won and forced a fifth game?