Converge Beats San Miguel

For the first time in the quarterfinals of the current PBA season, Converge finally beats San Miguel after going down 0 - 2 after a buzzer beater by Alex Stockton that broke a tied game. San Miguel was leading by as much as 25 points in the 3rd quarter, but instead of having the killer instinct to end the series, San Miguel fell into the same old habits that cost it the last championship against Meralco.

San Miguel is an aging team with no plans of improving it's roster with fresh young talent. In the last couple of seasons, all it has added are Don Trollano and Chris Rosales, two veteran players who have been in the league for quite some time. San Miguel needs to get a young power forward or center that can help improve its interior defense. Someone who can plug the lanes and block shots, like an Arwind Santos several years ago.

On the other hand, Alfrancis Chua loves Ginebra so much that Ginebra has added Jaime Malonzo, Jeremiah Gray, Maverick Ahamisi, before this year's blockbuster steal of a trade where they got RJ Abarrientos, Stephen Holt, and Isaac Go. And even with Isaac Go getting injured, they get to reactivate Joe De Vans out of a 2 year hiatus.

Even sister team Magnolia has had better reinforcement in that it got 2nd year player Zav Lucero in exchange for Jio Jalalon who was always a defensive liability whenever Magnolia went with a small lineup.

But San Miguel at least won one championship last season and would have won 2 if it had a better killer instinct. One might also surmise that Chris Ross, Marcio Lassiter, and Jun Mar Fajardo probably decided to give Chris Newsome one, after developing a strong bond in the Gilas program, but this is probably just hearsay.

But going back to Converge, one can't help but be excited for this team because they already beat San Miguel without Justin Baltazar. Think Duncan and Robinson. I think that Converge will be a force to reckon with in the future since it will probably have the strongest front court combination if Balti and Arana can work together. And give Caralipio more playing time. He might become what Michael Jhonard is for Rain or Shine.

If I were to make bold predictions, I think Ginebra will win over San Miguel in the Semis. And TNT will win over Rain or Shine (which is a shame since a healthy Aaron Fuller might have given them a chance against TNT).

So a finals with TNT vs Ginebra? I would have to give it to RHJ. But whether or not my predictions come true remains to be seen.