Sunday, January 29, 2012

PBA All Filipino Cup Finals Game 5 Result , Powerade vs Talk n text


InterAKTV/Justin Gener

Talk ‘N Text mightily defended the Philippine Cup against the overachieving Powerade squad.
Denied in the last game, the Tropang Texters slammed the Tigers’ bid to extend the series as they took Game Five, 110-101, Sunday night to wrap up the series at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
Behind the all-around of effort of Ryan Reyes, Talk ‘N Text braved Powerade’s comeback in the fourth period to notch its fifth PBA title and third all-Filipino crown.

It was also a historic triumph for the franchise as it became the first team in 27 years to defend the PBA’s most prestigious title. Great Taste was the last squad to accomplish the feat in 1985.
“Masaki tang pagkatalo sa Grand Slam. Eto pala ang kapalit, defending the All-Filipino that took 27 years in the making. This makes it a lot sweeter,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes, who nailed his eighth PBA crown, tying Jong Uichico for fourth in the all-time list.
This was Reyes’ fifth all-Filipino title, second-most behind the legendary Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan, who had six.
I believe every championship is made up of special moments,” added Reyes. “When Ali [Peek] was shot, that point was a big step for the bond and teamsmanship of this group of individuals.”
Peek was shot in the nape last November, an incident that put his basketball career in jeopardy.
Ryan Reyes finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, five rebounds and a PBA-record 10 steals to lead the Tropang Texters.
Ranidel de Ocampo added 18 points, Jimmy Alapag had 17, Jason Castro scored 13, and Kelly Williams chipped in 10. Larry Fonacier, the PBA Press Corps’ finals Most Valuable Player, finished with nine points, but Chot Reyes agreed with the decision.
“It was a perfect choice,” he said. “He was the only Talk ‘N Text player to play each of our games this conference and just being present was a blessing.”
It was undeniably a great run for Powerade, the eighth seed that shocked top-ranked B-MEG in the quarterfinals before outlasting Rain or Shine in seven games in the semis.
But the Tigers fell behind by 23 points early in Game Five. They never recovered from that huge deficit as the Tropang Texters were able to respond to every run that Powerade tried to mount.
Gary David, the Best Player of the Conference, had 37 points to lead the Tigers. Forward Sean Anthony added 22 points.
The scores:
TALK N’ TEXT 110 – Reyes 20, De Ocampo 18, Alapag 17, Castro 14, Peek 13, Williams 10, Fonacier 9, Dillinger 7, Gamalinda 2, Carey 0.
POWERADE 101- David 37, Anthony 22, Casio 19, Lassiter 12, Adducul 4, Kramer 3, Crisano 3, Vanlandingham 1, Lingganay 0, Allera 0, Cruz 0.
Quarters: 30-16, 60-46, 85-64, 110-101

source: interaksyon.com

Saturday, January 28, 2012

PBA All Filipino Cup Finals Game 4 Result , Powerade vs Talk n text



PBA/Nuki Sabio

Powerade survived a series of costly miscues in the final four minutes and held on for a dramatic 100-97 win in Game Four against Talk ‘N Text to stay alive in the PBA Philippine Cup finals Friday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Tigers averted a sweep but the Tropang Texters still lead the series, 3-1, with Game Five on Sunday also at the Big Dome at 6 p.m.


Gary David, who was named Best Player of the Conference just before tip-off, tallied a game-high 35 points to lead Powerade, which nearly blew an eight-point lead in the last 4:17 of the contest.

Sean Anthony added 19 points and 11 rebounds but committed a mental lapse in the closing seconds as he threw away a possession with 1.4 seconds left, giving Jimmy Alapag one last chance to tie the game.

“I have to give it to them. We’re just talking about getting one game. Just focusing on one game and not even one game at a time,” said head coach Bo Perasol.

“We had a game plan of just being the best on our offensive side, be the best on who we are and doing something more on defense. I think we did that by allowing them to score less than 100.”

Powerade led at the half, 53-43, for the first time in the series, but the Tropang Texters came alive after the break. They tied the count at 75-all on Castro’s half-court buzzer-beater heave at the end of the third quarter.

But Tigers showed composure in the next stage and kept on attacking to erect a 92-82 lead with 6:07 remaining in the game.

They were still ahead at 94-86 on David’s basket but went 0-of-5 and committed three crucial turnovers that resulted to a 9-3 swing for Talk ‘N Text. Larry Fonacier’s back-to-back three-pointers tied the game at 97-all with 1:03 remaining.

Anthony responded with a clutch jumper for Powerade that ended up being the go-ahead basket. Castro forced a foul on JVee Casio in the ensuing play, but missed two free throws. David was fouled and split his free throws to give Powerade a 100-97 lead with 14.6 seconds left.

Castro’s three-point attempt in the next possession came up short, and Anthony collared the rebound. But he lost control of the leather, giving the defending champs another shot to send the game in overtime.

“Their bigs outplayed our bigs and that’s the only advantage we have,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes.

“Powerade has the best wingmen in the PBA and we have to compensate that with our big men. But tonight we didn’t.”

Fonacier led Talk ‘N Text with 20 points. Castro added 18 points and 10 rebounds while Alapag also netted 18 points for the Tropang Texters.

The scores:

POWERADE 100 – David 35, Anthony 19, Lassiter 13, Kramer 11, Adducul 10, Casio 7, Lingganay 3, Vanlandingham 2, Cruz 0, Crisano 0.

TALK N’ TEXT 97 – Fonacier 20, Castro 18, Alapag 18, Carey 11, Reyes 10, Peek 8, Williams 7, De Ocampo 3, Dillinger 2, Aguilar 0, Alvarez 0, Lao 0.

Quarters: 25-23, 53-43, 75-75, 100-97


Uichico Joins Meralco Bolts in the PBA

Jong Uichico will be joining the Meralco coaching staff, and there’s no one happier to have him there than Bolts coach Ryan Gregorio.

“We met Monday afternoon as I just came in from the US and we had a merienda,” Gregorio told InterAKTV in an exclusive interview. “I’m a believer of Coach Jong (Uichico). Even a head coach sometimes needs someone who will guide him.”

Gregorio said that he has the utmost respect for Uichico, who has won eight PBA titles and led the Philippine team to a fourth-place finish in the 2002 Asian Games.

“He will join us on the bench and will become the team’s consultant. I didn’t name him as assistant coach because I don’t want to disrespect him.”

Gregorio pointed out that Uichico’s inclusion will make the Bolts coaching staff one of the winningest in the league.

“If I’m not mistaken, Jong is the fourth winningest mentor in PBA history and that tells a lot,” said Gregorio. “If he has won eight and I won three, and then count one which Boyet Fernandez won, then we’re probably one of the winningest in the league. His addition would certainly be a big boost to our coaching staff. Jong’s winning reputation, his personality of speaking what’s on his mind, will be a welcome addition to this team.”

Uichico, meanwhile, is looking to bring his winning experience to the Bolts, which joined the PBA just last year.

“Our team is like a child that needs nurturing and will go through growing pains,” said Uichico.

“Ryan is very open-minded. But he gave me a good welcome and we both know there are going to be big challenges,” he added.

source : interaksyon.com

Latest Trade on PBA, Omolon and Isip to Air21, Daa and Canlas to Meralco

The Air 21 Express, coming off a historically futile tournament as the Shopinas.com Clickers in the Philippine Cup, have embarked on a modest offseason buildup by trading for two athletic frontcourt players from the Meralco Bolts.

Air 21 team manager Jovie Saddul told InterAKTV that the Express have acquired the rights to Nelbert Omolon and Mark Isip from Meralco in exchange for Mark Canlas, Dennis Daa, and a 2012 first round draft pick that originally belonged to the Bolts.

Saddul presented the deal Friday to the PBA, which has the right to veto or revise transactions. According to the Air 21 executive, PBA commissioner Chito Salud said that he sees no problem with the deal, although it is still yet to be approved.

Omolon was a member of the PBA mythical second team with Sta. Lucia in 2008, but is averaging a career-low 4.1 points per game this season.

Isip, meanwhile, will be playing for his seventh team in six seasons when his transfer to the Express becomes complete. Prior to the Bolts, the forward out of FEU also played for Sta. Lucia, Coca-Cola, Rain or Shine, Talk ‘N Text, and Barako Bull.

The current Air 21 franchise, which lost all 14 of its games in the Philippine Cup, is still searching for its first PBA victory. Earlier this week, the team received a bit of good news after it was awarded the exclusive rights to hire former SMART-Gilas Pilipinas center Marcus Douthit as its import for the Commissioner’s Cup.

source: interaksyon.com

Friday, January 20, 2012

PBA All Filipino Cup Finals , Powerade vs Talk n Text Game 1 Result

Talk ‘N Text encountered little trouble in dispatching a JVee Casio-less Powerade side, 116-100, in Game One of the best-of-seven finals of the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup Friday night at Davao del Sur Cultural Sports Business Center in Digos City.




Jason Castro led Talk ‘N Text’s balanced attack with 23 points to go along with six rebounds and eight assists to give his team an early 1-0 lead in the series.The Tropang Texters simply had too much firepower against the Tigers, who trailed early in the game by double digits and never recovered since.

Ryan Reyes and Jared Dillinger each had 15 points while Larry Fonacier and Ranidel de Ocampo netted 14 apiece for the Tropang Texters. Ali Peek finished with 13 points.

“We expected this kind of game against Powerade, run and gun. After the series with Petron, we were hoping we have the legs to stay with Powerade,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes.

“We just caught them off kasi wala si JVee. It will be a completely different team when Casio comes back.”

Casio, who is averaging 12.2 points and 6.1 assists per game, dressed up but did not play due to a pulled right hamstring.

And without the top rookie pick, the Tigers’ offense was in disarray to start the game, as the Tropang Texters, behind the 11 points from Ryan Reyes, erected an early 38-21 spread after the first quarter.

It was Fonacier’s turn to torch Powerade in the second quarter, when he unloaded 10 of his 14 points, as Talk ‘N Text carried a 68-52 lead at halftime.

The Tropang Texters raised their lead to 20 points three times in the second half, the last one at 102-82 before the Tigers unleashed their last hurrah, dropping a 16-5 bomb capped by Marcio Lassiter’s triple to cut the lead to nine points, 107-98, with 3:50 remaining in the game.

But Talk ‘N Text responded with a 7-2 exchange to put the game out of reach, 114-100, 2:02 left in the game.

Sean Anthony led the Tigers with 23 points while Gary David was held to just 19, his lowest output so far in the playoffs. Lassiter also had 19 points.

Game Two is set on Monday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Scores:

TALK ‘N TEXT 116 – Castro, 23, Reyes 15, Dillinger 15, Fonacier 14, De Ocampo 14, Peek 13, Alapag 9, Aguilar 6, Carey 4, Williams 3, Gamalinda 0, Raymundo 0.

POWERADE 100 – Anthony 23, David 19, Lassiter 19, Lingganay 13, Kramer 12, Cruz 4, Antonio 3, Vanlandingham 3, Adducul 2, Crisano 2, Allera 0.

Quarterscores: 38-21, 68-52,96-81, 116-100

source: interaksyon.com

Friday, January 13, 2012

Rain or Shine vs Powerade Game 5 Result

Rookies Jvee Casio and Marcio Lassiter played big in the clutch to lead Powerade to a thrilling 110-108 win over Rain or Shine Friday night at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum as the Tigers moved a win away of keeping their Cinderella run going in the PBA Philippine Cup.

Casio and Lassiter, Powerade's first and fourth picks in the 2011 PBA Rookie Draft, teamed up in the final two minutes to help the Tigers overhaul a 106-100 deficit and complete the win that gave the Coca-Cola franchise a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven semifinals series.

A Powerade win on Sunday will put the Tigers back in the Finals for the first time since the 2003 Reinforced Conference where they beat San Miguel in seven games.

"The glory belongs to God for helping us win," said Powerade coach Bo Perasol. "The series is not over. We just made it a close game. What matters is we put stops against Rain or Shine."

Gabe Norwood split his free throws to give Rain or Shine a six-point cushion, 106-100, in the final one minute and 44 seconds of the game.

Casio and Lassiter, both former Smart Gilas Pilipinas members, then went to work.

Casio's completed three-point play and Lassiter's charities capped Powerade’s 10-2 wind-up.

The Elasto Painters had the chance to send the game into overtime or take the win but Jeff Chan and Beau Belga's shot attempts failed to hit its mark.

Casio shot 8-of-19 from the field to finish with 25 points while Lassiter tallied 19 markers and 11 rebounds.

JR Quiñahan led Rain or Shine with 18 points before fouling out in the game while Ryan Araña and Jireh Ibañez added 13 and 12 markers.

Rookie Paul Lee, who scored 15 in the Painters' 110-95 Game Four win, was held by the Powerade defense to nine points. — JVP, GMA News

Scores:
Powerade 110—David 28, Casio 25, Lassiter 19, Kramer 10, Cruz 9, Anthony 6, Crisano 5, Vanlandingham 3, Antonio 3, Adducul 2, Lingganay 0.

Rain or Shine 108—Quinahan 18, Arana 15, Ibanes 13, Rodriguez 12, Lee 9, Tang 9, Buenafe 9, Norwood 7, Chan 6, Matias 5, Cruz 3, Belga 2.
Quarter scores: 23-22, 48-54, 81-80, 110-108.
Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/244514/sports/basketball/powerade-nips-rain-or-shine-to-take-3-2-semis-series-lead



Monday, January 9, 2012

Powerade vs Rain or Shine Semi Finals Game 3 Result

Gary David again came through for Powerade, dropping 30 points against Rain or Shine for the third straight time as the Tigers rallied back from the claws of defeat to outlast the Elasto Painters in overtime, 104-99, to take command of their PBA Philippine Cup semifinals series Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum.



The deadly gunner out of Lyceum top scored for 31 points, none more important than the three straight free throws he sank with 10 seconds remaining in regulation that sent the game into extra play.

David then accounted for four of the Tigers’ first six points in overtime to put his team in front for good, 103-99.

Powerade now leads the best-of-seven series, 2-1, with Game 4 set on Tuesday also at the Big Dome.
         
“What can I say, Gary delivered again during crunch time,” said Tigers coach Bo Perasol of his top gunner, who has hit 30-plus points or more for the fifth straight game dating back to Powerade’s quarterfinal series with B-Meg.

“Ang role ko is to scorehttp://www.pba-online.net. hangga’t di pa tapos ang laro kailangan tumira ka lang. Kahit malas ka, kasi darating at darating lang yun,” David added.

The Tigers pulled ahead, 65-54, in the third period, but committed mental lapses and found themselves trailing, 89-95, with 1:57 left in regulation following a split by Rain or Shine’s Beau Belga.

Powerade however, found its second wind and got a big break in the endgame when David was fouled by Rain or Shine rookie Paul Lee while attempting a shot from three-point range and the Tigers trailing, 94-97.

David calmly sank all bonus free throws to tie the count and sent the game into extra play.

“Pakiramdam ko kayang-kaya ko yung freethrow kasi yun ang ginagawa ko after practice. Kiss lang sa tattoo, ok na,” added David, referring to his traditional practice of kissing the faces of his wife and children tattooed over his arms just before taking a foul shot.

Rain or Shine actually had one golden chance of winning the game in regulation play, but a long three-pointer by an open Beau Belga hit the back rim before the ball went over the top board.

Gabe Norwood scored the first basket in overtime, before the Tigers, led by David, rattled in six straight points to take a four-point lead in the final 31 seconds.

Lee finished with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting before fouling out, while Jervy Cruz and Jeff Chan added 17 points apiece. Cruz also had 13 rebounds.

Rookie Marcio Lassiter complemented David with 14 points, and Doug Kramer and Sean Anthony each scored 12  for the Tigers. - OMG, GMA News

The scores
Powerade (104) -- David 31, Lassiter 14, Anthony 12, Kramer 12, Casio 11,Vanlandingham 10, Cruz 5, Adducul 5, Lingganay 2, Antonio 2, Allera 0, Crisano 0.

Rain or Shine (99) -- Lee 19, Cruz 17, Chan 17, Belga 11, Norwood 10, Rodriguez 8, Arana 5, Matias 4, Tang 4, Quinahan 4, Buenafe 0, Ibanes 0.

Quarterscores: 19-28, 42-43, 69-64, 97-97, 104-99.

Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/243909/sports/basketball/gary-david-again-tows-powerade-in-4q-comeback-to-beat-ros-in-ot-104-99

Matt Haryasz, ALaska Aces Next Import PBA 2012 37th Season 2nd conference. (possible)

The Alaska Aces are focusing on their running game in preparation for their PBA Season 37 Commissioner's Cup 2012 campaign. And in line with that, they will getan import who best fit their running game. And according to one of Mr. Noli Eala's Tweets, their import could be Matt Haryasz.


Matt is a lanky import who is fast despite being a 6'11 towering import who came out of the Stanford University Cardinals. After playing for the Cardinals, he opted to enter the 2006 NBA Draft, but he was drafted by any team. After that bad experience, he decided to play in the NBA D-League for one season. He then went overseas to playin the 2010-2011 Euro Cup.

In the Euro Cup he played only an average of 25 minutes per ball game for the Grolingen Team, but since he's athletic and he's fast, he was able to have good statistics. He averaged 11.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1 block per game. For me, he is an efficient player and he's a hard worker. For sure he'll be able to play well for the Alaska Aces.

Here's how he plays. The video came from YouTube.





http://www.ballerspinas.com/

Talk n Text Import in PBA 2012 2nd conference

Omar Samhan. That's the name of the possible import of the Talk 'n Text Tropang Texters according to one of Sir. Noli Eala's Tweets.


Samhan is a 6'11 center who came out of St. Mary's. He went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft. Shortly after that, he decided to go overseas. His most recent playingstint was in the Euro League where he played for the Žalgiris Kaunas.

The biggest problem for Samhan is that he's a little bit inconsistent, but when he's in the zone, he's hard to stop. His biggest output throughout his entire college career was his 32 point performance against Villanova in one of their games.

Here's how he plays. The video came from YouTube.





Friday, January 6, 2012

Rain or Shine vs Powerade Game 1 Result


The Photo came from AKTV.



The Rain or Shine Elastopainters painted their first victory in the PBA Season 37 Philippine Cup Semi-finals best of 7 series against the Powerade Tigers via 114-95.

Paul Lee marked 25 points in his score sheet to keep his team alive in the ball game and eventually steal game 1 in the end. His poise in scoring and his teammates' gritty pressure defense were they keys why they were able to stop the three point shooting of the Tigers and beat them.

During the first half, the Powerade Tigers, who played good music together, were able to make a big run that draw a big gap with the E-painters as Gary "El Granada" David and Josh Vanladingham fired hot 3-point shots that made the E-painters suffer for a big 11 point deficit to end the 1st half, 43-54.

But the E-painters changed the flow of the story of the game in the 2nd half as they managed to produce a 15-3 run that cut their deficit down to 2 points, 57-59. However, the Tigers were able to stop their run momentarily.

But again, the E-painters started to show their winning spirit and resiliency as theyproduce another 21-9 run during the halfway mark of the final quarter that made the Tigers struggle for a deadlock opportunity as Rudy Lingganay sank his back-to-back easy baskets but Paul Lee, Beau Belga and Jeff Chan shut the doors to the Tigers from their 3/3 3-point shooting.

The whole story of this game boils down to the two teams fighting fire with fire, great outside shooting against great outside shooting. But ROS was the one who got more firepower as El Granada Gary David did not explode in the 4th quarter.

By: Kristina Caramel Sy
source: http://www.ballerspinas.com

Ginebra Import Search this PBA 2012 Commisioner cup

The Ginebra Team management will invest on sending Coach Siot Tanquincen to the United States so that he will be able to scout some of their import prospects for the upcoming PBA Season 37 Commissioner's Cup.


 




Mr. Noli Eala Tweeted that Coach Siot will be flying to the United States on January 9, 2012 to attend the NBA D-League Showcase. He will watch some of their import prospects in the said event.




If that is the case, I feel sorry for Chris Alexander (the arguably People's Choice to be Ginebra's import) because Ginebra won't invest for a cross country scouting trip if they are already okay with Chris. But still, that's just my idea. Things may still change in the next few days.




Let's just wait until January 11, 2012 when Ginebra resumes their training. For sure we'll see who their import is on that day.




Here is Mr. Noli Eala's Tweet:




@NoliEala Noli Eala

Ginebra coaches still awaiting word on their 1st choice for import. Coach Siot will attend NBA D-League Showcase in Vegas starting Jan. 9.

source : http://www.ballerspinas.com

Possible Import of Barako bull, De Marr Johnson

According to one of Mr. Noli Eala's Tweets, Demarr Johnson is a candidate to be the import of the Barako Bull Energy Boosters.

According to what I read in the forums, Demarr is a great player who was firstprojected to be the next Scottie Pippen because they have the same height at 6'9 and skills wise they are very close. He is also known to be a good shooter. But his performance kinda slowed down when he met an accident. He was involved in a car accident that sidelined him for quite some time. But he managed to recuperate and get back to playing basketball. Since then he's been to China, Lebanon and Colombia to play overseas basketball. His latest destination could be the Philippinesearlier this year for the PBA Season 37 Commissioner's Cup.

Here's his video highlights courtesy of Youtube.


Sunday, January 1, 2012

Petron's Import For PBA 2nd Conference Commissioner's Cup 2012 Nick Fazekas

The Petron Blaze Boosters have already found their fix with regard to their import for next years Commissioner's Cup. Their new import's name is Nick Fazekas.




Since the 2nd Conference of the PBA doesn't impose height limitations for imports, Petron chose a tall and lanky import in the person of Fazekas.

Fazekas is a:


Forward/center
Height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Weight 235 lb (107 kg)
Born June 17, 1985 (age 26) Arvada, Colorado
Nationality American
College Nevada
Draft 2nd round, 34th overall, 2007 Dallas Mavericks Pro career 2007--present
Career history Dallas Mavericks (2007--2008) Los Angeles Clippers (2008) Base Oostende (2008--2009) ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne (2009) JDA Dijon (2009-10) Reno Bighorns (2010-2011) Awards WAC Men'sBasketball Player of the Year (2005,2006,2007) 2007 All American Second Team
I got his profile from CBS.

Here's how he plays:

Name switch worked wonders for SMC franchise in PBA 2011

San Miguel, for two conferences in the PBA's 36th season, was unsuccessful in their campaign with its final title win happening during the 2008-2009 Fiesta Conference.






The Beermen were even eliminated in the Commissioners Cup finishing with a 2-7 slate. Hence, a name change was needed to revive the franchise's once dominant stature.






The sudden name change of the lead product of the San Miguel Corp. (SMC) quickly produced a PBA championship in what could be best remembered as among the greatest upsets in the league’s 36-year history.


Shedding its long-time San Miguel Beermen tag, the SMC team was reborn for the season-ending Governors Cup as the Petron Blaze Boosters, who readily made heads turn following their epic victory over the heavily-favored Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in their best-of-seven Finals series.






Getting a monster performance from long-armed Arwind Santos (named Best Player of the Conference), heady playmaker Alex Cabagnot, silent but effective import Anthony Grundy, and the inspired plays of veteran and two-time league MVP Danny Ildefonso, the Boosters ended the best-of-seven series—which went the full route—with a convincing 85-73 beating of the star-studded Tropang Texters in the deciding Game 7 played before a crowd of 17,000 at the Araneta Coliseum.






The title run not only avenged the Boosters' loss to the same Talk 'N Text squad in the season-opening Philippine Cup Finals, but likewise denied the telecommunication franchise its ambitious bid to become only the fourth team in league history to complete a rare Grand Slam.






"The victory was sweet since we finally avenged our loss in the All-Filipino (Conference)," said San Miguel mentor Ato Agustin, who earned the distinction as the first coach to win a championship on his rookie season since Joel Banal first did the trick for Talk 'N Text in the 2003 All-Filipino Cup.






"What makes it extra sweet is we foiled their Grand Slam bid. That really hurts," he added.


Shaking things up






It was the Boosters, until their stunning Governors Cup win, who were actually playing hurt for most part of the season.






They lost to the Tropang Texters in six games during the All-Filipino tournament, and then totally nose-dived in the Commissioner’s Cup when it became the first team to be eliminated with only two wins to show in nine outings—the worst record ever in franchise history.






In the midst of the import-laden tournament, the team decided to shake up its roster with a massive major trade with Air21 involving veteran players Dondon Hontiveros, Danny Seigle, Paul Artadi and Dorian Pena in exchange for top rookies Nonoy Baclao, Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Rey Guevarra.






By the time the Governors Cup was about to set off, SMC officials led by basketball operations chief Robert Non, decided to drop the name San Miguel for Petron, and thus the Boosters were born.


But success did not come right away.






Petron changed import one after the other, from Mike Taylor, Ricky Harris, to Jeremy Wise, until settling for Grundy, a former member of the Atlanta Hawks, midway into the eliminations.






Injuries also ravaged the Boosters, with key players Jay Washington, Al-Hussaini, Lordy Tugade and Joseph Yeo failing to suit up until the final game of the conference.


Rematch


The Boosters needed to beat the Tropang Texters, 98-83, and got a big lift from sister-team Barangay Ginebra's 103-95 victory over Rain or Shine on the final day of the semifinals to earn a championship berth opposite Talk 'N Text.


The Boosters, Kings, and Alaska Aces ended up tied for second spot with similar 8-5 (win-loss) records, but Petron clinched the second Finals slot by virtue of a higher quotient.


It was Talk 'N Text-SMC (Petron) Part II.






Convinced the Tropang Texters played half-heartedly against them in their last semifinal meeting to avoid meeting Ginebra in the title series, the Boosters carried the momentum with them going to Game One of the Finals and stunned their highly-favored foes with an 89-88 win on Ildefonso's buzzer-beating game winner.


That set the tone for a thrilling championship duel that went down the wire.


In the end, it was the Boosters who had the last laugh.






"This could have been my best championship win," said Agustin, who also had some unpleasant exchange of words with Talk 'N Text coach Chot Reyes during the course of the series.






"We were given the chance to win one game and we made full use of the chance four times." — JVP, GMA News


Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/243169/sports/basketball/pba-2011-name-switch-worked-wonders-for-smc-franchise

Kamukamo News Update