PBA playoffs set interesting match-ups
The PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup quarter final round begins on Wednesday, September 28, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium with interesting pairings of the best-of-five series.
BRACKET 1: Sibling rivalry begins; Defense vs Offense basketball
First to battle will be the sister teams TNT Tropang Giga and NLEX Road Warriors.
TNT finished the elimination round as the top team of Group A with a 7-3 slate, while NLEX almost didn't make it to the next round as they only have a 5-5 mark, same with Blackwater Bossing but with superior quotient (+6) in their tie-breaker.
The Tropang Giga might have all the advantage in the game as they ought to defend their Governors’ Cup crown led by their NBA caliber import, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson who's been a workhorse since he returned to the PBA hardcourt but scoring champion Robert Bolick and the Road Warriors are hungry to taste a slot in the big stage.
Next will be a battle between teams with two contrasting styles of play.
The Group B's No. 1 team, Rain or Shine is known for its run-and-gun style of play with their roster given the license to shoot anywhere from their front court as long as they are open.
One reason for the success of the Elasto Painters this season is the mix of veterans and young guns thriving together with the likes of Beau Belga and Gabe Norwood paving the way for the rising stars such as Jhonard Clarito, Andrei Caracut, Anton Asistio, Adrian Nocum, Gian Mamuyac, and even rookies Caelan Tiongson and Felix Pangilinan-Lemetti.
Meanwhile, Magnolia would like to pound inside as they have the tools to do so with Ian Sangalang and James Laput manning the middle, while sophomore Zavier Lucero who's been playing consistently for the squad.
The Hotshots are also known for their identity as a defensive team led by veterans Mark Barroca, Calvin Abueva and Rome Dela Rosa, who always tried to limit their opponents below the century mark every game or even lower than 90's.
RoS might have all the tools this conference as they have shown their dominance in the double-round eliminations plus they are also hungry to taste a championship but Mags would hold on to do old saying that "offense wins games but defense wins championship" even though the team has been ringless since the 2018 edition of the tournament.
BRACKET 2: Brownlee vs Durham IV; David vs Goliath match-up
On the other side of the fence, Meralco will face Ginebra once again in a series and it will feature the Durham-Brownlee match-up for the fourth time.
Though this time, it will be earlier as they will battle each other in a quarterfinal best-of-five series.
In their first three series, Brownlee swept all the streaks including the championship-clinching, buzzer-beating three pointer in 2016 that gave the Gin Kings their first title in eight years.
The next two still went to Brownlee when they trounced Meralco in a hard-fought seven games the next year at the Philippine Arena to defend their title, then got it back against the Bolts in 2019 when Ginebra cruised to a 4-1 series win.
It looks like Brownlee and the Gin Kings have all the advantage against the Bolts but this time is different as they don't have Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle in their roster, whom they traded for Rookie of the Year Stephen Holt and Isaac Go before the season starts.
Another factor is that the Bolts have won their first ever championship last season with an All-Filipino crew after defeating the mighty San Miguel Beermen in the finals. Not only that, they also defeated Ginebra in their semifinals series.
Furthermore, Allen Durham also experienced being a champion in 2013 with the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the Japan B.League.
With all the accolades being said, it will be another thrilling match-up between the two rivals.
Finally, it will be a battle between the veterans and the young guns.
The most successful team in the PBA San Miguel Beermen with 29 titles will rely once again to the eight-time MVP June Mar Fajardo to carry them to the Promised Land and capture their 30th championship of the franchise.
On the other hand, Converge will depend on their young guns led by Alec Stockton who's playing his great since last season, and Justin Arana who's been their anchor in the middle, together with their new-import Jalen Jones who led them in their past two victories before coming to the playoffs.
SMB might be the giant when it comes to experience and roster but the FiberXers have a promising line-up with desire to upset big guns like the Beermen. Not only that, this season's top overall pick Justin Baltazar has not played a single game yet as he still has commitment in the other league.
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San Miguel Beermen made a statement in Game 4 of the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals, against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 107-82, on Wednesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena to even the best-of-seven series at 2-2.
CJ Perez spearheaded the charge with a near-complete performance, tallying 19 points, five rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a block in almost 35 minutes of action. His energy sparked a game-changing 17-0 run in the fourth quarter that broke the game wide open for the Beermen.
Juami Tiongson added 14 points, while June Mar Fajardo turned in another monster game with 12 markers, a game-high 19 boards, three dimes, two deflections, and a rejection.
San Miguel’s well-balanced offense saw five players score in double figures, including Jericho Cruz and Rodney Brondial with 12 apiece, and Don Trollano who chipped in 11.
Game 5 is set for Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, with both powerhouse squads looking to seize control of the series and inch closer to a Finals berth.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel bounced back in style, securing a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup semifinals series with a 100-90 win over the San Miguel Beermen on Sunday, June 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
RJ Abarrientos came up huge with a near triple-double performance—24 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists—leading the Gin Kings back on top after dropping Game 2.
Jamie Malonzo added 20 points with four rebounds and two assists, while Japeth Aguilar chipped in 18 markers alongside seven boards, two dimes, three steals, and two blocks in a vintage two-way showing.
Ginebra also got key contributions from Scottie Thompson and Stephen Holt. Thompson tallied 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block, while Holt recorded 10 points, seven boards, and a deflection.
For San Miguel, Don Trollano kept them in the fight with 22 points and three rebounds. JuneMar Fajardo posted a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, along with three dimes and a block.
CJ Perez and Jericho Cruz added 11 points apiece, while Juami Tiongson rounded out the Beermen’s double-digit scorers with 10.
Ginebra edged SMB 23-20 in the opening quarter, but the Beermen fought back strong in the second to take a 50-46 halftime lead. That momentum didn't last, as Ginebra responded with a commanding 25-14 third period to retake control at 71-64, then sealed the win with a 29-26 finish in the final frame.
“I’m just real proud of the guys for steadying themselves,” said head coach Tim Cone. “We figured a couple of things out. I felt we played with a really good tempo, and then RJ played tremendous down the stretch to keep them at bay.”
Game 4 is set for Wednesday, July 2, at 5:00 PM at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters broke through in their best-of-seven semi-finals series in the PBA Season 49 Philippine Cup, taking Game 3 in dominant fashion with a 107-86 win over TNT Tropang 5G on Sunday, June 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Anton Asistio powered the Elasto Painters with a personal playoff-high 24 points off the bench. He also tallied six assists and a rebound in just under 29 minutes of action, going 7-of-9 from the field, 4-of-5 from three-point range, and 2-of-3 from the four-point arc.
Caelan Tiongson added 16 markers, four rebounds, one assist, and a block, while Keith Datu delivered a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double performance to go with two assists and a rejection.
Leonard Santillan contributed 12 points and eight rebounds, while Andrei Caracut chipped in 10 points, four assists, and four steals, helping Rain or Shine build early momentum and keep control through most of the game.
TNT, on the other hand, struggled without RR Pogoy, Jayson Castro, and Rey Nambatac. Calvin Oftana led the Tropa with 16 points and eight rebounds but registered a -22 plus-minus while shooting just 1-of-6 from deep. Simon Enciso and Glenn Khobuntin added 12 points each.