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I saw the final ten minutes of the B-Meg versus Ginebra match.

Holy crap.

For Ginebra fans, this game was nightmarish. I don’t really like affiliations but in this game I was rooting for the Gins and I hated how they faltered.

B-Meg pushed the right buttons while Ginebra barely pushed any. This led to B-Meg being one win away from nailing a finals berth. That stinging 83 to 77 victory was enough for people to concede that B-Meg will go to the finals.

Let’s check out what pissed me off.

GO-TO-GUYS
My friend commented on how come the imports aren’t as aggressive as they were on the 90’s. I said to that friend, imports are just used now for posing presence inside the shaded area – offensive-wise and defensive-wise. This is why small imports under 6’3 like current Cleveland Cavalier Donald Sloan can’t fit in the NBA. However, these imports are here to be their team’s designated take charge men. Jackson Vroman is sucky free throw shooter – we get that.

But passing up a chance to score after that pass and then passing it to Dylan Ababou who had two guys hugging the hell out of him???

IMPORTS ARE PAID MORE TO TAKE OVER!

BRING BACK CHRIS ALEXANDER NOW!

Mark Caguioa would have taken that shot. If Jayjay Helterbrand knew what Vroman will do he’ll probably take the shot as well. In Ginebra’s bench Enrico Villanueva, Eric Menk, and Kerby Raymundo – three players who had played in that type of environment – probably hate the fact that they have to sit down (or stand) and watch that unfold.

Denzel Bowles was also nonexistent in the dying minutes but leave it to Peter June Simon and Marc Pingris to unleash the damage. Hell, even James Yap was tearing it up on defense. I can get why Vroman is a bad free throw shooter but if he’s also a terrible inside operator, then I can’t see the Gins winning against the Llamados!

EVEN TIM CONE WAS LAUGHING AT THAT PLAY!

LACK OF AWESOMENESS
I wonder what happened. I really do. Ginebra’s offense was virtually nonexistent in that ten minute stretch. Yes, they were able to tie the game but most of their baskets came from broken plays, lucky instances, and low percentage shots. Their plays weren’t executed properly plus their passing opportunities aren’t that crisp. When Rudy Hatfield misses a long jumper and Mike Cortez claims the rebound and putback, it should be THE OTHER WAY AROUND!

POST UP PRESENCE
USE ENRICO VILLANUEVA! At least when Enrico Villanueva gets the ball and gets fouled, there’s a 75 percent chance that he’ll score on both free throws. USE KERBY RAYMUNDO AS WELL! Raymundo in my mind will be the team’s next Willie Miller and Cyrus Baguio (the guy who gets pissed at the lack of minutes so when he goes to another team… he goes berserk). If they think Rudy Hatfield will have problems moving to the SF spot so that a random slotman can move to PF, then think again. Rudy Hatfield can play the small forward position as seen during his Laguna Lakers and Tanduay days (current Ginebra consultant Alfrancis Chua was his coach then). He is quick enough to give either James Yap or Peter June Simon hell. Also in terms of hustle players, the Kings can also use Rico Maierhofer who has indicated that he is raring to play.

Ginebra has too many options that just sit on the bench!

If you don’t want to use them… then DON’T DESTROY THEIR CAREERS!

WITHOUT RUN AND GUN… NOW WHAT?
The Kings’ once bread and butter – their slashing and shooting kingdom – looked pretty spooked which is why it hurts my head thinking of why they had to give up Ronald Tubid and JC Intal! As much as I like Dylan Ababou, Super Ababou is a halfcourt set type of player. Plus when was the last time you saw KG Canaleta go strong to the basket? While Mike Cortez and Jayjay Helterbrand are trying their best to set things straight, their feats aren’t enough.

BREAKS OF THE GAME
When Denzel Bowles left the court because of cramps, Jackson Vroman followed suit. When B-Meg was called for their second delay of the game violation, the Kings blew the free throw. Ginebra failing to capitalize on that Josh Urbiztondo pass to no one. A Ginebra passing error that led to Peter June Simon racing to the other side for an intensity-zapping layup. A monster block from Marc Pingris that sent Dylan Ababou and Ginebra’s chances crashing. B-Meg had various chances to fumble their game but Ginebra fumbled it more.

TIM CONE COACHES TEAM TO VICTORY
Tim Cone mastered Siot Tanquingcen tonight. While Joe Devance had only two points (B-Meg’s bench was nonexistent here), Cone leaned on the B-Meg Originals and they produced awesomely. Yap, Pingris, and Simon combined for 43 of the team’s 83 points. Cone also made a great strategic move by bringing in Bowles, who moments ago went down with cramps when Vroman also suffered from it. Cone also used Josh Urbiztondo during the dying minutes and the gamble paid off with four triples. All of a sudden, Ginebra didn’t know what to do with the ball. Cone sued for time outs just when Ginebra is about to control the leather and made the necessary adjustments to seal the deal. And even if this is a not-so-game changing move, he placed Yancy De Ocampo and Rafi Reavis to merely shadow Vroman and it worked.

DENZEL BOWLES
Without a shadow of a doubt, the Best Import of this Conference is the 22-year-old Bowles. In this matchup, Bowles dominated Vroman in their two meetings in terms of points, rebounds, and mere presence. While Bowles has maturity issues (it hardly shows when they’re winning), Vroman is a bit of a whiner with one referee “conversation” leading to a Pingris freebie. The neat part about Bowles is that he’s a better threat on the inside because he can hit free throws. Vroman needs to team up with Allan Caidic for charity stripe tips because his playing gig might end after Sunday.

For those who say that the referees are doing their best to ruin Ginebra’s hopes – there are two ways to look at this predicament. It’s useless for the refs to destroy the game because these teams are sister squads. However, judging from the fact that without Mark Caguioa, the Kings will be road kill, the best team to send to fight either Talk N Text or Barako Bull is definitely B-Meg.

But hey, maybe this sucky game can figure to three straight wins? In fairness to the Kings, they are limiting the Llamados to claim under 90 points per contest. Meralco almost succeeded in clinching a semis berth when they did the same feat. Maybe Ginebra can get the ball rolling once Mark Caguioa makes his Willis Reed-like entry?

Let’s check out the game this Sunday.

Game over!