Ginebra aim 2nd win against Rain or Shine; Petron faces Barako

Petron Blaze guns for a fifth straight win against Barako Bull in Sunday’s opening game as the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup resumes at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Boosters and the Energy Colas clash at 4:15 p.m. to be followed by the tussle between Rain or Shine and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel at 6:30 p.m.

After losing its opening match to GlobalPort, Petron has won its next four assignments, including a 60-53 win against Air 21 last Friday.

And the Boosters are doing it minus starting point guard Alex Cabagnot, Chris Lutz, and Danny Ildefonso, who are all sidelined due to injury.

Petron coach Olsen Racela commended his players for playing together and import Renaldo Balkman for providing the leadership.

“I have to give it to our import. He’s our leader and he has stepped up his game,” said Racela, who will be facing his former consultant Rajko Toroman.

Toroman is now on the bench of Barako Bull also serving as consultant to coach Bong Ramos.

The Energy Colas (3-2) are coming off a 93-72 defeat to the Gin Kings last Wednesday.

In the second game, the Elasto Painters try to extend their winning streak to four games against a motivated Ginebra squad, which finally broke into the win column after dropping its first four assignments.

Rain or Shine is coming off a 99-97 win against the Express and coach Yeng Guiao cautions his players not to take the 1-4 Kings lightly.

“You cannot take any team for granted in this league,” said Guiao. “Like what happened to us against Air 21. Suwerte kami nakalusot kami sa game na iyon.”

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Rain or Shine grab third straight win from Air 21

The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters edged the Air 21 Express in a thrilling shootout, 99-97, Wednesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

It was the third straight victory for Rain or Shine, which needed one last defensive stop to deal hardluck Air 21 its third straight defeat.

The Elasto Painters led by just a single point, 98-97, after Ryan Araña and Wynne Arboleda exchanged three-pointers with under a minute left in the game. Rain or Shine center JR Quiñahan went to the free throw line in the next possession and split his charities, giving the Express one last shot to tie or win the match.

Arboleda missed a wide open corner three-pointer in the next play, but the Express were awarded get possession after the rebound was tapped out. Air 21 drew up a play for import Michael Dunigan in the paint, but was foiled by tight defending by the Elasto Painters.

Rain or Shine won despite missing import Bruno Sundov for most of the second half due to foul trouble. The 7-foot-3 Croatian picked up his fourth and fifth fouls in quick succession with still less than nine minutes left in the third quarter, and fouled out of the game late in the fourth period.

“We kept on fighting back even when the import wasn’t helping us throughout the game. This is a big lesson for him. He just has to play a little smarter, keeping away from those fouls,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.

Sundov played just 27 minutes, but managed to score 17 points. Paul Lee took over the cudgels for the Elasto Painters, posting 15 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in his finest game of the conference, while Araña added 11 points.

Dunigan led all scorers with 22 points.

Rain or Shine improved its win-loss record to 3-1, while Air 21′s mark fell to 1-3.

The scores:

Rain or Shine (99) — Sundov 17, Lee 15, Arana 11, Quinahan 9, Norwood 8, Rodriguez 8, Matias 7, Cruz 6, Uyloan 5, Belga 5, Tiu 4, Ibanes 4.

Air 21 (97) — Dunigan 22, Canaleta 18, Isip 14, Cortez 14, Wilson 11, Arboleda 9, Atkins 4, Reyes 3, Omolon 1, Ritualo 1, Sena 0, Baclao 0, Custodio 0.

Quarters: 26-20; 43-41; 74-72; 99-97

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Referee suspended after the missed call on Bruno Sundov’s shot

The contact on Bruno Sundov’s shot in the final play against Alaska last Saturday was a foul, the PBA told Rain or Shine.

The league also informed the Elasto Painters that referee Emmanuel Tankion, who missed the call, has been suspended for 10 playdates because of the error.

Rain or Shine team executive Mamerto Mondragon confirmed the news to InterAKTV.

Sundov’s final attempt was foiled by the Aces, leading to a loose ball recovery. Cyrus Baguio capped the play with a buzzer-beating layup that gave Alaska the win.

Elasto Painters coach Yeng Guiao asked for a review of the play, contending that Sundov was hit more than once on the play.

“Parang ang nangyayari referees na yung nagdi-decide ng outcome because of the judgment call or non-call,” said Guiao.

“I think substantial yung ipinakita naming mga evidence that Bruno was hit several times and no foul was called against him.”

Guiao said he wasn’t protesting the reversal of the result, but said it’s up to the PBA to clarify its stance on the rules about whether an official should call a foul or not.

“Parang ang nangyayari kasi, referees lang ang nakakaalam how a foul is beign called or not,” Guiao added. “They should give clearer definition how a foul is being called based on the rule we’re implementing right now.”

The coach added that the PBA should take it upon itself to educate not just the teams, but the public too.

“Kasama rito yung mga audience. They have the right to be educated how a foul is being called or not called. They should know bad officiating from good officiating in the same way they should know what’s a good game and a bad game,” he said.

“Gusto natin ng consistent officiating. Ayaw naman natin na magiging masaya tayo dahil nakinabang tayo sa bad officiating dahil you know pwede ring mangyari sa iyo yan na ikaw naman nasa receiving end ng bad officiating. Everyone has the right to know.”

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Cyrus Baguio buzzer beater gives Alaska victory over Rain or Shine

Cyrus Baguio hit a fastbreak layup in transition to beat the buzzer and give the Alaska Aces an 83-81 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters Saturday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Baguio’s basket capped a thrilling endgame comeback for the Aces, who needed a desperation 25-foot three-pointer from Calvin Abueva to tie the game at 81-all with 10 seconds left in the game.

Rain or Shine set up a play for import Bruno Sundov for its final possession. But the attempt of the 7-foot-3 Croatian, who scored a game-high 30 points, was foiled at the basket by Abueva, leading to a loose ball.

That sequence led to a recovery by Baguio, who raced down court past three Elasto Painters to score the game-winning layup.

Import Robert Dozier led the Aces with 21 points in his PBA debut.

The game will be broadcast over AKTV at 10 p.m. Saturday.

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2013 Commissioner’s Cup Imports: Rain or Shine, San Mig Coffee, Talk ‘N Text

The big boys are back for the 2013 Commissioner’s Cup! With no height limit and 10 new faces, the action promises to be titanic. Who will stand tallest? Here’s an early look.

Bruno Sundov, Rain or Shine Elasto Painters

In last season’s no-limit conference, Rain or Shine opted to go with a smaller guy in Duke Crews. The Elasto Painters are going in a completely opposite direction this time around, tapping the 7-foot-3 Sundov for the Commissioner’s Cup. He spent seven seasons in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, though he’s never played more than 26 games in a season.

Sundov will likely be the most compelling import to follow this conference. For one thing, he is huge. He’s the largest import to ever suit up in the league and with some teams opting to go small for their import despite the lack of a height limit, Sundov’s size will be apparent the moment he steps on the floor for the Elasto Painters.

The other thing that makes him interesting is his style of play. He’s a big guy who likes taking jumpers, and if Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao is to be believed, he’s pretty darn good at making them as well. That, of course, makes him an excellent fit with the Elasto Painters, where their centers have the green light to throw up treys whenever the shot is there.

The downside to Sundov, obviously, is a lack of athleticism and mobility. There are few players his size blessed with agility. That means his teammates will have to compensate a little to allow their import to stay in spots where he’s comfortable.

That’s not to say he’ll be a sieve defensively, though. At his size, he’ll definitely be a big presence on either end. But it’ll be up to Rain or Shine to make the mismatches work in their favor instead of against them.

For a team like Rain or Shine that got so close to the title last conference, this is a very interesting import choice. At his size, he’ll very easily get his jumpers off and if he makes them at a high rate, this team will be very hard to stop. It would be to no one’s surprise if the Elasto Painters find themselves very much in the mix late in the conference, and Sundov will have plenty to do with that.

Matt Rogers, San Mig Coffee Mixers

Rogers will be taking on the unenviable task of following the very popular Denzel Bowles, who led this team to a title in last year’s Commissioner’s Cup. There will be inevitable comparisons, which might not be fair to Rogers, but San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone has assured fans that the 6-foot-11, 225-pound Rogers is a guy they’re going to like.

Like Bowles, Rogers is a skilled big guy. He led his Southwest Baptist University squad with averages of 18.3 points and 8.7 rebounds as a sophomore. He’s performed well with the Texas Legends in the NBA D-League as well, scoring 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and over a block per game while playing just 17 minutes per game. He also appeared in four NBA Summer League games for the Indiana Pacers last year and moved to the Spanish league LEB Oro to play for Coruna.

Cone has said that Rogers isn’t as physically strong as Bowles, but is athletic and has shooting range that extends to the three-point line. He has the ability to knock down long shots, although he doesn’t seem to take too many of them — which is something you’d like of a 6-11 guy anyway. In 11 games in the Spanish second-tier league LEB Oro, Rogers hit a pretty impressive 44% from three-point range. He only had nine attempts in that span, but made four of them.

So Rogers is looking like he’ll be a nice versatile presence for the Mixers who can do his damage inside but also knock down shots if he finds himself open on the outside, which will happen on occasion in Cone’s system. He’ll be a nice fit and a good replacement for Bowles, although for San Mig Coffee fans, the only Bowles comparison that will likely matter is whether or not he can lead the team to the title.

Keith Benson/Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters

Benson played collegiate ball for the Oakland Golden Grizzlies — one of the so-called mid-majors in NCAA Division I ball — where he set a Summit League record for career blocks and received the Lou Henson Award, an honor given to the mid-major player of the year. He was a late second round pick of the Atlanta Hawks in the 2011 NBA Draft and was able to play in two preseason games before being waived.

He is an interesting physical specimen. Benson stands 6-foot-11 and has a terrific wingspan of 7-4 and will undoubtedly be a major lockdown presence for the Tropang Texters in the paint. He averaged 10.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for the Erie BayHawks in his most recent NBA D-League stint while playing just 24 minutes per contest. His shotblocking ability should translate well to the PBA, with a quick leap, good timing and his excellent length.

On offense, he’s not the most polished player, but he does have a few reliable go-to moves like the jump hook and a nice midrange touch. He probably won’t dominate offensively, but that won’t matter too much on a talented offensive team like Talk ‘N Text.

Benson makes a lot of sense for the Tropang Texters. With what is likely the best core of local players in the league today — they’ve won the Philippine Cup three straight times, after all — they probably need a dominant defensive presence more than they need a possession-heavy offensive talent that could potentially mess up what’s obviously already working.

And that’s exactly what they get with Benson: a player that’s an excellent fit on an excellent team.

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