PBA Commissioner’s Cup 2013 Best Player of the Conference - Poll

The PBA Commissioner’s Cup Best Player of the Conference (BPC) award will likewise be between LA Tenorio and rookie Calvin Abueva battling for the award.

The award is set to be decided by votes from the media, players and top PBA officials. The winner will be announced just before Game Three of the Finals on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Calvin Abueva takes the no. 1 seed at the end of the semifinals with his 28.5-point average. Followed by LA Tenorio with his 28.3 average SPs. Gary David of Globalport came in third with his 26.0 average SPs, while Alaska’s starting point guard JV Casio is in fourth spot with 25.4. Castro is in fifth with 25.2.

The top five statistical leaders are the only candidates for the BPC award. Cast your votes!

Read more...

PBA Commissioner's Cup 2013 Best Import - Poll

Awarding of best import for PBA Commissioner's Cup 2013 is near. Who is your pick for Best Import award?

Michael Dunigan, Robert Dozier, Vernon Macklin, Denzel Bowles, and Eric Dawson. But out of those five, who was the one that stood out the most?

Robert Dozier – Alaska Aces
   21.8 points, 17.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.7 steals, 2.6 blocks in 17 games.

Vernon Macklin – Barangay Ginebra San Miguel
   23.4 points, 14.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1 steal, 1.1 blocks in 15 games. 

Denzel Bowles – San Mig Coffee Mixers
    22.9 points, 14.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.7 steals, 2.2 blocks in 17 games.
  
Michael Dunigan – Air 21 Express
    28.9 points, 15.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.4 blocks in 15 games.

Eric Dawson – Meralco Bolts
   29.6 points, 16 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 3.1 steals, 1.9 blocks in 17 games.

Read more...

Ginebra beats Talk 'n Text to set Finals with Alaska

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel saw their 22-point lead reduced to seven before holding on in the endgame to outlast the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters, 111-103, on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

LA Tenorio was the best player of the game with 28 points, six rebounds, five assists and a 12-of-14 shooting clip from the freethrow stripe.

A Tony Mitchell three with 2:11 remaining cut the lead to ten after an LA Tenorio layup, before Vernon Macklin split from the line. Another Tenorio fastbreak layup made it a 13-point game with 1:33 to go, 102-89, as Mitchell made only one from the line at the other end.

A Ginebra turnover led to a Ryan Reyes steal and layup, cutting the lead to ten with a little over a minute left, but the Tropa sent Mac Baracael to the line for a split. The Texters called for time with 61 seconds left on the clock, which led to a quick bucket from Ali Peek.

Kerby Raymundo trooped to the line as TNT tried to stop the clock. Raymundo drained both, giving the Texters 56.2 seconds to deal with an 11-point lead. After Norman Black called for his final timeout, Mitchell rung in a quick three, but Tenorio hit both from the freethrow line.

TNT responded with a Ryan Reyes basket, while Tenorio sank two more from the strop. The Texters went to Fonacier for a three at the top of the key, as the former Ateneo Blue Eagle only made one. After a forced miss by Fonacier, Mitchell hit another three, 109-103.

With 34.5 seconds remaining, Mark Caguioa was sent in by Ginebra head coach Alfrancis Chua. WIth 25.5 remaining, "The Spark" sank two more from the line, making it an eight-point game.

After JJ Helterbrand missed two from the line, Ginebra collared the offensive board, with Tenorio giving Caguioa the ball to dribble off the time.


The scores:

GINEBRA 111 - Tenorio 28, Macklin 22, Baracael 21, Helterbrand 15, Raymundo 13, Hatfield 6, Urbiztondo 3, Caguioa 2, Ellis 1, Mamaril 0.

TALK N' TEXT 103 - Mitchell 42, Castro 15, Peek 11, Reyes 10, Ferriols 9, Aban 8, Fonacier 3, Al-Hussaini 2, Carey 2, Raymundo 1, Gamalinda 0, Alvarez 0, Alapag 0.

Quarters: 27-18, 61-41, 78-69, 111-103

source

Read more...

Jared Dillinger out for rest of the conference

The Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters are going to miss yet another key piece of their rotation as they trudge ahead in the Commissioner’s Cup playoffs.

Daredevil forward Jared Dillinger will miss the rest of the tournament after being involved in a vehicular accident early Saturday.

Talk ‘N Text coach Norman Black revealed the development shortly after the Tropang Texters’ 85-79 victory in Game Two of the semifinals over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Sunday night.

“He’s gonna be out a while, at least the rest of the conference, and possibly into the next conference,” said Black.

“I don’t know the extent, but he hurt his midsection, I think his pelvis.”

Talk ‘N Text earlier lost star forward Kelly Williams, who left the team indefinitely to battle a recurrent blood disorder. The Tropang Texters have also missed Ali Peek in the quarterfinals, though Black said he expects the veteran center back in time for Game Three.

With a growing list of walking wounded, Black said he expects the rest of his crew to step up.

“Everybody says we’re such a deep team,” said Black, “so now is the time for us to show it.”

source

Read more...

PBA Live Streaming

Watch PBA live here.
*This PBA Live stream content is not owned nor hosted by PBA Slam. This free live streaming is courtesy of Philstar.

Please reload this page if offline.

Read more...

After flu James Yap suffers back injury

Nothing has been going right for James Yap in this conference. If it wasn't headline-hugging off-court issues, it was a battle with the flu and, now, a nagging back problem.

The San Mig superstar, though, is fighting on.

"Ganoon talaga, sana maging okay na," Yap said after once again playing limited minutes while scoring seven points in San Mig's 100-92 win over Meralco on Sunday night. "Pero laban lang ng laban, kaya yan."

Yap has been struggling in the entire PBA Commissioner's Cup and more so in his past seven games, with San Mig coach Tim Cone admitting the two-time league MVP wouldn't even be on the court if it weren't the playoffs.

"If this was a regular elimination game, he wouldn’t be playing," said the multi-titled mentor. "It just so happened it’s a playoff game so he had to fight through. He’s doing the best he can in the series."

His latest injury problem is, actually, an offshoot of his bout with the flu in the previous weeks. In his desire to get back in shape, Yap did extra practice and ended up hurting his back.

The back injury, in turn, has become a dilemma for Cone.

"(When) he’s had warm-up, he’s okay to start the game. But when he sits down, his back starts to stiffen up, then loosens up a little bit later, then tightens up again," said the San Mig coach.

"It’s constant management for him. I’m a little scared to play him in the fourth quarter."

Cone, however, is hoping that the two days between Game Two and the deciding match on Wednesday would give his top gun enough time to get himself in better shape. Yap is also set to undergo an MRI scan on his back on Tuesday.

"We’re hoping now we have two days for therapy for James," Cone said. "Hope he gets better and healthy."

source 

Read more...

PBA Standings as of April 14, 2013

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Streak
Alaska Aces	11	3	0.786	-	W4
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters	9	4	0.692	1.5	W1
San Mig Coffee Mixers	8	6	0.571	3	W3
Petron Blaze Boosters	7	6	0.538	3.5	L1
Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters	7	6	0.538	3.5	W2
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel	7	7	0.500	4	L2
Meralco Bolts	6	7	0.462	4.5	L2
Air 21 Express	6	8	0.429	5	W1
Barako Bull Energy Colas	5	9	0.357	6	W1
GlobalPort Batang Pier	2	12	0.143	9	L11

Read more...

PBA Standings as of April 10, 2013

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Streak
Alaska Aces	10	3	0.769	-	W3
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters	8	4	0.667	1	L1
Petron Blaze Boosters	7	5	0.583	2	W1
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel	7	6	0.538	2	L1
San Mig Coffee Mixers	7	6	0.538	3	W2
Meralco Bolts	6	6	0.500	3	L1
Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters	6	6	0.500	3	W1
Air 21 Express	5	8	0.385	4	L3
Barako Bull Energy Colas	4	8	0.333	5	L1
GlobalPort Batang Pier	2	10	0.167	7	L9

Read more...

Wasted Oppurtunity of Air21, Canaleta

What a difference a month can make.

After putting together a four-game winning streak over a two-week span, Air21 suddenly found itself on a three-game slide two weeks, seriously dampening the team’s bid for a quarterfinals berth in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

The latest Express setback came Wednesday night at the hands of defending champion San Mig Coffee, 66-80, in a game that put to naught the 14-point fourth-quarter explosion of hotshot forward KG Canaleta.

“Sayang `yung mga ganyang games,” said the many-time slam dunk champion who rued the Express’ failure to take care of business in their last three outings.

Canaleta finished with 26 points including four three-pointers, but sub-par performances from other locals and the calf muscle injury sustained by point guard Mike Cortez weighed down the Express.

The latest loss put the Express in a critical position of missing the playoffs, while giving closest pursuer Barako Energy Cola a new lease on life in the race for the final quarterfinals berth.

As things stand now, Air21 (5-8) holds a one game edge over Barako Bull (4-8). The Express have one game left against Petron, while the Energy Cola still have two remaining assignments in Rain or Shine and lowly Globalport.

It’s a situation Air21 coach Franz Pumaren hates.

“Ako, I’ve never been dependent on other teams. We just have to take care of our business. This (situation) is beyond our control right now. I’d rather be in a position where we can control (our situation),” he said.

source

Read more...

‘I go to war with you anytime’ said Robin Padilla to commissioner Chito Salud

One day after PBA comissioner Chito Salud made the decision to hand Renaldo Balkman a lifetime ban from the league after his meltdown last Friday, actor Robin Padilla took to Instagram to express his support for the commissioner, whom he said he would go to war with anytime.

by: Mikkel Bolante

Read more...

SMC to ‘re-evaluate’ PBA participation after Balkman incident

San Miguel Corporation, which owns the Petron Blaze Boosters, has accepted the PBA’s decision to impose a ban on Renaldo Balkman after the import’s meltdown last Friday against Alaska.

But the conglomerate said in a statement that it will “re-evaluate” its continued participation in the professional league after the damage to its reputation caused by the incident.

“San Miguel Corporation would like to apologize to basketball fans and the Philippine Basketball Association, for the unsportsmanlike conduct shown by its import, Renaldo Balkman, last Friday, March 8. We accept the decision to ban Mr. Balkman for life from the league,” said the corporation in a statement

“Unfortunately, the incident has been blown out of proportion and has damaged our good name. Already, news of the incident has spread throughout the country and overseas through traditional and online media.”

Apart from Petron, SMC owns Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the San Mig Coffee Mixers, the two most popular teams in the PBA. SMC has been a member of the PBA since the league’s inception in 1975 with the Petron franchise, which carried the Royal Tru-Orange, San Miguel Beer, and Magnolia brands.

SMC’s statement follows in full:

    San Miguel Corporation would like to apologize to basketball fans and the Philippine Basketball Association, for the unsportsmanlike conduct shown by its import, Renaldo Balkman, last Friday, March 8. We accept the decision to ban Mr. Balkman for life from the league.

    We do not condone his actions. The mandate of our basketball operations has always been to entertain basketball fans and foster camaraderie and a spirit of healthy competition. We pride ourselves in having great teams who serve as good role models to the youth and community.

    Unfortunately, the incident has been blown out of proportion and has damaged our good name. Already, news of the incident has spread throughout the country and overseas through traditional and online media.

    Our reputation is of utmost importance to us because we have worked hard to cultivate this good name through the decades. But it takes only one unfortunate incident like this to undo all our efforts.

    As such, given the possible long-term effect of this incident to the San Miguel organization’s image, and in consideration of our need to preserve our good reputation, Management has decided to re-evaluate the company’s continuing participation in the PBA.

    Moving forward, we believe sports is a pillar of Philippine society and we will continue to support it and Filipino athletes in general in meaningful ways in and out of the PBA.

source

Read more...

PBA commissioner Chito Salud announces Balkman's ban - Video

The PBA has banned Petron Blaze import Renaldo Balkman from the league after his meltdown last Friday against the Alaska Aces.

PBA commissioner Chito Salud made the announcement Monday afternoon after his meeting with the import in the morning.

Check out this video:



courtesy of InterAKTV

Read more...

PBA bans Renaldo Balkman

The PBA has banned Petron Blaze import Renaldo Balkman from the league after his meltdown last Friday against the Alaska Aces.

The league made the announcement Monday afternoon on its official Twitter account after commissioner Chito Salud met with the import in the morning.

Balkman was in the midst of his worst game of the tournament against the Aces, scoring just six points after averaging 28 in his first six matches. After being called for a foul late in the game, Balkman confronted all three game referees.

Petron coaches and players tried to calm Balkman down to no avail. The import got into a shoving match with Petron co-captain Arwind Santos, a scene that ended with Balkman grabbing at his teammate’s neck.

Balkman has since apologized publicly for his actions, and the Boosters joined him at the PBA office as a show of support.

But Salud did not seem to buy Balkman’s explanation. Apart from the ban, the PBA also meted a P250,000 fine on the former New York Knicks draft pick.

source

Read more...

Stars showdown as Caguioa edges Yap

Two of today's top PBA gunners went at each other on Sunday night. And in the end, it was the 'The Spark' who got the better of his veritable shootout over 'Big Game James.'

Mark Caguioa outscored James Yap in their one-on-one duel as Barangay Ginebra edged out defending champion San Mig Coffee, 96-88, in a battle of Commissioner’s Cup marquee teams before a huge crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Caguioa topscored for the Kings with 25 points on 5-of-7 shooting from three-point territory, two of them serving as huge cushion for the league’s most popular team at the height of a furious Mixers endgame rally.

Yap finished with 21 points and was 4-of-11 from beyond the arc, but his back-to-back three-pointers in the final two minutes had the Mixers breathing down the Kings' neck coming home.

But on this night, there was no denying the reigning league MVP as he and the Kings pulled off one over the former two-time MVP and the defending champions.

Caguioa, who also had seven rebounds and five assists, later played down the shootout, but appears to relish his rivalry with Yap.

“There’s always a rivalry. May mga fan bases yan. There’s gonna be fans of James Yap, there’s gonna be fans of Mark Caguioa and hindi magpapatalo ang dalawang yan,” said Ginebra's acknowledged heart and soul.

Yap had three assists and three rebounds, and appears uncomfortable talking about the rivalry being hyped between him and Caguioa, with whom he’s close with outside the court.

“Sa akin naman I don’t think may rivalry kami. Nagkataon lang talaga na lahat naka-focus sa amin,” said the shooting guard out of University of the East.

 “Basta we’re just doing our thing inside the court. Personally, sa akin walang rivalry. Kakulitan ko nga yang si Mark,” added the San Mig Coffee star.

“Ang importante lang is to perform like tonight.”

by: @gerardmos

Read more...

PBA Standings as of March 10, 2013

The Air 21 Express opened PBA Super Ball Sunday action by snapping their five-game losing streak, defeating the GlobalPort Batang Pier, 106-94, behind 35 points and 20 rebounds from import Michael Dunigan.

In the evening’s Manila Clasico encounter, Mark Caguioa led the way for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel with 25 points as the Gin Kings hacked out a 96-88 victory over the San Mig Coffee Mixers before a crowd of 16,617.

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Streak
Alaska Aces	6	1	0.857	-	W1
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters	5	1	0.833	0.5	W5
Petron Blaze Boosters	5	2	0.714	1	L1
Meralco Bolts	3	3	0.500	2.5	W2
Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters	3	3	0.500	2.5	W1
Barako Bull Energy Colas	3	4	0.429	3	L3
San Mig Coffee Mixers	3	4	0.429	3	L1
Air 21 Express	2	5	0.286	4	W1
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel	2	5	0.286	4	W1
GlobalPort Batang Pier	2	6	0.250	4.5	L5

Read more...

Caguioa Sparks to survive Mixers rally

Barangay Ginebra survived a late San Mig Coffee rally for a huge 96-88 victory Sunday night in the PBA Commissioner's Cup before a capacity crowd at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

In front of the biggest crowd of the tournament, Mark “The Spark” Caguioa shone brightest


The Kings almost squandered a 15-point fourth-quarter cushion, but held on behind the outside snippings of reigning MVP Mark Caguioa.

The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel superstar scored 25 points, including two huge three-pointers in the last two minutes, to lead the Gin Kings to a 96-88 victory over the San Mig Coffee Mixers in their Manila Clasico showdown Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Two-time league MVP James Yap carried the reigning champion Mixers on his shoulders and engaged Caguioa in a virtual shootout entering the stretch run of the match the Kings dominated all the way..

The win gave the Gin Kings its second win in seven games, coming against their traditional rivals in front of a wild crowd of 16,617.

“Pinakita lang ni Mark Caguioa na he’s still Mark Caguioa,” said Ginebra coach Alfrancis Chua.

But Caguioa did not do it alone. LA Tenorio quarterbacked the squad masterfully, finishing with 12 points and 13 assists.

“Malaking isda ‘tong nahuli namin,” said Chua.

“They’re taller, they’re stronger than us. Pero mas malaki ang puso nila sa kalaban.”

Import Vernon Macklin added 20 points and 16 rebounds for Ginebra while providing the energy for the squad.

“Gusto siya ng mga players because of his fighting heart,” said Chua. “Yung mga ganun masarap kasama sa laban.”

Ginebra got key contributions from role players Billy Mamaril, who scored 13 points, and Chris Ellis, who added 11.

Denzel Bowles led the fight for San Mig Coffee with 25 points and 16 rebounds, while James Yap added 21.

The loss snapped San Mig Coffee’s three-game winning streak. The Mixers’ win-loss record fell to 3-4.

The scores:

GINEBRA 96 – Caguioa 25, Macklin 20, Mamaril 13, Tenorio 12, Ellis 11, Raymundo 6, Labagala 4, Baracael 4, Maierhofer 1.

SAN MIG COFFEE 88 – Bowles 25, Yap 21, Devance 13, Pingris 11, Mallari 4, Barroca 4, Simon 4, De Ocampo 4, Najorda 2, Gaco 0.

Quarters: 24-17, 48-35, 67-58, 96-88

Read more...

Manila Clasico: Mixers, Kings renew rivalry

Defending champion San Mig Coffee, in a logjam at midtable, tries to move up a notch when it battles cellar-dwelling Barangay Ginebra on Sunday in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup main at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Mixers are even at 3-3 after winning their last three games, going 3-1 with recently reacquired import Denzel Bowles. They go for their fourth straight win this conference against the Gin Kings (1-5) at 6:30 p.m.

“You get those runs of four, five or six-game winning streak. But everybody then starts gunning for you. For us, we’re desperate for a win. We’re trying to create our momentum,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.

The Mixers are enter the match tied for fourth with Barako Bull and Meralco and hope to close in on the idle league-leader Alaska (6-1).

“I always tell the team, until we get to .500 we can’t talk about anything, like playoffs. But good news, because we got here now, and hopefully, we keep winning and get a good playoff position,” he added.

The 6-foot-10 Bowles, tapped to replace Matt Rogers, has been averaging modest numbers for the Mixers this conference – 19.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.7 blocks in 35.7 minutes of play.

The big difference is Bowles’ familiarity with Cone’s system, which made it easy for the team to adjust when Rogers was replaced after his one-game stint with Petron.

On the other hand, the Gin Kings are still struggling despite a change of import from Herbert Hill to Vernon Macklin.

While Macklin is a high-energy guy who can provide offense inside because of his size, strength and leaping ability, local players from the Gin Kings need to come to his support if they hope to begin their climb to respectability.

Barangay Ginebra is coming off a 93-96 loss to Rain or Shine last week after hitting just 27-of-46 free throws. Macklin said that pretty much explains the wasted opportunities.

“We just have to regroup and play harder. I kind of let my team down missing those free throws,” explained Macklin, who still finished the game with 27 points, 16 rebounds and two shot blocks.

Consistency is something the Gin Kings need to display this conference in order for the team not to be overly dependent on its import and Mark Caguioa for offense.

The “Spark” has been doing it all for the locals in the Kings’ first six games, averaging 21.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 37.1 minutes.

source

Read more...

Renaldo Balkman chokes Arwind Santos - Video

For five straight game, Renaldo Balkman was the hero for the Petron Blaze Boosters’ winning run.

But the former New York Knicks first round pick was frustrated all game against Alaska Friday night, as Petron saw its winning streak snapped.

Balkman melted down near the end of the game, confronting all three referees after committing a foul with 21.6 seconds left.

Petron assistant coach Biboy Ravanes and teammate Ronald Tubid tried to pacify the import, but were shoved away by Balkman.

Boosters co-captain Arwind Santos took his turn to try calming down Balkman, but was also pushed away. Santos responded with a push of his own, before Balkman grabbed at his neck.

Teammates and coaches had to come in and separate the two players, before Balkman was finally calmed down and subbed out.

Check out this video:



source

Read more...

Barako Bull and Talk ‘N Text showdown in Legazpi

Barako Bull and Talk ‘N Text collide on Saturday in Legazpi City, Albay in a battle of two struggling teams in the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

The Energy Colas and the Tropang Texters both enter the game with a two-game losing slide, and one streak will end after their 6:30 p.m. encounter.

After a promising 3-1 start, Barako Bull absorbed back-to-back blowout losses to Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (93-72) and Petron Blaze (91-78) to see its win-loss record slide to 3-3.

“We have to play better than in our last two games. I don’t know if it is enough to win,” said Barako Bull consultant Rajko Toroman, who admittedly was not pleased with how his players performed in their last two assignments.

They will be up against another skidding team in Talk ‘N Text, which is sitting at the bottom half of the team standings with a 2-3 mark.

The Philippine Cup champions are parading balik-import Donnell Harvey, who replaced Keith Benson.

“They changed their import. They lost two in a row and these are the reasons why it will be very difficult for us,” Toroman added.

Harvey was Talk ‘N Text’s import when the franchise lost to B-MEG (now San Mig Coffee) in last season’s Commissioner’s Cup finals in seven grueling games.

The 32-year old Harvey averaged 19 points and 16 rebounds in the best-of-seven championship series against the Llamados.

The Tropang Texters have lost to Alaska (69-92) and the Coffee Mixers (82-90) in their past two games.

source

Read more...

Alaska vs. Petron to notch top spot; GlobalPort and Rain or Shine clash

Alaska and Petron Blaze dispute the solo lead as they collide in the main game of the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup on Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Aces and the Boosters meet at 7:30 p.m. right after the opening game tussle of GlobaPort and Rain or Shine at 5:15 p.m.

Alaska and Petron are currently tied for the top spot with 5-1 win-loss marks and the winner takes the solo lead in the tournament.

The Aces’ unbeaten start ended last Wednesday after bowing to San Mig Coffee, 75-68, while the Boosters are on a five-game winning run.

“This will be a good match up for us, a true test. This will be a gauge for us to see how far we’ve come as a team,” said Petron coach Olsen Racela whose team is coming off a 91-78 win over Barako Bull.

Alex Cabagnot is expected to suit up for the Boosters tonight, according to Racela, while Chris Lutz will still be out for three more games.

The return of Cabagnot and the impressive showing of Renaldo Balkman makes Alaska mentor Luigi Trillo, whose wards try to bounce back from a sorry loss, wary of the Boosters.

“Balkman is playing really well and Cabagnot is coming back into the lineup, another guy we have to watch out for,” said Trillo.

In the opener, Batang Pier (2-4) hope to snap a three-game slide against the Elasto Painters (4-1) who enter the game with a three-game run.

“It is urgent that we pick up our game at this juncture and hopefully we get a win against Rain or Shine,” said GlobaPort coach Junel Baculi.

“Our import (Justin Williams) should be more aggressive on offense. He must assert his game more than the locals,” he added.

source

Read more...