Asia-Basket.com All-PBA Philippine Cup Awards 2011-12 - Feb 2, 2012
Asia-Basket.com All-PBA Philippine Cup 1st Team
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Fonacier
Cabagnot
David
Santos
Aguilar
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Player of the Year:Larry Fonacier (186-F/G-82) of Talk N Text Guard of the Year:Gary David (187-G/F-78) of Powerade T. Forward of the Year:Larry Fonacier (186-F/G-82) of Talk N Text Center of the Year:Japeth Aguilar (208-C-85) of Talk N Text Defensive Player of the Year:Arwind Santos (193-F-81) of Petron Blaze Coach of the Year:Vincent Reyes of Talk N Text
2011-2012 PBA Philippine Cup Finals Game 5: Inevitable - Jan 30, 2012
TALK N TEXT TROPANG TEXTERS over POWERADE TIGERS, 110-101
'It took 27 years for a team to defend this championship. Mas matagal iyon kaysa huling grand slam (1996 by Alaska Milk). That made it so special.' - Vincent Reyes , coach of the Talk N Text Tropang Texters the 2012 PBA Philippine Cup repeat champions.
Like their victims the TNT Tropang Texters can also be considered, in many ways, a Cinderella squad. Consider these:
-They lost a heartbreaking series to the Petron Blaze Boosters in the last conference of the previous season. -Though their roster is the most stacked in the league, they hardly enjoyed their depth as many of their players suffered a plethora of injuries throughout the Philippine Cup. -We all know what happened to Ali Peek (194-F-75, college: St.Mary's, CA), right? -They were down 1-3 to their former tormentors, Petron, in the semifinals.
Despite all those bumps in the road, however, coach Chot Reyess crew stuck in there and seemingly willed their way to win 7 of their last 8 matches, ending with something that hasnt happened in nearly 3 decades an All-Filipino title successfully defended.
Talk N Texts stars came together at just the right time. Ali Peek's return brought awe and inspiration to the PBA faithful. They rallied to beat the Boosters, and get a measure of vengeance in the process. They showed their superiority against a hot-shooting Powerade five.
It was a great ride for the Texters, and, through it all, the lone star who shone the brightest and played in ALL of TNT's games was decorated as the Finals MVP Larry Fonacier (186-F/G-82).
The Baby-Faced Assassin, as he is fondly tagged, averaged a shade above 16 points per game in the Finals, showing the versatility and shooting that made him a feared competitor in years past. Now, it seems theres no slowing him, and the Texters, down.
Right now the Tropang Texters are the best in the Philippines, and if one is to simply look back at their story, it would be easy to conclude that all this glory in which they are basking was, after all, inevitable.
After the JUMP the compressed game recap from PBA.ph:
From the brink of disaster all the way to the pinnacle of glory.
Talk N Text completed this incredible ride as the Tropang Texters brushed off the Powerade Tigers to successfully defend the PBA Philippine Cup championship to the delight of their cheering fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday. The Texters sprang back strong from their Game Four defeat, overwhelming the Tigers with a massive effort to reward themselves with a third title in the last four conferences
It was so sweet as it made them only the first team in 27 years to rule the most prestigious tourney in back-to-back fashion.
Reyes had his personal achievement, catching up with Jong Uichico at fourth in the all-time ladder among champion coaches. Reyes and Uichico have got eight to Baby Dalupans 15, Tim Cones 13 and Norman Blacks 10.
The eloquent TNT bench tactician, now with five all-Filipino championships under his belt, said the tragedy suffered and survived by Ali Peek and the epic comeback they pulled off against Petron Blaze in the Final Four made their latest conquest more meaningful. The Texters completed a special journey while cutting short the Tigers Cinderella ride.
Ryan Reyes (188-G-83, college: Cerritos JC) sizzled with a league all-time high 10 steals plus 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, and Ranidel de Ocampo, Jimmy Alapag, Jayson Castro, Ali Peek, Kelly Williams and Larry Fonacier had their own shining moments as they negated Gary David (187-G/F-78)'s 37-point explosion.
What cant be taken away from Powerade was the gallant stand the Tigers put up despite all their handicaps. The Cinderella team, making it all the way to the Finals after barely entering the playoffs, refused to give up even if they fell behind by 24 points in the third quarter.
But the Texters, calm, composed and simply the better team, hung in there.
Fonacier scored only 9 points, but he put in all these in a decisive run helping the Texters pull away in the second quarter.
The former Ateneo Eagle averaged 16.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the series and was named the Bayad Center Finals MVP.
Source: Game recap was compressed and compiled from PBA.ph
B-Meg outguns Talk 'N Text in OT to take title - May 6, 2012
Denzel Bowles (208-F/C-89, college: JMU) saved B-Meg from the jaws of defeat in regulation play then completely took over the game in overtime, keying the Llamados amazing 90-84 win over the Talk N Text Tropang Texters last night for the PBA Commissioners Cup championship at the full-packed Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Bowles buried two free throws with 1.2 ticks left to force the extra period and then went unstoppable all the way to carrying the Llamados to their first title in three years.
B-Meg soared back to the zenith of glory while foiling Talk 'N Texts title-retention bid in the tourney plus a chance to be the first team in 12 years to win four crowns over five conferences.
Tearing apart the Texters following Donnell Harvey's (203-F/C-80, college: Florida) exit on fouls with over three minutes left in regulation, Bowles finished with a PBA career high of 39 points that went with 21 rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal.
James Yap (191-F/G-82) made some crucial plays, wound up with 12 points and eight rebounds, and was later named the Excelroof Finals MVP.
It looked that we lost that game so many times. I had no idea what happened. We won the game and it was really amazing, said coach Tim Cone, notching a first championship outside of Alaska Milk that put him a win shy of the all-time best record of legendary coach Baby Dalupan (15 with Crispa, Presto and Purefoods).
I dont feel deserving but I take it. Were very fortunate to be here so quickly, said Cone, emerging a champion coach in his second conference with B-Meg.
Cone heaped praises on Bowles for making it happen.
We realized Harvey getting into foul trouble, and so we spread the floor and kept on dumping the ball on Denzel. He showed his ability to take punishment and have the legs to take jump shots and make them. He was phenomenal, said Cone.
The tournament Best Import saved his best for last, scoring all of his teams last 16 points, including the charities that sent the game into OT.
The first one, I had a doubt. The second one, I could feel it going in, said the young but talented 6-foot-10 player.
I didnt want to miss it. I didnt want to mess up the game. Thats big and I overcame that, added Bowles of the free throws forcing OT at 76-all.
Talk 'N Text had appeared to have wrapped up the crown in getting up 74-68 with two minutes left to play.
The Llamados, however, refused to give up, and the Texters suffered in missing crucial charities of their own.
Ali Peek went 2-of-2 from the line in the last 39 seconds, with his second missed freebie giving the Llamados the chance to tie with 13.3 ticks left.
Yap took matters into his hands, attacking the paint for a looping layup off Peek that missed.
The Llamados, however, grabbed the loose ball, and then Yap found Bowles underneath for a shot where he drew a foul from Kelly Williams.
A 68% free throw shooter, Bowles obviously felt the pressure but survived, keeping the Llamados hopes alive in the process. And his heroics didnt end there.
He piled up nine points in overtime and found his teammates piling up on him on the floor as the buzzer sounded, signaling B-Meg return top the top.
It was B-Megs ninth championship in all, tying Toyota at fourth in the all-time ladder behind San Miguel/Petron (19) and Crispa and Alaska with 13 each.
Jimmy Alapag (177-PG-77, college: CS San Bernar.) came out of his shell, sizzling with seven three-pointers and a total of 29 points, leading Talk 'N Texts effort that went in vain.
As expected, both teams came out strong and tried hard to impose ones will over the other as they fought through four deadlocks and nine lead changes before the Texters edged the Llamados, 35-34, at the half.
Alapag, the 2011 MVP who averaged only 7.5 points in the first six games of the series, hit his strides early in this contest, going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and burying 2-of-2 free throws for 11 points in the opening half.
Alapag failed to finish the game, cramping out in the dying seconds of regulation play. Ryan Reyes also went out with over four minutes left in the fourth after a bad fall.
B-Meg also had a player checking out a personal slump in PJ Simon who also made 11 first-half points on 3-of-4 clips from the field and from the stripe.
The Llamados had a better start, enjoying an eight-point lead at 19-11 but Jared Dillinger (191-G/F-84, college: Hawaii), Larry Fonacier and Ranidel de Ocampo came off the bench firing, enabling TNT to race ahead at 30-25.
The scores:
B-Meg, 90: Bowles 39, Simon 14, Yap 12, Urbiztondo 11, Villanueva 5, De Ocampo 4, Devance 2, Pingris 2, Barroca 1, Intal 0, Reavis 0.
Talk N Text, 84: Alapag 29, Harvey 16, Fonacier 11, Peek 10, Dillinger 8, Castro 5, De Ocampo 3, Reyes 2, Gamalinda 0, Williams 0, Carey 0.
Courtesy of www.abs-cbnnews.com
2012 PBA All-Star Weekend in Laoag, Ilocos Norte - May 15, 2012
3-Point Shootout, Obstacle Challenge, and the Slam Dunk Contest Meralco sharpshooter Mark Macapagal, B-MEG court general Jonas Villanueva, and Ginebras KG Canaleta each won his respective third straight title in separate events in the All-Star Weekend in Laoag City.
Macapagal beat a crack field of the leagues elite three-point shooters for the third straight time. The competition was marked by red-hot shooting in the first round, with Canaleta shooting 19 points and Macapagal, B-MEGs Josh Urbiztondo, and Petrons Marcio Lassiter scoring 16 each to advance to the final round.
Canaleta and Urbiztondo, who was a late replacement for the ailing James Yap, went first in the finals, shooting 13 points each. Macapagal proved his mettle, shooting consistently en route to 15 points. Lassiter had the final say of the competition, but the rookie jump-shooter ran out of gas and finished with just seven points.
Also competing in the three-point shootout were Renren Ritualo of Air 21, Willie Miller of Barako Bull, Gary David of Powerade, Jeff Chan of Rain or Shine, and Cyrus Baguio of Alaska.
Villanueva, meanwhile, nosed out rookie Paul Lee in an exciting final round in the Obstacle Challenge, winning by just two-tenths of a second with a finishing time of 31.1 seconds to Lees 31.3.
Finishing third was Alaskas LA Tenorio, who clocked 43 seconds, 13 slower than the time he posted in the preliminary round.
Lee had the best finish in the opening round, finishing at 27.2 seconds. Villanueva posted 29.1 seconds in round one while Tenorio finished in 30 seconds to complete the final round cast.
Also part of the field were Miller, Air 21s Jojo Duncil, Ginebras Rob Labagala, Meralcos Chris Ross, and Powerades JVee Casio.
Canaleta won his fifth title in the PBA Slam Dunk contest, but not before turning back a tough challenge from B-MEG high-flyer JC Intal in the finals.
Canaleta clinched his title by jumping over three men, including 6-foot-9 Meralco center Asi Taulava, in his final dunk, which judges scored a perfect 50. He also scored a 50 in his first final round dunk, which he made by dunking over a man.
After his dunk, Canaleta said that dunking over Taulava wasnt exactly the plan.
Hindi siya dapat kasali, pero hindi siya umalis kaya tinamaan ko tuloy, said Canaleta. He was supposed to video the dunk, pero nag-stay siya, pero sabi ko bahala na.
The former UE star needed the perfect score to edge out JC Intal, who stepped up his game in the finals of the competition. Intal scored 49 in his first finals dunk, a furious windmill, before nailing a difficult one-handed 360 for his second dunk for a perfect score.
Rain or Shine swingman Gabe Norwood, the 2009 champion of the competition, started out early, scoring two perfect dunks in the preliminary round with a reverse dunk off a bounce and a two-handed jam off the glass. But he seemed to feel the pressure in the finals, scoring 45 points on a two-handed reverse off a bounce and 48 points on a dunk from behind the backboard.
Intal, who opted to join the competition despite nursing an ankle injury, opened his campaign by dunking without shoes, earning him 44 points, before taking an alley-oop from Josh Urbiztondo from the stands, which got 46 points from the judges.
Canaleta, meanwhile, brought the house down with a one-handed dunk off a bounce that earned 50 points with his first attempt, before opting for a safe dunk with his second attempt that earned him 40 points.
Also in the competition were Elmer Espiritu of Air 21, who opened the competition with an impressive two-handed 360 dunk which he completed after three attempts (41 points) before settling for a simple one-hander for his second dunk (35 points); and Petron Blaze superstar Arwind Santos, a late addition, who earned 46 points for a difficult 360 dunk from the baseline and 42 points for a reverse Spider-Man slam.
Canaleta said this will be his last Slam Dunk contest.
Game Recaps:
PBA Legends Game: PBA GREATS over PBA STALWARTS, 143-139
PBA stars from yesterday and today engaged in a heated shootout, but it was the Atom Bombs explosion that had the most impact.
Kenneth Duremdes, the 1998 PBA Most Valuable Player, sizzled for 29 points. His teammate, 1996 MVP Johnny Abarrientos, showcased his old form for a triple-double performance, finishing with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 15 assists. Allan Caidic, the 1990 MVP, combined with Rain or Shine sharpshooter Jeff Chan for seven triples. But the star among the stars was Ato Agustin, the playing coach of the PBA Greats, who led his team to a 143-139 triumph over the PBA Stalwarts at the Centennial Arena here.
Agustin, the 1992 MVP and current coach of the Petron Blaze Boosters, finished with 19 points all in the first half, built around five triples.
Two-time MVP Willie Miller scored 29 points and issued six assists, taking over for the Greats, who trailed by 13 points, 126-113, in the fourth period. He had eight of his teams last 16 points while the rest of the team shackled their Stalwarts counterparts, who were held to just three points in the final 3:40 of the match to seal the win.
KG Canaleta and Danny Seigle provided several highlight reels with their rim-rattling slams while contributing 21 and 20 points, respectively.
Retired players like Duremdes and Abarrientos, however, were able to put on a show of their own.
Duremdes, who officially retired only last month after last seeing action in 2008, was consistent all game long. He displayed his awesome firepower, hitting jumpers and making nifty drives to the basket.
Abarrientos, an assistant coach of Tim Cone at B-MEG, showed his brilliant quarterbacking, shaking off his defenders with his trademark killer crossover several times. In one play, the Flying A breezed by two defenders before scoring on a nifty reverse layup that gave the Stalwarts a 99-93 lead with 4:57 left in the third quarter.
PBA All-Star Game: VETERANS over ROOKIS-SOPHS-JUNIORS, 176-144
James Yap scored 44 points on seven three-pointers and presided over the Veterans record-setting 176-144 beat down of the Rookies, Sophomores and Juniors squad at the Centennial Arena.
Big Game James won Most Valuable Player honors, marking his second such award in eight days after winning the top plum last Sunday in the Commissioners Cup Finals. Yap also tied with Ginebra rookie Dylan Ababou to break Samboy Lims All-Star Game scoring record, which was previously set at 42 points. Lim posted the high mark in the 1990 game a 146-118 rout for the Vets curiously the first time the league used the Veterans versus RSJ format. (The 1989 All-Star Game involved Veterans versus Rookies and Sophomores.)
The 32-point margin also marked the most lopsided in PBA history. The Veterans also set an all-time record in points scored, breaking the 163-point mark posted by the South team in an overtime win over the North.
The game was over early, with the much bigger Veterans torching the hoops to take a 53-30 lead in the first quarter. The Vets lead at the half ballooned to 95-64, turning the second half into an entertaining game of extended garbage time.
The game turned exciting late in the game as Yap and Ababou both tried to chase Lims mark. Ababou got to the record first, but Yap hit his last three-pointer in the dying seconds to get his name into the books as well.
There were also plenty of highlight plays. Sol Mercado connected with former Rain or Shine teammate Gabe Norwood for a thunderous alley-oop dunk that looked straight out of a video game. Arwind Santos, who scored 31 points, had several monster slams, the biggest off a pass from Petron Blaze teammate Alex Cabagnot.
Perhaps among the biggest highlights of the match were the respective dance entrances of the teams. RSJ came out rocking the shades, and danced to the LMFAO hit Party Rock Anthem. Not to be outdone, the Veterans came out with hoods over their heads, before revealing their zombie makeup to dance to Michael Jacksons Thriller.
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