Powerade got Meralco's number the first time they met in the PBA Commissioner's Cup.
On Friday the Bolts plan on not only exacting revenge, but also salvaging the mid-season tourney's lone remaining playoff berth when they tangle in sudden-death at the Cuneta Astrodome.
No less than Tigers coach Bo Perasol knows they are in for a tough one.
'We all understand the urgency of the situation. We all know what it will take to advance.Nothing is gonna be easy,' he said.
Meralco counterpart Ryan Gregorio wholeheartedly agrees.
'Last chance to book a ticket to the playoffs. This is an opportunity that we must seize and not let go,' he stated.
There are some angles to be met head-on and tackled, like the opposing teams' respective strengths and weaknesses, the latter no matter how few.
Powerade came from behind to beat Meralco 94-82 the first time they met Feb. 26 and Gregorio has used the lessons learned from not only that match but also from the others the Tigers have played in laying down a simple strategy.
'The plan is to limit their team output,' bared Gregorio. 'They are averaging 101 points per game. We cannot battle them toe to toe on offense. That can be disastrous for us. Instead, the battle plan must be executed on the defensive end. If we limit them to less than 90, then we might have a chance.'
At dead-center of Meralco's crosshairs is Gary David (187-G/F-78), who torched the Bolts for 29 points in their first meeting and has so far put up some very impressive numbers.
'His 27.9 average is the most among the locals in 20 seasons. His fiery hands must be extinguished.
Our defense against him will be the key to our success,' said Gregorio of the guard whose conference average is the highest the league has seen since Allan Caidic's 27.1 in 1991. David's season average so far is 27.9 ppg, highest in a tournament since Nelson Asayto9no's 28.8 in the 1997 All-Filipino.
'His numbers are incredible. His fiery hands must be extinguished. Our defense against him will be the key to our success,' added Gregorio.
That does not mean the likes of Marcio Lassiter, Jayvee Casio and import Dwayne Jones have been forgotten. 'Their outputs must also be limited,' stated Gregorio.
In their first meeting, Meralco started out hot but faded just when Powerade gained momentum.
Dolreich Perasol wants a reprise of that, but would be pleased even more should his charges jump the gun and sustain the attack until the end.
That is precisely what the Bolts themselves want to do and would be relying most on Earl Barron, Macmac Cardona, Sol Mercado and Gabby Espinas to lead the way.
The winner of the Powerade-Meralco match takes on the loser of the other playoff game for the No. 2 slot, between Barangay Ginebra and B-Meg, in the best-of-three quarterfinals.
Courtesy of www.pba.ph
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Energy fails bid at semis in Dubai tourney - May 25, 2013
The Barako Bull Energy rammed into a brick wall as it absorbed an 80-91 loss to Hoops Club of Lebanon in the semifinals and ended its title hopes in the 2nd Al Shabab Dubai Basketball Championship last May 24 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.The Energy Cola entered the semifinals on a four-game winning streak behind an average winning margin of 16.5 points [read more]
The Barako Bull Energy rammed into a brick wall as it absorbed an 80-91 loss to Hoops Club of Lebanon in the semifinals and ended its title hopes in the 2nd Al Shabab Dubai Basketball Championship last May 24 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Energy Cola entered the semifinals on a four-game winning streak behind an average winning margin of 16.5 points.
But against the Lebanese club team, they ran into serious trouble especially Barako Bull Energy's big men, according to assistant coach Charles Tiu .
Tiu, one of the trusted deputies of Barako Bull Energy coach Rajko Toroman, said foul trouble among the teams big men and some questionable calls contributed to the Energy Cola's sputtering end.
The Energy Cola continued their streak by demolishing US-based Team Unity, 94-63 before adding University of Sharjah (UOS) to their growing list of victims, 99-77.
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is keen to revive the aborted trade for big man Japeth Aguilar (208-C-85, college: W.Kentucky) as the Philippine Basketball Association's crowd darlings look for ways to shore up their frontline in time for the season-ending Governors' Cup [read more]
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is keen to revive the aborted trade for big man Japeth Aguilar (208-C-85, college: W.Kentucky) as the Philippine Basketball Association's crowd darlings look for ways to shore up their frontline in time for the season-ending Governors' Cup.
A high-ranking team official who requested that he not be named pending a new round of talks for the athletic Global Port Batang Pier center stressing that they are very interested in acquiring the his services.
The team will also be pursuing other possible movements whose lack of depth in the frontline became exposed in a three-game loss to the Alaska Aces in the last Commissioner's Cup Finals.
Sources learned that just before the Commissioners Cup eliminations came to an end, Ginebra made a desperate effort to swing a trade for Aguilar, offering rookie Yousif Taha, Elmer Espiritu (193-F-85), and Robert Labagala (175-PG-84) for the 6-9 center and two-time Most Valuable Player Willie Miller (180-PG-77).
Even the name of Ginebra veteran Kerby Raymundo (199-C-81) was thrown into the mix at some point during the failed negotiations, sources added.
Aguilar, formerly of the Talk N Text Tropang Texters, was supposed to be shipped to Ginebra early in the season by way of a multi-player, multi-team trade that also involved Global Port guard Solomon Mercado (181-PG-84, college: Biola, CA) and Raymundo, but the deal fell through as a top SMC official pulled the plug on the transaction at the last minute.
Ginebra's shallow frontline was dominated by Joachim Thoss (201-C-81) and Company in the Finals, and the lack of depth is expected to be more pronounced in the Governors' Cup where the Kings cannot avail of the services of a legitimate center like Vernon Macklin (208-F/C-86, college: Florida).
Imports in the season-ending tournament will be no taller than 6-5.
Even star playmaker JayJay Helterbrand (183-PG-76, college: Kentucky St.) believes the Gin Kings are a dominant big man away from going all the way.
There have also been talks that if the bid for Aguilar fails again, Ginebra may go for ABL's San Miguel Beermen Asi Taulava (206-C-73, college: BYU-Hawaii) and Eric Menk (199-F-74, college: L.Superior), both of whom should be available by the time the Governors' Cup starts in August.
However, any move for Taulava should go through the Meralco Bolts, which still owns the rights to the 40-year-old former league MVP.
The San Miguel Beermen came back strong following a disappointing semifinal opener, trouncing Sports Rev Thailand Slammers, 91-60, on May 25 in Game Two of the ASEAN Basketball League playoffs at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.The Beermen walloped the Slammers with a strong start and got a big boost from the locals to tie the semifinal series at one game apiece before heading to Bangkok for the next two games.Game Three is set on Tuesday at the Nimibutr Stadium [read more]
The San Miguel Beermen came back strong following a disappointing semifinal opener, trouncing Sports Rev Thailand Slammers, 91-60, on May 25 in Game Two of the ASEAN Basketball League playoffs at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The Beermen walloped the Slammers with a strong start and got a big boost from the locals to tie the semifinal series at one game apiece before heading to Bangkok for the next two games.
Game Three is set on Tuesday at the Nimibutr Stadium.
The ejection of import Justin Williams (206-F/C-84, college: Wyoming) in the third quarter due to a second unsportsmanlike foul hardly mattered as the Beermen already had a huge lead at that point.
The victory was the third largest winning margin in ABL playoff history since the Beermen and the Philippine Patriots posted 34-point victories against the Westports Malaysia Dragons in 2012 and 2010, respectively.
The Beermen raced to a 22-13 lead at the end of the first before a 7-0 run led to a 42-24 halftime advantage. SMB led by as many as 35 points.
The Slammers didnt have a fighting chance in Game Two as only Wutipong Dasom scored in double figures with 11 points.
Import Christien Charles (216-F/C-81, college: Villanova) only had nine points and nine rebounds while Filipino imports Luis Gonzaga and Froilan Baguion (170-G-80) had seven apiece. But the Thai locals were hardly a factor unlike in Game One.
The scores:
San Miguel Beermen (91) - Banchero 14, Acuna 14, Fortuna 13, Avenido 12, Taulava 9, Cawaling 7, B. Williams 7, J. Williams 7, Menk 5, Hubalde 3, Luanzon 0, Thiele 0.
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