Rain or Shine erased Barako Bull

Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao was caught in heavy Friday traffic, failing to make it in time for the start of the Elasto Painters’ match against Barako Bull at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

But Guiao had specific instructions for chief deputy Caloy Garcia — starting the game with seldom-used Jonathan Uyloan before bringing in the returning Paul Lee at the six minute mark in the first quarter — and the tactical moves worked to perfection in an easy 116-101 victory.

Uyloan played the game of his career, finishing with 18 points, three steals, and two blocks, while Lee played as if he hadn’t missed Rain or Shine’s past 18 games dating back to last season, contributing 16 points, six assists, and four rebounds.

They led six players who scored in double-figures as Rain or Shine finished the elimination round with a 9-5 record.


“Unexpected naming ma-le-late si Coach Yeng, but when he called up, we thought na baka hindi na siya umabot,” said Caloy Garcia, who took over the reins of the squad. “His first instruction when he called up is to field in Paul Lee after six minutes, then have Jonathan starting for us.

“The nice thing about this win was everybody stepped up.”

Jervy Cruz also scored a career-high 23 points on 10-for-17 shooting from the field.

Jeff Chan and JR Quinahan each had 11 points while Beau Belga chipped in 10 for the Elasto Painters.

The loss eliminated Barako Bull (4-10) from playoff contention, giving the Air 21 Express (5-9) the last ticket to the quarterfinals.

The scores:

Rain or Shine 116 – Cruz 23, Uyloan 18, Lee 16, Chan 11,Quinahan 11, Belga 10, Tiu 8, Norwood 8, Rodriguez 4, Arana 4, Jaime 3, Matias 0, Tang 0.

Barako Bull 101 – Seigle 21, Tubid 17, Yap 16, Kramer 15, cruz 13, Anthony 11, marcelo 8, Najorda 0, Pennisi 0.

Quarters: 32-19; 54-47; 86-66; 116-101

barako bull , jonathan uyloan , paul lee , rain or shine elasto painters , yeng guiao

San Mig Coffee against Rain or Shine; Ginebra battles Barako

San Mig Coffee and Rain or Shine collide in a crucial encounter that would take the winner closer to the No. 2 spot in the 2013 PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Mixers (8-3) and the Elasto Painters (8-4) meet at 6:30 p.m. with the winner getting an inside track for one of the remaining top two spots, with Talk ‘N Text (11-2) is expected to grab the top spot. The first and second place teams will enjoy twice-to-beat advantages in the quarterfinals.

In the opener, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel tries to extend its winning streak against Barako Bull at 4:15 p.m.

“Rain or Shine is always a challenge to play against. We’ve played a number of significant games against them lately and this is another one since the winner will have the inside track on the number two seed,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.

“We’ve got a healthy lineup for the first time in a long time against them, so we’ll see if that can give us an edge this time.”

San Mig Coffee is coming off an 89-80 win against Air 21 to bounce back from a 29-point defeat at the hands of the Tropang Texters.

The Elasto Painters of coach Yeng Guiao are coming off a 97-90 loss to the Kings to slide to third spot.

“This is our most important game. This will determine our future this conference. If we win, we’re still in the hunt for the top two,” said Guiao.

In the opener, Ginebra hopes to stay in the top four with a win against the slumping Energy Colas.

The Kings are in solo fourth place with a 7-5 win-loss mark while Barako Bull, at 3-9, must win its last two matches to stay on track for at least a playoff for the No. 8 spot.

“Maganda at nananalo kami but we still cannot let our guard down,” said Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen. “Barako Bull’s fighting for their life so all out sila. We have to keep our concentration.”

barako bull , barangay ginebra gin kings , rain or shine elasto painters , san mig coffee mixers

Ginebra hopes to extend its winning streak; Meralco eyes a bounce-back game against Barako Bull

Meralco eyes a bounce-back game while Barangay Ginebra San Miguel hopes to extend its winning streak to five as they battle separate foes in the crucial double-header of the 2013 PBA Philippine Cup on Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Bolts face Barako Bull in the opener at 4:15 p.m. while the Kings entangle with Air 21 in the main tiff at 6:30 p.m.

Ginebra and Meralco are tied in the standings at 6-6 and they try to stay in the hunt for a top four finish after the elimination phase.

Their opponents are in a must-situation with the Express clinging on the No. 8 spot with 4-8 mark while the Energy Cola are a shade behind with 3-8.


“The game tomorrow is very important for us. ‘Yung mindset kailangan pang-playoff kasi sila rin ganoon,” said Kings mentor Siot Tanquingcen.

“Maganda rin nilalaro ng Air21. Breaks of the game lang sa end game kaya natatalo. Dapat focus kami sa execution ng offense at defense,” he added.




Express coach Franz Pumaren knows Ginebra is on a roll and they need to bring their best game to stand a chance.

“Crucial game for us. We are playing a team on a winning streak. We need everybody to contribute, stay focus and stick to our game plan because the crowd will be a big factor,” said Pumaren.

The Air 21-Ginebra encounter marks the first time Mike Cortez will be facing his former team since he was traded to the Express for big man Yousef Taha.

In the opener, the Bolts try to bounce back from an 88-85 defeat at the hands of Alaska with a victory over the Energy Cola of coach Bong Ramos.

“We didn’t close out a close game the way we wanted to against Alaska. Another situation must be corrected. We will persevere. We want to bounce back strong after a tough loss,” said Meralco mentor Ryan Gregorio.
-InterAKTV

air 21 express , barako bull , barangay ginebra san miguel , meralco bolts

‘We were robbed’, Barako Bull coach Junel Baculi on San Mig Coffee win

San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone called it a “smart play.”

PBA commissioner Chito Salud said it as a “legal play.”

But Barako Bull coach Junel Baculi had a different opinion about the final play of his team’s 92-91 loss to San Mig Coffee, in which San Mig Coffee center Rafi Reavis tapped the ball while it was on the rim.

“We were robbed of a win,” Baculi told reporters after the game.

“Ang interpretation namin sa FIBA rules, if it’s still bouncing, then you can tap the ball out of the cylinder, but when the shot has a chance of going in, dapat counted.

“That’s my opinion and I’m entitled to it. For me, the shot should be counted. We ran a well-executed play and the shot has a chance of going in. For me, they should let the players decide the game. That’s an unwritten rule, but they should let the players decide the outcome.”

Baculi said he will confer with Barako Bull management about the team’s next step. Under PBA rules, a team can file a protest within 24 hours after the game.

“We will confer with the management our next line of action,” said Baculi, who also wants clarification from the PBA about which rules have been adopted by the league from FIBA.

“We would also ask which among other FIBA rules we’re adopting. As far as I know, we’re following the PBA rules. FIBA has a maximum of five personal fouls while we have six in the PBA, they’re using a 10-minute per quarter and we’re using 12-minute per quarter.”

Baculi added that the league revise goaltending rules for the benefit of teams and fans.

“They should do away with such rule, it robs a team’s chance of winning,” said Baculi.
-Rey Joble, InterAKTV

barako bull , junel baculi , rafi reavis , san mig coffee mixers

Rafi Reavis swipe out the ball as San Mig Coffee wins over Barako Bull

Rafi Reavis made a heady play in the dying seconds to help San Mig Coffee preserve a 92-91 victory over Barako Bull in a thrilling finish in the 2013 PBA Philippine Cup Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Reavis swatted the ball away from the cylinder on an attempt by Rico Villanueva with about two seconds remaining to secure the much-needed win for the Coffee Mixers.

“I don’t see any controversy there. That’s legal in our league,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.

“We’re using FIBA rule [on goaltending]. You can knock the ball on the rim. It’s not the NBA rule anymore. And it was really a smart play by Rafi. He keeps on doing that since they changed the rule four or five years ago.”

It was a sorry loss for the Energy Colas, who trailed by as much as 12 points in the third period before rallying back in the fourth quarter behind Ronald Tubid.

James Yap led all scorers with 21 points but missed a couple of shots in the closing minutes that allowed Barako Bull to get back in the contest.

Peter June Simon added 15 points, including the marginal basket, while rookie Aldrech Ramos had his best game with 10 for the Mixers, who snapped a two-game skid for a 3-2 win-loss mark.

Tubid had 17 points and was responsible for putting his team on top with back-to-back three-pointers and a feed to Villanueva to give Barako Bull 91-90 lead with 1:18 remaining.

Simon reclaimed the lead for San Mig Coffee after he followed up a Yap’s missed jumper, 92-91, with just 19.4 seconds left on the clock.

Then came the controversial finish as Villanueva’s attempt, which appeared to be trickling in, was denied by Reavis, who tapped the ball while on the rim as time expired.

Barako Bull players and officials vehemently protested the non-goal tending call.

“They should let the players decide. If you asked my opinion, it was counted,” said Barako Bull coach Junel Baculi, who will confer with the management about what steps to take. “Sayang. We were robbed of the win.”

Villanueva added 16 points for Barako Bull, whose record fell to 2-4.

The scores:

San Mig Coffee (92) – Yap 21, Simon 15, Ramos 10, Barroca 9, Gonzales 9, Pingris 9, De Ocampo 8, Devance 5, Reavis 5, Villanueva 1.

Barako Bull (91) – Tubid 17, Villanueva 16, Urbiztondo 14, Kramer 12, Pennisi 12, Najorda 9, Yap 5, Anthony 4, Cervantes 2, Alvarez 0, Ballesteros 0.

Quarters: 17-24, 42-48, 66-61, 92-91
-InterAKTV

barako bull , rafi reavis , san mig coffee mixers

Barako Bull, Talk ‘N Text wants NBA veterans as imports for Commissioner’s Cup

Two NBA veterans have emerged as import prospects for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, which imposes no height limits for reinforcements.

Al Thornton, who played for three NBA teams before signing for the Zhejiang Lions in the Chinese Basketball Association, might suit up for the Barako Bull Energy Colas after his commitment in China.

Talk ‘N Text, meanwhile, has expressed interest in tapping seven-foot center Jerome Jordan.

Sheryl Reyes, the local agent who represents Thornton, told InterAKTV in a text message that she has already talked to Barako Bull team manager Raffy Casyao about a potential deal.

“I will be going to China to watch his workout and preseason games. He is interested to come to the Philippines after his China stint,” said Reyes, who revealed that Casyao had expressed interest in her client even prior to this season.

“He told me they’re always been interested with Thornton, but never had a connect with his agents in the States.”

On Twitter, Thornton seemed to express interest in the idea.

“@FemaleAgentSR let’s get money. You got that brown bag?” wrote Thornton.

A product of Florida State, Thornton was a first round draft choice of the Los Angeles Clippers. He also played for the Washington Wizards and the Golden State Warriors.

Meanwhile, Reyes said Jordan, who was recently waived by the Memphis Grizzlies, has told her of his desire to play in the PBA, and has garnered interest from the Tropang Texters.

Jordan was drafted 44th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2010 NBA draft before being traded to the New York Knicks. He has had stints in Serbia, Slovenia, and the NBA D-League.
-Rey Joble, InterAKTV

al thornton , barako bull , jerome jordan , talk 'n text tropang texters

Alaska takes on Ginebra; San Mig Coffee contends Barako Bull

Alaska tries to extend its winning run to four games while three squads gun for a much-needed bounce-back wins in the resumption of the 2013 PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Aces face the slumping Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the main game at 6:30 p.m. while San Mig Coffee eyes to put an end to its two-game slum against Barako Bull in the opener at 4:15 p.m.

After a two losses to open their campaign, Alaska has notched three straight victories, including a 92-81 win against Air 21 last Friday to improve their win-loss mark to 3-2.

The Aces will be facing the struggling Kings, who have dropped their last three assignments after a 2-0 start.

And that somehow concerns Alaska coach Luigi Trillo.

“We understand how potent Ginebra can be. They play better with their backs against the wall,” said Trillo, who again drew a double-double game from rookie Calvin Abueva against the Express.

“They push the ball hard and they have an abundance of scorers. We will have to dig deep with back to back games for us.”

The game will feature the first time Ginebra guard LA Tenorio will face his former squad after a blockbuster offseason trade sent him to the Gin Kings.

Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen said his team just needs to play as a cohesive unit to get back to its winning ways.

“We have to play smarter and take care of the little things on both ends of the court,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Coffee Mixers try to snap a two-game slide against the Energy Colas.

“Needless to say, we need a big bounce-back game. We lost two tough games to two high-quality teams, but there were stretches in both games where we played very good basketball,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone, whose team is coming off a heartbreaking 80-79 loss to Rain or Shine last Wednesday.

“There’s no reason for us to lose confidence in ourselves. We expect to come out firing on all cylinders tomorrow.”

For Barako Bull to stand a chance, Baculi said defense would be the key in their game plan.

“We are capable of bouncing back. Again, defense will be the key. Limiting James Yap, Peter June Simon and Yancy de Ocampo is tough but can be done,” said Baculi.

The Energy Colas are coming off a tough 79-76 defeat to defending champion Talk ‘N Text last Wednesday.

-InterAKTV

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