Congratulations, Alaska Aces!
By Willie Galang
Published 19 August 2010, 11:21 • Tweet
© AlaskaAces.com.ph
Congratulations to the Alaska Aces of the Philippine Basketball Association for winning the 2010 Fiesta Conference championship and their 13th PBA crown over-all, besting the San Miguel Beermen, 4-2, in their best-of-seven Finals series. Who knew Game 6 would end up looking like an easy 102-88 win by the Aces? The series somehow proved that the heavily-favored San Miguel team was only strong on paper. This could have ended at Game 5 last Sunday had Cyrus Baguio’s triple went in at the buzzer.
I root for San Miguel in the PBA and from a fan’s point of view, this Finals could have been a much more competitive series. I don’t really know what’s going on at the Beermen’s side as their mid-Finals coaching change drama seems to have taken a life of its own and perhaps created more distraction than inspiration for the team. And as a supporter, I don’t really care who steers the squad as long as they appear to be using their personnel wisely. But looking at players sitting on the bench at critical junctures of the championship series, one has to wonder if San Miguel really wants to win this one.
Case in point: Mick Pennisi. In the early 0-2 series hole the Beermen dug themselves into, then head coach Siot Tanquingcen hardly played the sharp-shooting veteran big man. When management appointed Gee Abanilla to take over head coaching duties, Pennisi found some playing time, scored key perimeter shots and was steady in defense in San Miguel’s shaky Game 5 win. And it was Pennisi’s hot hand who kept the Beermen alive in the waning minutes of Game 6 before Alaska eventually pulled away safely. I could even mention players languishing on the bench like Lordy Tugade (who really should be the one checking-in when Dondon Hontiveros takes a breather) and Danny Siegle. But then again, I’m not the coach.
Of course, I’m not taking anything away from Alaska! They were the better team and they had the better coaches. The Aces played extremely well and maximized their size advantage, something the Beermen failed to match because of their poor substitution patterns. Had back-from-injury center Sonny Thoss (12 points, 10 rebounds in Game 6) came in the Finals 100%, I somehow feel Tim Cone’s charges could have closed this series out much earlier. Their import Diamon Simpson was a hardworker (28 points and 19 rebounds in Game 6) and asserted his presence in the paint on both ends of the floor. And Baguio (24 Game 6 points)? What an acquisition! His versatility is a good fit in Alaska’s offensive sets.
Perhaps San Miguel should just bring back Jong Uichico as head coach and stop all this recurring coaching shuffling drama at the expense of Tanquingcen.
This article originally appeared here at williegalang.com at this specific URL:
http://williegalang.com/2010/08/18/congratulations.alaska.aces
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My name is Willie Galang and I’m based in Manila. I comment on current events and popular culture plus share some personal stories as well.
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