#PBA2017 Commish Cup Roundup: April 21, 2017

Image from the PBA.

Game Capsules: 

PHOENIX FUEL MASTERS over ALASKA ACES, 94-86
Box Scores. 

Losing a heartbreaker to Rain or Shine on Holy Wednesday, Phoenix responded with a gutsy performance to get its 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup campaign back on track.

The Fuel Masters took advantage of a Calvin Abueva-less Alaska Aces to score a 94-86 victory Friday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Phoenix snapped a two-game skid to improve to 3-4 in the mid-season conference while the Aces dropped to 4-2 following back-to-back defeats.

Jameel McKay finished with a conference-high 42 points on top of 22 rebounds He also had two steals and two blocks.

Former Aces Cyrus Baguio and RJ Jazul also did some heavy lifting for Phoenix, helping the Fuel Masters beat Alaska for the first time in franchise history. The two veteran guards combined for 22 points in starting roles.

Missing Calvin Abueva as the Beast waits for his facial mask to protect his busted lip, the Aces have dropped two straight after starting a perfect 4-0.

Cory Jefferson led Alaska with 31 points and 13 rebounds but only JVee Casio turned in a decent performance from the local crew, scoring 14 off the bench. (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
Jameel McKay (PHX) - 42pts, 22rebs, 2stls, 2blks, 1ast.
Cory Jefferson (ALA) - 31pts, 13rebs, 1ast, 4blks, 1stl.

HIGHLIGHTS:



TNT KA TROPA over GLOBALPORT BATANG PIER, 109-88
Box Scores. 

TNT KaTropa registered what was easily the best win of their current streak, dominating the Globalport Batang Pier, 109-88, Friday in the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Big Dome.

Shooting 48 percent from the field, his best performance in the PBA so far, import Donte Greene led the KaTropa with 33 points and 10 rebounds.

Jayson Castro scored 15 points, all in the first half, to pace tne TNT locals while Ranidel De Ocampo added 14. Larry Fonacier was good for 12 points off the bench.

Malcolm White carried Globalport with 21 points and 16 rebounds but it was not enough to push the Batang Pier to victory.

Terrence Romeo added 20 as Globalport fell to 1-5 for the new conference. (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
Donte Greene (TNT) - 33pts, 10rebs, 1ast, 1stl, 4 triples.
Malcolm White (GLO) - 21pts, 16rebs, 3blks.

HIGHLIGHTS:



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#PBA2017 Commish Cup Roundup: April 20, 2017

Images from PBA.ph.

Game Capsules: 

SAN MIGUEL BEERMEN over MAHINDRA FLOODBUSTER, 109-80
Box Scores. 

The San Miguel juggernaut continued to plow through the competition in the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup as the Beermen scored an easy 109-80 victory over the Floodbuster Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The win extended San Miguel's current perfect run in the mid-season joust, improving its record to a league-best 4-0.

Alex Cabagnot had 26 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, while import Charles Rhodes was once again effective, dropping a 20-point, 18-rebound double-double.

Marcio Lassiter torched the Floodbuster with 18 built around six treys. San Miguel had it too easy in the latter part of the game that the team had the luxury of sitting out June Mar Fajardo in the second half.

Keith Wright led Mahindra with 16 points and 12 boards, but the former Ivy League star struggled shooting from the field.

With Senator Manny Pacquiao in attendance, the Floodbuster dropped a fourth straight game for a 1-6 record. (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
Charles Rhodes (SMB) - 20pts, 18rebs, 4asts, 3blks. 
Keith Wright (MAH) - 16pts, 12rebs, 1ast, 1stl, 1blk.

HIGHLIGHTS:



BGY. GINEBRA GIN KINGS over NLEX ROAD WARRIORS, 101-92
Box Scores. 

Brgy. Ginebra sent the Road Warriors to an unlucky seventh straight loss in the Commissioner's Cup after taking a 101-92 decision Wednesday at the Cuneta Astrodome.

The Gin Kings unleashed a furious third-quarter rally to turn the tables on NLEX and win a third straight game, pushing their record to 3-1 in the mid-season tournament.

With Justin Brownlee and LA Tenorio leading the way, the Gin Kings were able to push the lead by as many as 29 points, 91-62, before settling for a nine-point win.

Brownlee ended up with 18 points to lead Ginebra, 12 coming in that crucial third quarter. Joe Devance also had 18 to emerge as the top local for the Gin Kings.

Japeth Aguilar added 17 points and Tenorio was good for 13.

Import Wayne Chism paced Yeng Guiao's crew with 16 points while Rabeh Al-Hussainin accounted for 14 points. (ABS-CBN.com)

LINES OF THE GAME:
Justin Brownlee (GIN) - 18pts, 13rebs, 5asts, 3stls, 3 triples.
Wayne Chism (NLX) - 16pts, 8rebs, 1ast, 2stls, 1 triple.

HIGHLIGHTS:



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Guo Ailun is all set to take over Asia

Image from FIBA.

The players who took part in the FIBA U16 Asia Championship 2009 comprise a special group. Many of the names who graced the hardwood that year are, by now, among the mainstays of several men's national teams across the continent.

There's Zhai Xiaochuan and Ding Yanyuhang of China, Iran's Sajjad Mashayekhi and Amir Sedighi, Korean center Lee JongHyun, Ray Chen of Chinese Taipei, Ahmad Al Dwairi of Jordan, Alex Zhigulin of Kazakhstan, Delvin Goh of Singapore, and Kevin Ferrer of the Philippines.

There are some marquee names on that list, but perhaps the most promising talent to come out of that class is none other than Chinese point guard Guo Ailun.

2017 PBA Commish Cup Power Rankings - April 12, 2017

San Miguel Beer is on top!
(image from the PBA)

To say that the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup has been interesting is a gross understatement. Sure, everyone expected the Beermen to continue their strong play, but did anyone see the Meralco Bolts rising so fast up the table? How about the Alaska Aces and the Star Hotshots? 

This conference is slowly shaping up to be wide open, and we wouldn't want it any other way, right? I have SMB probably continuing to dominate in almost every remaining game in the elims, while I expect the Katropa and the Gin Kings to gain steam as the weeks pass by. I think Alaska is good enough to hold on to a top four spot, but I'm not as confident of the Hotshots' ability to do so. Oh well, let's just see how things unravel. 

Let's look at our first power rankings for this conference. 

Road to the 2017 Playoffs: Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks.
(Image from NBA.com)

Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap, center, celebrates with guard Dennis Schroder, left, of Germany, and forward Mike Muscala as time runs out in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
43-39, #5 in the East, second in the Southeast Division



Key transactions: 

The Atlanta Hawks dramatically reshaped their roster during the offseason, beginning with when Al Horford signed with conference rival the Boston Celtics, and they replaced him with Dwight Howard. While they essentially swapped one All-Star big man for another, the hope of the team was that Howard could rediscover his superstar potential after a miserable last season in Houston, and be the natural center Horford never really was. On paper, this should have been a more ideal pairing with perennially productive power forward Paul Millsap. 

What have the Wizards done right?

Image from NBA.com.

All of a sudden, I think the Wizards may have the best chance to upstage LeBron and upend the Cavaliers in the East. From a team that was up for discussion in the "Hey, which roster should get blown up this year?" conversation, Washington has zoomed up into the third seed in the conference and are just 2 wins shy of tying the Boston Celtics for 2nd spot. 

Just how good has Washington been? Well, look at this — they began the 2016-2017 season losing 8 of their first 10 assignments. They were on pace for a 16-win season. Where are they now? They are 15 games over .500, and they are looking down on more ballyhooed clubs like Toronto, Atlanta, and, ahem, Chicago. Don't even get me started on Derrick Rose's super team languishing at 13th spot. 

Jordan Clarkson is doing well representing the Philippines

Image from NBA.com.

Los Angeles Lakers combo guard Jordan Clarkson may not have grown up in Manila or any of the 7,107 islands of the Philippines, but he is still reppin' the country well as the only player of Filipino descent currently active in the NBA. 

Ever since coming into the league in 2014 (he was drafted by Washington before being shipped to the Lakers for cash considerations), Clarkson has been a rising star, and, biases aside, I think he has been the Lakers' most reliable talent this season. 

He currently norms 14.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 triples per game for the Purple & Gold. He is second on the team in scoring right behind D'Angelo Russell.

Underrated and Underappreciated Underdog Duo of the Memphis Grizzlies

Image from NBA.com.

It makes sense that two of the most underrated and underappreciated players in the league play for maybe the most perennially undervalued team. That's the case for Mike Conley, Jr., Marc Gasol, and the Memphis Grizzlies. As of this writing, the Grizz just lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 97-90, which is their second defeat in a row after rattling off four straight wins against the Bucks, Bulls, Hawks, and, ironically, the Spurs, too. Memphis is sitting pretty at #7 in the West, 5.5 games ahead of Denver. If they were in the East, the Grizzlies would be in the running for a top four seed. That's how good they are.

And that's because Conley and Gasol have been nothing short of stellar this season.

For starters, let's compare their numbers this season with their numbers from 2015-2016.

Hanbin Ng believes Singapore stands a good chance in SEABA

Image from FIBA.

SINGAPORE (SEABA Championship 2017) - Singapore have progressed rapidly in the past few years, rising through the ranks to become a legitimate threat to the dominance of the Philippines in Southeast Asia. One of the reasons for their rise has been a steady influx of young, talented and confident players, who have been gaining a lot of invaluable experience playing for the top regional club league in their sub-zone, the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL).

A prime example of an exceptional up-and-comer is none other than Hanbin Ng. The 1.94m forward  has been at the forefront of Singapore's new generation of trailblazing hoopsters bent on elevating the status of the game in their country and ensuring that the national team continues to be highly competitive.