No prisoners taken

There’s a saying that in battle, the victor gives no quarter when refusing to spare the lives of the vanquished. It’s another way of declaring no prisoners are taken. Curiously, in the PBA, a game is split into four quarters and in the usual terms of engagement, a team gives no quarter in any quarter which is how it should be. So that in Game 7 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series between Barangay Ginebra and the Purefoods Star Hotshots at the MOA Arena tonight, expect no prisoners to be taken when the smoke of war clears at the final buzzer.

Star had a chance to close it out in Game 6 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Sunday but Ginebra stubbornly refused to go down. The Hotshots zoomed to an 11-point lead in the first quarter and Ginebra coach Tim Cone burned three early timeouts to stem the tide. Ginebra roared back behind a 19-0 blast that turned the score around from 22-11 in Star’s favor to 30-22 for the Barangay.

Cone knew that the only way Ginebra could win was to impose itself on defense.  No way Ginebra can repulse Star in a shootout. That meant Ginebra clogging the passing lanes, boxing out on Star’s offensive boards, trapping the pick-and-roll, pressuring in the backcourt and making the Hotshots bleed for their points. The focus of attention was on Star guard Paul Lee who’s deadly off ball-screens either as a scorer or a passer. Ginebra’s Sol Mercado clamped down on Lee who was held to only eight points on 3-of-13 field goals and only one assist in 31:20 minutes. Lee was virtually unstoppable in the first two games of the series which Star won as he averaged 17.5 points. But since Mercado started for Ginebra in Game 3, Lee’s average has dropped to 7.5 points over the last four outings.

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In Game 6, Star’s output plummeted from quarter to quarter. The Hotshots hit 22 points in the first period, 17 in the second, 15 in the third and 13 in the fourth. The numbers showed Ginebra’s concentration on defense. In Ginebra’s three wins in the series, Star was held to an average of 75.3 points but in the Hotshots’ three wins, they averaged 86. Similarly, in Star’s three losses, the Hotshots averaged nine assists and shot 34.7 percent from the floor. But in Star’s three wins, the Hotshots averaged 16 assists and shot 44.3 percent from the floor. When Ginebra’s defense takes the night off, Star wins. That was evident in Game 5 where Ginebra played flat and lacked the energy to sustain a tough defensive stand for 48 minutes. With Ginebra out of defensive sync, Star shot a series-high 48 percent from the floor and dished out 20 assists. But in Game 6, Ginebra stood its ground as Star could collect only 10 assists and shot a poor 31 percent from the floor.

Star’s mistake was leaving the door open for Ginebra to play Game 7. Now, Ginebra has momentum on its side and the crowd will be wildly cheering for the Barangay. L. A. Tenorio, who hadn’t scored in double figures until Game 6 where he erupted for 19, will once again lead the Ginebra charge. When Ginebra’s back is against the wall, Tenorio is the man who bails out the Barangay. This conference, he shot 30 points in the win over NLEX in the eliminations that avoided a dangerous playoff game for a quarterfinals seat and 31 in the victory over Alaska that sealed the ticket to the semifinals. 

Star’s advantage is a deep rotation. If Ginebra shows any sign of fatigue, the Hotshots will capitalize in a hurry. In the semifinals, eight Hotshots are averaging at least 15 minutes and only two, at least 30 compared to three for Ginebra. Lee, Marc Pingris, Allein Maliksi, Mark Barroca and Rafi Reavis must play beautiful music together for Star to nail that finals slot. If Star coach Chito Victolero puts Aldrech Ramos in a position where he can contribute as a three instead of a four, it’ll be a bonus if the forward breaks out of his slump. Ramos shot 55.6 percent from beyond the arc in the elims but is hitting only 25 percent in the semis with his minutes down from 24.5 to 10.5.

Reavis was outstanding in Star’s 89-80 win in Game 5 where he compiled 17 points and 13 rebounds. He was set up for rolls to the basket off ball-screens and got easy buckets from put-backs because of his length. In Game 6, Ginebra adjusted by trapping the ball-screen and packing the paint so that Reavis had little space to roll. There was also a conscious effort to locate Reavis for boxouts on Ginebra’s defensive boards. As a result, Reavis was brought back to earth with four points and seven boards in Ginebra’s 91-67 decision.

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Pingris is the Hotshot whom Ginebra must be most wary of. In Game 6, he had 14 points and 10 rebounds, his second double-double of the series. Pingris has the edge in power over Japeth Aguilar and if that’s the early post match-up in Game 7 tonight, Cone will likely adjust by sending either Joe De Vance or Dave Marcelo as a defender instead. As a post operator, Pingris likes to score with the jumphook but has no other weapon. He can muscle his way to create room against Aguilar but De Vance and Marcelo won’t be easily pushed around. Pingris’ ability to pass is another advantage especially if he’s double-teamed at the low block.

Scottie Thompson has been a missing factor for Ginebra the last two games where he averaged only 3.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. In the elims, Thompson averaged 8.2 points and 10.4 rebounds. Thompson is due for a breakout and it could come in Game 7. The problem is if he plays the three position, Thompson is matched up against Maliksi who’s taller and it takes away his rebounding because his defense is focused on the perimeter. 

Victolero has nothing to lose and everything to gain in his battle with Cone, the PBA’s winningest mentor. The pressure is on Ginebra to overcome Star, not the other way around because making it to the semifinals is already a big achievement for the Hotshots who didn’t qualify for the Final Four in any conference last season. Will Star outdo itself and barge into the finals or will Ginebra relive its never-say-die glory one more time?