San Miguel's size worries Cone

Alaska coach Tim Cone says he’s worried about San Miguel Beer’s size in their best-of-7 duel for the PBA Fiesta Conference crown starting tonight at the Araneta Coliseum and that’s why 6-7 Sonny Thoss may be reactivated sooner than later, perhaps in time for Game 3 or 4.

Without the injured Thoss, Alaska managed to beat Talk ‘N’ Text in Games 6 and 7 of their semifinal series as Cone had the luxury of playing import Diamon Simpson at the post. The Aces leaned on Reynel Hugnatan at four and Joe DeVance at three to form a big frontline despite Thoss’ absence.

Cone’s real problem isn’t size. It’s depth. Alaska isn’t as deep in every position as the Beermen. In Game 7 of the Texters series last Wednesday, Cone sent in only eight men, keeping Sam Eman, Jeffrey Cariaso and Topex Robinson on the bench. Against San Miguel, Cone will need every man ready to go to war because coach Siot Tanquingcen has the manpower to go 48 minutes at full throttle.

Since the Aces prefer to play a deliberate style, Tanquingcen will surely allocate minutes for Danny Seigle, Mick Pennisi and Danny Ildefonso whose years of service restrict them from engaging the enemy in an up-and-down game. That will only deepen San Miguel’s rotation.

Pennisi sat out six of San Miguel’s last seven games against B-Meg because Tanquingcen wanted more mobility in matching up with the Llamados. But Pennisi’s expected to go up against Simpson particularly as he plays physical on the low block. Dorian Pena may not be as effective on the Ace of Diamon.

Eman is an interesting piece in the puzzle. He came from San Miguel and knows Tanquingcen’s system by heart. If he doesn’t panic and plays under control, Eman could be an intimidating presence under the basket. Not that he’ll make a big difference. At least, he could provide quality time and relieve Simpson of some pressure in protecting the basket.

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Jay Washington looms as a major headache for Cone. He plays three or four and switches with Gabe Freeman, depending on where the advantage is. Tony de la Cruz will likely defend Freeman, allowing Simpson to focus on rebounding and scoring. That will leave Hugnatan or DeVance on Jay-Wash. Tanquingcen can also throw in Ildefonso, Seigle and Arwind Santos at three or four while Cone has only Mark Borboran left in the mix.

In the backcourt, Cone’s reliables are L. A. Tenorio and Cyrus Baguio with Larry Fonacier off the pines. Cariaso, Robinson and Brandon Cablay are also in the cast. San Miguel usually starts with Alex Cabagnot and Dondon Hontiveros then Joseph Yeo, Jonas Villanueva, Olsen Racela and Denok Miranda check in as relievers. To create mismatches, Tanquingcen could bring down Santos and Seigle to the two spot.

To negate San Miguel’s edge in depth, the Aces must play the Beermen like they outworked Talk ‘N’ Text – by stretching the shot clock, controlling the interior, sprinting back to prevent transition layups, slowing the tempo, maximizing possessions, keeping the scores low and switch-hitting on defense.

For San Miguel to win, Tanquingcen must figure out how to contain Simpson. If Simpson is bottled up without resorting to a double team, the Aces will be hard pressed to execute the triangle. San Miguel has the legs to run Alaska to the ground and nobody in Cone’s roster can match Freeman’s energy and athleticism. The key is to avoid too many turnovers as the Beermen like to score within seconds of the shot clock and we all know haste often makes waste.

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Cone, 52, has won 12 titles so far and is due for another one as Alaska has been a bridesmaid in two of the last three finals. He hasn’t captured a crown since the 2006-07 Fiesta Conference. Alaska is in its 25th finals appearance entering its 25th anniversary next season. Those numbers don’t happen to come together by accident. Are the Aces destined for a championship?

Tanquingcen, 37, has claimed three titles so far, two with Ginebra and one with San Miguel, which he took to the previous Fiesta Conference crown. He’s extremely motivated to prove himself particularly as it is speculated assistant coach Ato Agustin will take over next campaign. Tanquingcen won with Freeman last year – he’s out to do a repeat this conference.

In two games this conference, San Miguel downed Alaska, 95-89 and 85-74. In both encounters, the Beermen had the edge in rebounds, field goal attempts, bench scoring and second chance points. The underlying implication is the team that controls the boards and generates more bench mileage is likely to win.

Unless Alaska finds a way to dictate tempo and Simpson plays with an overpowering resolve, San Miguel could wrap up the series in five or six. If the Aces manage to force a Game 7, then it will be for Alaska to win.

Postscript. In last Wednesday’s story on the Philippine 3-on-3 basketball entry at the Singapore Youth Olympics, we meant to write that according to coach Mon Jose, a team has to bring the ball out beyond the three-point arc off a defensive – not an offensive – rebound. A team is allowed to score on a put-back off an offensive rebound without bringing the ball out beyond the three-point arc.