By Jason Webb

At the tipoff of the ongoing KFC PBA Philippine Cup Finals, there were many questions surrounding the course of this last seven-game series of the conference.

With the Alaska Aces looking dominant after sweeping Barangay Ginebra, and Purefoods looking their sharpest after disposing off mighty San Miguel Beer, the series seemed destined to be an interesting series. Or would it?

After Games 1 & 2, that question was answered with a resounding YES!

In games played brilliantly on the defensive end, we were all treated to tight games with no team going on a double-digit lead in Game 1 and that cardiac Game 2.

The combined 155 points (81-77) of both teams in Game 1 and 171 (86-85) in Game 2 may not have drawn elicit praise from the fans who love to see scoring, but the energy and intensity of the game more than made up for the lack of movement on the scoreboard.

In Game 1 which the TJ Giants took control of in the third period, the game was up for grabs to the very last second. Ditto in Game 2.

In the end, key energy and intellectual plays gave Purefoods a “giant” psychological advantage heading into the third game of the series.

While the loss would likely have coach Tim Cone deliberate on more adjustments than his counterpart, both coaches would likely have seen some weaknesses and strengths they need to solve and exploit in time for Sunday.

Seeing the games at home, there were three things I noticed that really left an impression on me.

THIS WILL BE A DEFENSIVE SERIES

Purefoods has the longest-most athletic team in the league and their lineup shows that they really don’t have any player that could be a liability on defense. Their best defender is Marc Pingris, who guarded Alaska’s most dangerous scorer on the floor at all times. Their defense can be described as a combination of height, length, athleticism and intensity.

That characteristic of their defense was able to frustrate the Aces to shoot just 40.5% from the field so far in the series, down from their 47% in the semis against Barangay Ginebra. The Giants pushed Alaska out of its comfort zone. Making the Aces set their plays from further distances that they’re accustomed to. That, to me, was their key to two victories.

Alaska, on the other hand, is also an excellent defensive team. But they play defense in a totally different way. They may not be the biggest or the most athletic team in the league, but they make up for it with discipline. Their team defense counts on the ability of each integral part to know their role and to be accountable to each other. They were partly effective in stalling the offense of the TJ Giants especially in Game 2 but were derailed by the effective scoring clip of both James Yap and Kerby Raymundo, who have combined to average more than half of their team’s points.

L.A. Tenorio guarded James Yap in the first game for two obvious reasons. Even if he’s much smaller than Yap, he’s a better defender than Willie Miller. The ploy would also be able to keep Willie’s offense fresh for the latter part of the game. Tony de La Cruz on Raymundo also seemed the better fit since keeping him on Raymundo would put their best all-around defender on Kerby while having their shot blockers in the middle to help on penetration. But in Game 1, those matchups did not go according to how Cone envisioned.

It will be interesting to see if Coach Tim deserts those Games 1 & 2 matchups or sticks with it, in the belief that both James and Kerby just had one of those accurate shooting nights in the first two games of the series.

CENTERS AREN’T THE MAIN ATTRACTION

Very obvious, for both teams, was that they struggled when their lead point guard was off the floor. Purefoods’ leads evaporated every time Roger Yap went to the bench. Alaska struggled when they tried to play without LA or Willie on the floor in the first half.

Purefoods seems to be in bigger trouble because they couldn’t get anything yet from Artadi after two games. They even gambled with Simon, hoping he could give added punch to a guard lineup that, aside from James Yap, struggled in its effectiveness in the first game.

Personnel-wise, their main advantage were the size and athleticism of Rafi Reavis, KG Canaleta, Rico Maierhofer and Marc Pingris.

Of the three, the key is Pingris because he is an infectious personality and Purefoods really rides his emotion to take carry their team like what he did the last time the Giants won the Philippine Cup in 2006 when he was named Finals MVP.

Alaska had some success with Brandon Cablay covering for the minutes of LA especially in Game 2. He could turn out to be their Coach Tim’s rabbit out of the hat in this series. But if Games 1 & 2 were merely an apparition, I see Alaska avoiding having both Willie and LA sitting on the bench at the same time.

The Aces need to get something out of Larry Fonacier or Jeffrey Cariaso since they can both open up the floor with their shooting while playing within the pace of the system. Mark Borboran was a pleasant surprise and matches up well with the length of Purefoods but his youthful exuberance can sometimes betray him.

This series headlines the best closers of the PBA in James Yap and Miller.

Their game along with the rest of the guards and small forwards should be an accurate measuring stick in sizing up the winner.

PUREFOODS’ OFFENSE IS FROM MARS, ALASKA’S IS FROM VENUS

Purefoods runs an offense anchored on the aggressive playmaking ability of Roger Yap and Raymundo. They use the rest of the “Sampayan Brigade” to get “pulot” baskets. Just like their coach, they’re a very fiery bunch who live by their high energy in grabbing loose balls and putbacks. Sometimes it’s not pretty but they don’t stop in attacking the rim. Be careful not to misconstrue aggressive for a running team, that’s totally different. They’re opportunistic, more than anything. They have the most success when games are high strung.

Alaska’s offense always has to be on even keel. They get poor results when they get too anxious. As a team, they make sure they don’t get too high or low emotionally. They get best results when they run their offense like a machine, almost void of emotion, like in the third quarter of Game 2 and the first part of the final period. They have a pace to them that is like a model strutting through the catwalk. They get to their spots and let their knowledge of their offense do the rest. They don’t like to be hurried in what they’re doing and is effective when the game is played to their pace. They are the best at forcing their pace on the opponent.

But in the first two games of this series, Purefoods is the team that is forcing its pace on Alaska. The game had players very edgy and anxious. Just the way Purefoods likes it.

When games are played very deliberately and when players let the game come to them, the Aces will likely take those games like in Game 2 which they nearly won if not for those bad breaks in the end.

But if it is played like Game 1 and we see players being anxious and forcing their will into the games. The athleticism and grit of Purefoods should prevail.

They say basketball is a game of will. And in this series, whoever can will the opposing team to play their kind of game will bring home the Cup.