It’s already 2012, so why don’t we
ring in the New Year with some more basketball!
Christmas vacation (for those who
are still in school or took leaves off of work) is winding down and it’s back
to reality. As you have probably already
heard of, the NBA is back and there is once more a balance in the basketball
world. However, with all the buzz the NBA has gotten over the past few weeks,
we have forgotten our very own local basketball league, the Philippine
Basketball Association or the PBA.
With the Christmas Season and the
holidays rolling in, being a very family-oriented culture, the PBA “shut down”
or went on a much needed leave of absence so that all the players, coaches,
officials and members of the PBA could spend the holiday season with their
loved ones. Before the PBA paused to take their Christmas Break, we were left
with Final Four after the Quarter Finals round had finished. The Final Four or
the Semi-Finals begins on January 4, 2012 with the Powerade Tigers Opening up
against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
JAN 4: Rain or Shine VS Powerade
This will surely be a very interesting
and exciting series because it pits together two very high-octane and fast
paced offensive teams. Both Powerade and Rain or Shine rely heavily on 3point
shooting and fast-breaking. With Rain or Shine, the so called “Cinderalla Team”
of the PBA (they were the first 8th seed team to defeat the number 1
seeded team in the playoffs). Led by their scoring machine, Gary “El Granada”
David, number one overall draft pick Javee Casio and former Smart-Gilas
swingman Marcio Lassiter, the Tigers look to carry their momentum of
eliminating number one seeded B-Meg into their match-up with the Elasto
Painters.
On the other side of the fence,
Rain or Shine was one of the top-scoring teams in the league this past season
and is arguably the most physical defensive team. With their array of shooters
and their sticky like glue defense, the Elasto Painters, spearheaded by dynamic
and possible Rookie of the Year winner Paul “Angas ng Tondo” Lee and veteran
Gabe “The President” Norwood, Rain or Shine looks to make quick work of the
Tigers.
JAN 5: Talk N Text VS Petron
The second game, which will be on
the 5th of January, is the more anticipated and dramatic game
between the Petron Blaze Boosters and the Talk N Text Tropang Texters. Already
known as the “Championship before the Championship” all the hype in the PBA
will revolve around these two teams. Featuring a rematch of last year’s finals
and two of the more popular franchises, look for this to be a very exciting and
down to the wire match.
With the long break, the Tropang
Texters look to come back stronger than ever as most of their lineup is finally
healthy. Being called the “Walking Wounded” for the whole season, TNT enters
the semis with a full lineup. At their fullest, the Texters are the deepest
team in the league wherein everyone of their players in the first and second
unit can come out and score in the twenties. Led by Jimmy “Mighty Mouse” Alapag
and Kelly “The Machine Gun” Williams, you can expect Talk N Text to come out
guns a blazing and prove to everybody their loss last year in the finals was a
fluke.
On the other hand, Petron, the reigning PBA
champs look to repeat and seem like the best suited team to combat TNT’s
offensive firepower. Petron will rely once more on Alex “The Crunchman”
Cabagnot and Arwind “Spiderman” Santos to carry the banner for the boosters.
Alongside their one-two punch, Petron has an array of role players in Danny
Ildefonso, Joseph Yeo, Rob Reyes and Smart-Gilas defensive Specialist Chris
Lutz. This series will surely have a championship atmosphere and will certainly
go the distance.
The NBA may be back, but it’s
Playoff time in the PBA so expect a whole lot of drama, excitement and
last-second plays in the semi-finals. This will surely be an interesting semis
for the PBA with all the storylines and subplots within each series. Let’s all
be thankful that we’re only fans because no matter what happens, we are the
ultimate winner since there are a number of fantastic games lined up for our
viewing pleasure. It truly is a Happy new Year for basketball!