Spark plugs: The role players of the PBA Philippine Cup finals Paul Flores January 7, 2015 MANILA – Top seed San Miguel Beer and battle-tested Alaska start their championship showdown – a best-of-seven affair for the PBA Philippine Cup – on Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. Based on how they performed to get to this stage of the conference, most league observers believe it’s going to be an exciting series, with the Beermen getting that ‘favorites,’ tag while the Aces – well, they’ve already accepted it – that ‘underdog’ label. Looking at the rosters, it’s apparent that these squads can match up well with each other man for man. June Mar Fajardo is expected to once again tower for San Miguel, where he would be helped by Arwind Santos, Chris Lutz, Chris Ross and rookie Ronald Pascual. Calvin Abueva, meanwhile, will definitely energize Alaska, together with Sonny Thoss, JV Casio, Tony dela Cruz and Cyrus Baguio. Aside from the starters leading both teams, it’s interesting to look at the players who will come off the bench. But as they say, it’s not just about one player, or about the starting five of the two teams – it’s all about the team. And sometimes, the bench players get the job done to get the W. So before the PBA Philippine Cup Finals begin, Rivals looks at the role players expected to make an impact for both teams. Alaska Aces Veteran guard Dondon Hontiveros averaged almost 10 points per game this conference while shooting 36.8% from three-point area. He was in deadly form particularly in Game 6 of the semifinals against Rain or Shine, where he scored 15 of his game high 17 points in the fourth quarter, nailing five of seven triples, including that dagger three with less than a minute to play. The ‘Cebuano Hotshot’ also averages 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Former league MVP Eric Menk is averaging 8.3 points and 6.5 rebounds this conference for Alaska, his first with the franchise after a brief stint last season with Globalport. The six-foot-six big was able to redefine his role, from superstar to now as back up center to Sonny Thoss. Ex-Letran stalwart RJ Jazul has found his spot with the Aces as back up to JVee Casio. His averages of almost six points, three rebounds and two assists, while shooting 33.3% from three-point area has been crucial for Alaska. Rookie Chris Banchero, the fifth overall pick in the last PBA Rookie Draft, has been an effective role player for the Alaska Aces as he averaged 5.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists this conference as the team’s third point guard. A second-year guard, Chris Exciminiano has earned playing minutes as a defensive stopper, usually the one pressuring the team’s other point guard to force errors, leading possessions for Alaska. He averages 2.6 points and 1.2 rebounds. A six-foot-nine center who was originally second overall by San Miguel Beer in 2007, Sam Eman is expected to get playing minutes in this finals series as Alaska will face a team that is powered by six-foot-10 June Mar Fajardo. Eman has averaged 1.7 points and 1.4 rebounds this conference. San Miguel Beer Since returning to the Beermen, veteran guard Alex Cabagnot has come off the bench in the semifinal series against Talk ’N Text, averaging nearly 15 points, five rebounds and 3.3 assists. He is expected to play with the same intensity when SMB takes on Alaska with the title on the line. When healthy – and he is now – Marcio Lassiter is capable of putting up solid numbers. The Fil-Am guard is averaging 10.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists this conference. A pesky defender, Ronald Tubid is also helping the team in scoring as he averaged 8.7 points on 37.7% shooting from three-point land. Jeric Fortuna, the former University of Santo Tomas stalwart, is showing a lot of promise at the point guard spot, contributing almost five points and 1.4 assists per game this conference. Doug Kramer has returned from a sprained right ankle, and he will be an asset and a contributor as a backup to June Mar Fajardo. He is averaging 3.2 points with 2.3 rebounds Rico Maierhofer is another role player expected to get playing minutes as back up to Arwind Santos at the forward spot. This conference, this former La Salle star is averaging 2.7 points and 2.7 rebounds. – Rivals 2015 - LA
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 07:44:00 +0000