The Cebu Ninos are for real

For those who doubt how good are the M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala Cebu Ninos outside of the Philippine Basketball Association, well believe the hype.

In extending their remarkable winning streak to 25 games (not counting those tune-up games against the likes of Smart Gilas and PBA clubs), the Cebuano cagers etched their name into the history books as the first-ever leg champion of the Tournament of the Philippines, the joint venture between the Philippine Basketball League and Liga Pilipinas.

The Ninos finally showed what kind of a team they are when they scored a masterful 87-73 victory over the PBL's Ascof Lagundi in the finals of the Manila leg held at the Emilio Aguinaldo College gym.

It felt like another title for the M. Lhuillier and coach Yayoy Alcoseba once again showed his stoic but contented smile as his players whooped it up.

For Alcoseba, he felt it was the best game they played since coming over in Manila.

"This was perhaps the best game we played in the leg as seen in the way we played in this finals," said Alcoseba.

Although they swept all three elimination round games, the Ninos showed flashes of rust and sluggishness since playing their last tournament came in the Liga Conference III in November (that completed a rare 21-game sweep).

Still, M. Lhuillier was able to hurdle Ani-FCA (which has its own streak although not everyone would be proud of), Treston Laguna and Ascof Lagundi.

How good are the Ninos even on bad days?

On offense, they move the ball well. The addition of Warren Ybanez (the Finals MVP for the ASEAN Basketball League champion Philippine Patriots and should have made the Barako Coffee roster) solidify the backcourt alongside Stephen Padilla even without wily guard Woodraw Enriquez because of a cervical spine injury he endured after a fall against the Alaska Aces in a tune-up game.

Their big men, Marlon Basco (who is a bit more bulky than his Ginebra days), Abby Santos, Frank Nailon and Nat Cruz, aren't the biggest and athletic Cebu had but they challenge every shot inside on both ends leading to numerous rebounds. As seen against Ascof, they were able to outhustle and forced big men Vic Manuel and Raymond Aguilar to muff inside baskets.

They also have good scorers. Mark Magsumbol is underrated but can hit the jumper and drive inside while Bruce Dacia is a shadow of his former self (high-flying days in the MBA) plus injuries has slowed him down but makes up for it with a decent outside shot.

Perhaps, one key ingredient for this team is the cohesion they have. Cebu isn't as strong this year unlike its Conference III roster (the bench is more deeper back then although the core remains almost the same) has been together even before Liga Pilipinas was formed so almost everyone is familiar with each other.

Back to Padilla, age has somehow slowed down the former pro cager but not his outside shot. He squares up well and shoots consistently. No wonder, he holds the record for the most of threes not only in the MBA and in Liga. And thus far, he carries the TOP record (firing eight against Ani-FCA).

And with the Ninos' huge 19-point deficit reduced to just six entering the fourth quarter, in came Padilla and less than 20 seconds fired a three-pointer from the right elbow.

Later, he made two more from rainbow distance and by then Cebu was ahead by 15 and never looked back.

With this win, are the Ninos the team to beat? There are still teams that are also capable of winning this initial tournament.

Misamis Oriental, Cebu's chief rival, is expected to field a strong lineup (probably with Patrick Cabahug and Khiel Misa there) and Cobra Energy Drink has enlisted three ex-UE Red Warriors who are coming off stints in the ABL (Elmer Espiritu, Val Acuna and Rudy Lingganay) plus bullstrong Pari Llagas and Jorel Canizares.

We'll see. Eight more legs to go.

PBL-Liga: A match made in heaven?

After months of negotiations and planning stages, the seeds of the merger between the Philippine Basketball League and Liga Pilipinas which is dubbed as the Tournament of the Philippines starts tomorrow at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Nine teams will join this tournament, a preparatory for an eventual merger, with three coming from the PBL (Ascof Lagundi, Cobra Energy Drink and Ani-FCA) and six Liga squads (Cebu, Misamis Oriental, Laguna, Taguig, Mandaue and General Santos City).

Debuting in the first leg, since this cagefest will use the traditional Liga format that gives corresponding points based on performance for each leg, are host Ani-FCA, Ascof Lagundi, Cebu and Laguna.

Officials from both leagues expressed optimism with the partnership which they hoped for a full-blown merger come the next conference around October.

But is it going to be a match made in heaven?

This tournament will play a factor in whether an merger would occur. There are a number of issues that both leagues will face such as costs (which PBL teams need to adjust), logistics and personalities involved.

The longevity of the participating squads is also a concern. PBL teams deal with the way their respective companies perform in the economy. They usually lose money on advertising expense to run a basketball team as a way to promote their product.

On the other hand, Liga squads (except for the likes of Cebu) survive on support of the City government. Certain public officials give their thumbs up on fielding teams in also a way not only as part of their local government's sports program but also promote themselves as a good public service person (yeah, that's the harsh reality of it).

So a mix of commercial and provincial teams plus officials of both leagues in one tournament. It's makes the TOP interesting to observe as they hold their first leg. It's either going to be a PBL or Liga-dominated flavor but the idea of later seeing the fancied Cebu Ninos, with an immaculate 21-0 record, against a Cobra team, perhaps with some former UE players and Jai Reyes on its fold, or Ascof with PBL MVP Vic Manuel leading the pack.

Let's see how this PBL-Liga tourney goes.

A tale of two NCAA teams, with reflections from the one who wrote this entry

I was born at the Perpetual Help Hospital in Las Pinas 24 years ago. Back then it's exterior was like any typical hospital built during the 70's and 80's. Now it looks like a cavernous place that would make Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis remind of the Oakland Coliseum.

Near that hospital is the school itself, then known as Perpetual Help College of Rizal. It would later became University of Perpetual Help Rizal, then University of Perpetual Help Dalta System and now University of Perpetual Help System Dalta. Still, its cheering squad would chant U-P-H-R! regardless of the recent name changes.

I have many memories about that school. I didn't study there but I remember the 1995 BF Resort interbarangay finals was held at their gym (It was played there for fear that a team would sabotage the tournament) with my brother's team - The Trojans - winning the title.

Our team, Bloomfield Academy played there in 2002 (I was in fourth year high school back then). We played Bernardo College in the annual Las Pinas Private Schools Association (LAPPRISA) and fell by 17 points in the first half. I was in early foul trouble but we managed to make a huge comeback cutting it to four only to falter down the stretch. Perhaps one of those memorable losses I always remember.

As far as Perpetual's NCAA team is concerned. The Altas aren't the toast of the league. It rarely made the Final Four even with the likes of Chester Tolomia, Gilbert Malabanan and Jojo Manalo on the squad. (The three would be part of the Welcoat-Shark rivalry in the PBL). So I was glad that the team made it in 2004 finals (after a heartstopping Final Four thriller against San Beda) led by that deadly scorer in Noy Javier and point guard Khiel Misa. Unfortunately, they ran into the PCU Dolphins of Gabby Espinas, Rob Sanz and Jason Castro (the hero of Game 1) and got swept in that series.

Since then, things haven't been doing well for Perpetual basketball, enduring several losing seasons. But the arrival of coach Boris Aldeguer and a number of recruits, ironically from PCU, has rejuvenated the squad.

Aldeguer, who perhaps travels about 30 minutes to an hour from his Alabang home to campus, is looking to transform this team into a contender much like what he did with La Salle Zobel in the UAAP juniors division. He hopes to make this squad competitive in three to four years time.

Jump shift to Emilio Aguinaldo College. We'll all I can say is, I used to hate the Generals big time!

As a college student at De La Salle University-Dasmarinas, I've seen a lot of great DLSU-D-EAC games in the UCAA and NCRAA. But for the most part, the Generals mostly went home with the W.

EAC achieved a three-peat in the UCAA from 2004-2006 and won one NCRAA cage crown in 2005 led by the likes of forward Nino Songco, lefty shooter Bong Melocoton and perhaps the greatest player in school history - Ronjay Buenafe.

Some of my memorable matches were the opening of the 2004 UCAA season at the Rizal Coliseum where the Generals spanked the Patriots behind Songco's inside game. Another came in 2007 UCAA tournament when both teams figured in a bench-clearing skirmish at a super empty Arena in San Juan that began with DLSU-D's Leo Pelayo (a former classmate in a Religious Education subject) and EAC's Gino Lapuz. The incident saw the ejection of a total of 14 players from both sides.

The best clash of these two schools came in the 2005 UCAA finals. DLSU-D won Game 1 at home to move one step closer to the school's first-ever championship but EAC answered with a Game 2 win in front of its home floor in Ermita, setting up a third game at the San Andres Sports Complex.

And in Game 3, the Patriots were on the verge of winning the big one (although not as big as the UAAP or the NCAA) leading by 13 points in the fourth quarter until Ebuen made it a one man show and eventually tied it at 70-all with under a minute left.

DLSU-D tried to regain the lead but missed a shot opportunity and a seldom-used player (I forgot his name) was fouled with no time left. He muffed the first try to the delight of a few Lasallians in attendance who wished for the contest to play five extra minutes. But to their disappointment, he calmly sank the second freethrow and the Generals won their second straight UCAA title. They completed the "Grandslam" the next year beating St Francis but would not have been a reality had the Patriots avoided their customary act of wasting leads and for the Generals to complete their customary comeback.

Anyway, when this team got the nod as one of the teams that entered the NCAA last year, I was happy. A part of me said that it's a chance for DLSU-D to compete for the crown but other than that it's about this successful college team maturing. They placed eighth last season and the Generals will have to deal with the agony of losing for the next few years.

There are no more Buenafes or Ebuens leading the team. It's now Argel Mendoza as their top player along with Yaya brothers - a bulky Lowell and a medium-built Russell - and also former UST Tiger Emilio "Milan" Vargas (who was mistakenly called by a Champions League barker as Emilio Garcia when he played for the Tigers).

So maybe you're wondering what is this all stories about? We'll I just relate it to the game they played in the Filoil Flying V Invitational at The Arena in San Juan. It's a bit of a meaningless game as two teams are a bit down in the standings although Perpetual sports a 2-3 record while the Generals tote a dismal 0-6 card.

I decided to watch the game until about three minutes in the fourth quarter while dealing with some articles that I have to finish. The scoreboard said Perpetual up 61-55 with about three minutes to go. I just learned that the Altas erased a 15-point deficit to take the lead.

However, EAC, determined to get its first win, rallied in the homestretch and a hook shot by Vargas tied the game at 72-all with 54 seconds left.

Perpetual's Arnold Danganan, a talented lefty guard formerly from the NAASCU's STI Olympian, scored two of his amazing 20 fourth quarter points (he finished with 29) to regain the lead only for the Generals' Jay Santos to bury a three from the right corner for a 75-74 lead with six ticks left.

But one clutch shot deserves another (changed the word from one lucky shot deserves another. Isn't that right Jason Richardson and Ron Artest?). Danganan was the inbounder for the Altas a threw a lob pass into the deep baseline and Marlon Gomez caught the ball.

Guarded by an EAC defender tightly, Gomez was still able to make a small spin and then stretched his arm for a high percentage shot the ball and luckily rolled into the rim and Perpetual went up 76-75 with three seconds left. The Generals had no time outs left and tried to go for one last shot but ran out of time. Perpetual wins!

With that, the Altas won their third straight and is now 3-3 to keep their quarterfinals bid alive. EAC finished its initial stint in this preseason tournament losing all of its seven games to the dismay of the coach Nomar Isla and his wards. It can only end its stint by doing its unique salute while singing the school hymn and move on to prepare for the NCAA season.

"I really expected this to be a close game knowing the fact that EAC hasn't won a game," Aldeguer said during the postgame interview.

Earlier, he praised Danganan's big performance and was surprised to know he scored 20 points in the fourth saying, "He was really feeling it." and described the play for Gomez's basket mentioning that there was somehow a slight miscommunication (citing a screen for Jet Vidal that wasn't executed) that luckily went in their way.

At the end of this rainy day, one team moves on with a chance to reach the next round while another bidding goodbye without a win yet hoping it won't be the measuring stick of how they would fare come the NCAA season.

One (more V-League title) For UST!

University of Santo Tomas' Rhea Dimaculangan made her customary serve and the ball sailed past the net and into San Sebastian libero Margarita Pepito.

Usually, it would be an easy reception on that sequence. But alas, Pepito botched the reception and the ball sailed into the first row and all of the sudden the Tigresses ran into center court to celebrate another championship.

The Espana-based squad are winners again, for the third straight time in the Shakey's V-League, a 25-20, 25-27, 25-12, 25-15 over the Lady Stags.

That error epitomized the story of this third-and-deciding game to decide the champion of the league's First Conference of 2010 and also characterized what these two protagonists are made off.

UST, a team used to crucial situations, plays loose and executes near-flawlessly even without injured star Angeli Tabaquero and a hobbled Maru Banaticla.

San Sebastian is perhaps the league's version of the 1990's Atlanta Braves. The Lady Stags have been a contender each conference only to lose in the finals fives times in six appearances.

Contributions were scattered for the squad of Shaq delos Santos. Aiza Maizo, obviously was there and made statement shots with her power spikes that truly made her a deserving Finals Most Valuable Player for the second straight conference.

Veteran Mary Jean Balse showed her veteran presence and was also key in keeping the Tigresses consistent on the receiving end. Of course, who can forget her four service aces in 9-0 run in the third set that turned a slim 12-9 lead into a 21-9 advantage.

Dimaculangan, of course, with her service and also sometimes surprise the San Sebastian receivers with some drop balls. Maika Ortiz defended and scored on quick points.

And maybe the game-changer was lanky Dindin Santiago. After spending the first two games on the sidelines, she was inserted into the starting lineup, produced nine points on blocks and quick points.

Solid game for Santiago but nonetheless played a big factor. Her performance did put things in perspective. Rumors are circulating everywhere that this conference might be the last time we saw her in a UST uniform, perhaps joining another UAAP team that has overnight became a major recruitment powerhouse.

It's tough to speculate but it seems that this win validated those reports when you her getting emotional with tears and teammates hugging you with total love. But then, we'll find out soon.

Possibly, tears and disappointment was felt on the other side of the fence. It was San Sebastian's fourth loss to UST in a finals series. Perhaps hurting more is Thai import Jeng Bualee.

Since making her V-League debut in 2006, Bualee has developed into one of the league's most popular players and also the epitome of some volleyball fans who dislike the idea of allowing teams to hire Thai imports in order to be competitive.

But despite all the individual accomplishments, she is a queen without a crown. In five finals appearances, including the recently-concluded series, Bualee has yet to savor the taste of winning a V-League championship.

Bualee, who had 16 points, did try to give San Sebastian its second league crown but all of her shots were almost thwarted by the UST blockers and sometimes when the ball sailed past them, it only led to shots that landed outside.

So it will wait till next conference for this Thai import again. Same goes for Roger Gorayeb, who was obviously disappointed with the loss citing lack of effort from his squad and commit almost two dozen errors (22 to be exact) in most important game of the tournament.

Unless the Lady Stags get that mental approach in winning V-League, they will have to deal with more heartbreaking defeats.

The end of the First Conference saw UST as winners again and the league's balance of power retaining the status quo.

Hey Barangay Ginebra, 'Miller Time' has finally arrived!

It's been almost a month since Willie Miller was dealt to the Barangay Ginebra Kings in exchange for the equally-talented Cyrus Baguio.

Since that blockbuster trade, the two-time Most Valuable Player winner has yet to make an impact with the Kings. With a deep roster, particularly on the guard spot filled with veterans Jayjay Helterbrand, Mark Caguioa and Ronald Tubid, Miller has been forced to play a limited role similar to what Baguio encountered during his one-year stint with the Kings (he came over from a trade with Burger King, now Air21).

So what a perfect time for the "Thriller" to prove himself that he is still a big-time player even with a star-studded roster - a Wednesday night game with sister team San Miguel Beer, winners of nine straight and the solo leader in the PBA Fiesta Conference, in front of a good-sized crowd at the Big Dome.

Good thing, I was able to watch this game with Manila Standard's Jeric Lopez. We arrived in the second period after covering the Filoil tournament at The Arena in San Juan (Earlier, Air21 survived past Barako Energy, 99-98 after wasting a 31-point lead!). Ginebra was up by a slim margin and later hiked its lead to 62-48 at the half. By that time, Miller had 13 points.

But the Beermen tried to close in for most of the second half. The likes of Jay Washington and Arwind Santos contributed more on the defensive end while combining for a few baskets, point guard Alex Cabagnot had an all-around game (although spent some time on the bench to let Olsen Racela try to make SMB take the lead but he was soon back on the sidelines).

Import Gabe Freeman, meanwhile, was his usual self - using his athleticism and playing aggressive basketball that saw him at one point made a difficult tip-in off a missed shot. (I'm still amazed everytime he plays. It's been a while since I saw him play live in action. I covered his games with the ASEAN Basketball League champion Philippine Patriots.

The Kings, though, kept the lead with a mixture of productions from Helterbrand, Rudy Hatfield and import Mildon Ambres. Eric Menk spent most of the second half on the bench after a solid first half. Seems like coach Jong Uichico noticed he struggled when he was suddenly guarded by Freeman.

It was still close with around five minutes left. Dondon Hontiveros cut the lead to six, 91-88, on a three-pointer.

By then, it was Miller Time.

After hitting a three prior to Hontiveros' shot with the shot clock winding down, Miller later knocked another one with about three or two seconds left on the 24 keeping the Kings up by a solid margin.

A few possessions later and with maybe four seconds on the shot clock, Ginebra found Miller again - this time open on the right side. Hontiveros rushed to guard Miller faked then hit a leaner at the buzzer and all of a sudden it was 99-88 with more than two minutes left.

Virtually, it was game over and most fans, convinced that Ginebra had already won, headed towards the exits, perhaps some rushing to catch the last MRT ride.

Game ends with Ginebra winning 104-90, its eighth win in 12 games for third behind idle Talk N' Text while handing SMB its second loss of the conference but is on top of the standings with a 10-2 slate.

Miller, whose last big game performance I saw from him was perhaps during the 2007 Fiesta Conference when he powered Alaska to the championship, finished with 26 points and eight assists, a far cry from his near 8 and 3 averages since joining Ginebra. He also made 4-of-5 threes in 35 minutes.

Stat-wise and impact-wise, this was his best game since the trade. For sure, this kind of performance will be very rare for Miller in the next few games, given the talented lineup Ginebra has.

But those rare "Miller Times" could be very special