PBA Commissioner's Cup 2013 Finals: Two Wins, One Winner, One Problem (Alaska vs. Ginebra Finals Games 1 and 2)

      Wala pa ring tatalo sa Alaska.

      Well, Ginebra at least.

      Two games into the Commissioner's Cup Finals, Alaska is a game away from capturing their first title after 3 three years.

The Beast has done a masterful job keeping the rabid Barangay silent.

     Now, I'll analyze the two games by citing one thing from each team; what one negative and positive output they did for the game, and how it will impact them the following game. I know Game 2 is done, but either way, I will still state the negative thing that impacted them.

Game 1: Alaska over Ginebra, 87 - 70

Alaska drew first blood against Ginebra in their Finals series.

Alaska Aces 

Positive output

    Now, the one thing that struck me the most for this game was Alaska's monster start, and almost perfect (we'll go more on that later) consistency. Alaska trumped Ginebra in almost every category at the start of the game. They were taking advantage of the match ups, their offense was efficient, and their energy was insane. It was the start Alaska needed to kick start the series. This will impact them in the next game by making Alaska want to defend Ginebra more, and to take advantage of the match ups that are being presented to them even more.

Negative Output

    If there's one negative thing I found against the Aces, it's that they weren't perfectly consistent. Fine, they kept their lead to a margin that was difficult to overcome come the final moments of the game. But here's the thing, the lead got cut down to 10 at around the 5 minute mark I think (I only finished the game through radio, we lost internet and cable on that day), which gave Alaska quite the scare. They overcame that, but they could have avoided that. This will impact Alaska by giving them a lesson on playing the whole 48 minutes well. They have to learn that, especially against a NEVER, and I mean NEVER say die team like Ginebra.

Sonny Thoss and the Aces did a good job on stopping V Mack.

Ginebra San Miguel

Positive output

   In such an atrocious game for Ginebra, something positive still came out for them in this game, and that's knowing that they can match Alaska's match ups by trumping them in energy. Ginebra is a team that relies so much on emotion, and they showed positive output with that by not giving up and using the adversity of a 20 point lead by making a run. This will impact Ginebra in the next game by giving them confidence that they do have a chance at beating Alaska by trumping their energy.

Negative output

   So much negative things happened in this game for Ginebra, and I'll only mention one, and that's TERRIBLE inconsistency. This will be brief. Ginebra had energy in the end, yet they came into the game flat. HOW DID THEY NOT HAVE ENERGY AT THE START OF THE GAME?!?! How this will impact them? Easy. They'll be determined to start well, and to channel the energy that they have ALL THROUGHOUT THE GAME.

Mark Caguioa's presence wasn't enough to lift Ginebra to a victory. 

Game 2: Alaska over Ginebra 104 - 90

Alaska strikes again against the Gins.

Alaska Aces

Positive Output

    The Aces showed great composure under pressure in this game, and for me, that was their most positive output. In the first quarter, Ginebra had a great start, and the crowd was definitely behind their back. Despite the crowd getting into it, the Aces kept their poise and made a run by closing the quarter leading by 2. When things got testy in the middle of the game, Alaska kept their cool and continued playing the disciplined style of play that has brought to such a level. If there's one thing that they can get from this for the next game, it will be confidence. Confidence that they can actually battle Ginebra in the toughest of situations even though the pressure is on them.

Negative Output

   Unlike most basketball fans out there, I was actually disheartened by the showing of Coach Luigi Trillo in the 4th quarter of this game. I will probably get flock for this, but hear me out. Around the 3 minute mark if I remember, Alaska had a 14 point lead. For most cases, this was a good thing, but for this case, it wasn't. Alaska had a 19 point lead before that, and all of a sudden, it got cut down to 14. The worst part was, even though it was cut down, Alaska still didn't adjust, or at least adjust well enough to counter Ginebra's rally. The lead then melted to 8, then they made the adjustment I've been waiting for. Calvin Abueva replacing Dondon Hontiveros. Now, I understand why Coach Luigi kept Dondon. He had the hot hand. He shot THREE straight treys. He was on fire. But the thing is, what he did was a very un Luigi Trillo type of thing. He relied too much on offense. Ginebra took advantage and scored a bunch of points. They got momentum, which gave them more confidence in the offensive end, even when Abueva went in. Overall, the negative output that I found was Coach Luigi getting trapped into a shootout. The lesson he can learn? Rely on what brought you to this stage. One word; DEFENSE.

The Boss had another great showing against the San Miguel backed team.

Ginebra San Miguel

Positive Output

    Other than trumping Alaska's energy, one positive thing that I found with Ginebra's play was the ability of the locals to step up. Rob Labagala gave Ginebra a spark in the middle of the game where Ginebra was getting bulldozed by Alaska. JayJay Helterbrand was instrumental in the late game scare of Ginebra. Kerby Raymundo started hitting his outside shots, which could prove to be helpful with giving Macklin space to operate. They can bring this to the next game by being more creative with their plays. Instead of relying on the pick and roll with Tenorio and Macklin, or just dumping the ball to V Mack, they can explore their options and create plays that could diversify the offense of Ginebra more.

Negative Output

    Other than being inconsistent, Ginebra relying TOO much on their emotions cost them this game. Come the 1st quarter, they were pumped, then when Alaska made a run, they started to get disheartened. Alaska blew them away, then all of a sudden, when their never say die spirit came alive, they made a run in the end but it was too short. Ginebra has to learn how to be more disciplined. They can't keep on relying on their emotions. They have to learn how to channel their emotions to create good fruit to the team. They have to play smarter. They don't necessarily have to outsmart Alaska, but they just have to play smarter.

Ginebra tried their best to stop The Beast and the Aces.

    Now, what shall we expect for Game 3? Well, I personally expect it to be close, and I honestly cannot decide the winner. Alaska has proven to be good under the clutch, while Ginebra has the never say die spirit in them. Ginebra will play with a sense of urgency, while Alaska will try their best to not fall into the trap of playing emotional basketball against Ginebra. In the end, it will all come down to defense and energy. For the sake of making a decision, I expect Alaska to go all the way and sweep this series, and they'll win the game by 3 points, although, as I said, it is anybody's game.

Game 3 between the Alaska Aces and the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel will be shown on TV 5 and broadcast on 92.3 FM and 918 FM on the radio at 7:30 PM. The game will be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.