STREET SPORTS: Mid-Season Review
We are in the mid-season of the MPBL (Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League) and let us check on how our two local teams are doing. As of this writing, the Bacolod MassKara City of Smiles and the Negros Pau Muscovados have a win-loss record of 5-9 which are currently tied for 10th and 11th place in the South Division. Both teams are out of the 8-team playoffs.
I think both teams have the same issues: “a lack of reliable go-to scorer in the 4th quarter”. One in the mold of a Balti Baltazar of Pampanga, Will McCaloney and Byron Villarias of Nueva Ecija or Jhan Nermal of Bacoor. I have observed that in most games, usually the Negros-based teams would make a big lead – like more than 10 points at the half or deep into the 3rd quarter – then the opposing teams would comeback from that deficit to win the game. The Muscovados have tried to remedy this problem during the MPBL trade deadline by adding 2 established endgame scorers in Jun Manzo (formerly of UP and Pasig) and Ichie Altamirano from the Muntinlupa Cagers. They also added local players Arben Dionson and Janjan Pastias. A big loss for the Muscovados was shooter Robin Rono, who transferred to the Quezon Huskers. It remains to be seen if these moves will be successful.
The MassKara City of Smiles, on the other hand, seem not to have added players during the trade deadline. They did lose James Mangahas to the Manila Stars and Pastias to the Muscovados. They still rely on scorers Val Chauca and Donmark Matillano for points. Chauca can deliver the points at crunch time in the 4th quarter at times, but needs to be consistent. Brace yourself as we watch the rest of the MPBL season and see how our local teams fare. Can they muster a miracle to make the playoffs?
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Gilas Pilipinas has regained the basketball crown it lost to Indonesia last 2021 SEA Games. In a thrilling finale in Phnom Penh, Gilas Pilipinas defeated host-team Cambodia (reinforced by 6 naturalized players) with an 80-69 win to avenge an earlier 68-79 loss to the Cambodians during the elimination round. Naturalized player Justin Brownlee was the star of the show, with 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Gilas team also beat Indonesia, 84-76, in the semifinals in a hard-fought game in which they had to come from behind and only grabbed the lead in the last 5 minutes. Much criticized head coach Chot Reyes earned some rare praise from the Gilas fans as he steered the team to victory. Their 19th gold in 23 editions of the SEA Games basketball. It was one of the sweetest victories of Gilas in the biennial games. But I think winning gold in the 32nd SEA Games 2023 will not be as straightforward as in the past wherein an RP team can just send a team of college, even high school players and they can win every game by more than 30 points. Other countries have developed their basketball program and skills and are even following the model of the Philippines of sending a number of naturalized players to the SEA Games. I think from now on the Philippines will have to be sending close to their best players and have a good preparation for the games, as every SEA Games tournament they join from now on will be having hard-fought and close games.
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One of the most surprising NBA seasons had just concluded with a surprise. The Denver Nuggets won their first ever NBA championship in franchise history, defeating the Miami Heat, 94-89 to win the NBA Finals series 4-1. Big man Nikola Jokic was unstoppable in the paint and even from the outside during the entire series, with 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 assists in Game 5, en route to winning the NBA Finals MVP trophy. He was ably supported by point guard Jamaal Murray, who averaged 21.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Finals, recovering from a gruesome ACL injury that sidelined him for almost 2 years. The Denver Nuggets built its team silently, away from the spotlight of more glamorous teams in the NBA, adding veterans like Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jeff Green, Bruce Brown and Deandre Jordan to give support to their top 3 scorers Jokic, Murray and Michael Porter, Jr. and eventually it paid off with an NBA title. I give props too to Coach Michael Malone for leading the Nuggets, beating much more heralded teams, who had made news with some big name trades and acquisitions during the season like the Phoenix Suns, LA Lakers and the Heat, during the course of the NBA playoffs. I think this proves that a team doesn’t need to acquire big-name superstars to win championships. They can build their roster long-term and just add the pieces they need around their existing stars and eventually they will get rewarded with their effort. *
Pio Alessandro S. Ozoa is a graduate of BS Computer Science at USLS. A big fan of sports, especially basketball. A late bloomer when it comes to playing the game, he watches sports on livestream often as a deviation from the stress and pressure of everyday life.
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