Kings dynamic duo sets pace in BPC race

They form one of the league’s most prolific backcourt tandems but Ginebra’s Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand have found themselves locked in a fierce battle for the Best Player of the Conference (BPC) award.

Already leading the BPC race after the elimination round, Caguioa and Helterbrand further boosted their bid for the coveted plum when they helped power the Kings to an amazing 12-game romp for the first championship berth in the Smart PBA Fiesta Conference Finals.

The duo also starred in Ginebra’s two-game sweep of Sta. Lucia in the quarterfinals and a four-game rout of Red Bull in the semis.

The only other player who could break up the teammates’ duel is Arwind Santos although it all depends on his performance in Air21’s ongoing semis series with Magnolia. Tied at two games apiece, the Express and the Beverage Masters shoot for the go-ahead win in Game Five tomorrow.

During Ginebra’s 12-game run, Caguioa and Helterbrand took turns getting the Accel-Smart Player of the Week honors. Caguioa was the winner of the award in the week just past, highlighting his showing in the period with a 33-point explosion Sunday when Ginebra completed its sweep of Red Bull with a 101-97 overtime victory.

Caguioa, the 2006 Philippine Cup Best Player, is the league leading local scorer averaging 22.8 points a game while Helterbrand, the 2006 Philippine Cup Finals MVP, leads everybody in assists with 6.2 feeds per game on top of 18.6 points average.

Sta. Lucia’s Kelly Williams and Alaska Milk’s Willie Miller were in the Magic Five after the elimination round. But they have kissed their BPC bid goodbye on the early exit of their teams in the season-ending tourney.

Santos was also in the Magic Five after the elims. It’s uncertain, though, whether he would keep his spot with his performance dipping in the playoffs.

Gary David, now fully recovered from an ACL injury, has taken over as Air21’s top gun, averaging 20.9 points in the playoffs as against Santos’ 11.2-point norm.

The question is whether David would make the Magic Five in the cut-off date in the stats race after placing only 18th in the elims.

Ranidel de Ocampo and Wynne Arboleda are the other Air21 players in the BPC race, standing at No. 13 and No. 14, respectively, before the playoffs.

Danny Seigle was Magnolia’s strongest bet after the elims but injuries in the playoffs affected his performance

Meanwhile, Ginebra’s Chris Alexander and Air21’s Steven Thomas are the leading candidates for the Best Import honors.

Red Bull’s Adam Parada showed the way early on until the arrival of other behemoths including Alexander, the league leading rebounder and shot-blocker.