Dream night of hoops

On opposite sides of Metro Manila in two classy venues, basketball fans will be treated to two incredible events tonight. It’s not often that something like this happens. The stars are aligning to bring hoop heaven down to earth and the challenge is in deciding which event to go to.

At the Araneta Coliseum, the PBA is winding up the semifinals of the Governors Cup with a twinbill that is guaranteed to rock the Big Dome. The first game pits Rain Or Shine (9-4) against B-Meg (9-4) while the nightcap features Barangay Ginebra (8-5) against Talk ‘N’ Text (8-5). The winner of the curtain raiser advances to the finals outright with a 10-4 mark and the loser drops to 9-5, the record of the survivor of the second contest. That means the Rain Or Shine-B-Meg loser will battle the Ginebra-Talk ‘N’ Text winner in a playoff on Friday to decide the other finalist.

The Elasto Painters posted an 8-1 record in the eliminations but they’ve been shaky in the semis, losing three of four with Meralco their only victim. Still, Rain Or Shine has two chances to barge into the finals for the first time in franchise history. If the Painters beat B-Meg tonight, they’re in. If they lose, the Painters get another chance on Friday, playing the Ginebra-Talk ‘N’ Text winner. Team owners Terry Que and Raymund Yu are at the edge of their seats. The team’s first-ever finals appearance is within reach but coach Yeng Guiao needs the clincher to make it official. Guiao knows what championship pressure is like – he’s won five titles so far, two with Swift and three with Red Bull. It would be a huge feather in his cap if Guiao, a former national coach, could deliver a first title to Rain Or Shine.

Like the Painters, B-Meg is knocking on the door to enter the finals. The Llamados are fresh from capturing the Commissioner’s Cup with Denzel Bowles, now playing for New Orleans in the NBA Summer League, and coach Tim Cone would like nothing better than to establish B-Meg’s championship credibility. Cone said winning his first title for B-Meg couldn’t be more difficult than bagging the next so he’s challenged by the goal of going back-to-back.

If the Painters’ Jamelle Cornley and B-Meg’s Marqus Blakely cancel each other out, the locals will make the difference between winning or losing. Bench will be a critical factor. In the elims, Rain Or Shine nipped B-Meg, 100-94, in overtime but Marc Pingris wasn’t suited up for the game. Guiao will treat the game like a do-or-die as he should. He’s not thinking of a playoff on Friday.

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In the other game, the Texters hope to extend their win streak to four. Coach Chot Reyes is on a roll, winning seven of his last nine. The Tropa must survive Ginebra tonight and the Rain Or Shine-B-Meg loser on Friday to crash the finals for the chance to bring a rousing closure to Reyes’ PBA career. Reyes is relinquishing the Talk ‘N’ Text reins to Norman Black next season to focus on coaching Smart Gilas and his job as executive director of the MVP Sports Foundation. The Texters opened the conference on a sour note, skidding to a 1-3 start, but as Jayson Castro, Jimmy Alapag and Ryan Reyes got healthy, things began to percolate. Now, they’re two wins away from returning to the finals.

But Ginebra is just as motivated as the Tropa. In the semis, the Kings roared to a 3-0 start, bringing down Meralco, 89-76, Petron, 87-85 and Rain Or Shine, 95-86. They lost a two-pointer to the Texters in the elims and are itching for payback. Coach Siot Tanquingcen’s squad appears to be peaking at the right time. Kerby Raymundo, Jay-Jay Helterbrand and Rudy Hatfield are back on track. Tanquingcen’s problem is managing minutes for his players. Can you believe KG Canaleta has played only once in the semis so far?

Ginebra import Cedric Bozeman is a certified blue-chipper who believes in the team concept. He didn’t even score in the 20s in Ginebra’s three semis wins, preferring to get teammates in the flow of the offense. Against the Texters, his defense on Paul Harris will be put to an acid test. Harris is a no-nonsense trouper – he wears his hard hat to work night in, night out. In the Texters’ last two do-or-die games, he averaged 32.5 points, making a strong statement that he’ll carry the team on his back if that’s what it takes to pull through.

Over at the MOA Arena, the visiting Professional Basketball Alumni Association (PBAA) team will take on the PBA legends at 8 tonight. More than any of the NBA stars in the lineup, the man of the moment is coach Oscar Robertson. The Big O, 73, will sit on the visitors’ bench and call the shots. He was the NBA’s MVP in 1964 and seven years later, won a ring with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and the Milwaukee Bucks. In his 13-year NBA career, the Big O averaged 25.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 9.5 assists in 1,040 games. In 1960, Robertson played on the US team that captured the gold medal at the Rome Olympics.

The touring team is made up of Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Mitch Richmond, Bryon Russell, Cliff Robinson, Jason Williams, Charoy Bentley, Alexus Foyle, Jeff Trepagnier and Chris Campbell. The youngest player is Bentley, 23, and the oldest is Rodman, 51. The tallest in the roster is the 6-10 Robinson.

The PBA legends are playing coach Jerry Codinera, Bal David, Noli Locsin, Marlou Aquino, Nelson Asaytono, E. J. Feihl, Vince Hizon, Bong Hawkins, Jojo Lastimosa and Kenneth Duremdes. The youngest is Duremdes, 37, and the oldest is Lastimosa, 48. The problem facing the PBA stars is resisting the temptation of just watching their NBA idols in awe instead of defending against or attacking them during the contest.

AKTV will telecast both events. The PBA games will be shown live as they happen tonight while the legends duel is scheduled for showing next Monday.