HoopWatch

Two big trades. Two sister teams. One final showdown. This is the storyline for the most exciting Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup Finals to date.

The Baranggay Ginebra Kings and the San Miguel Beermen were involved in two of the biggest trades this season which bolstered their line-up for a finals appearance. Ginebra acquired big men Rafi Reavis, Rudy Hatfield and Billy Mamaril from Coke, and signed one-time MVP Johnny Abarientos before the start of the season. They have one of the strongest frontline in Philippine Basketball. San Miguel, on the other hand, obtained Asian All-Star Rommel Adducul from Ginebra, and prolific wing men in the “Alaminos Assasin,” Lordy Tugade, who was a Mythical Team member last season, from Red Bull.

Since these two huge acquisitions, the PBA Finals has been set before it even began. Hatfield even boldly pronounced that the Philippine Cup is over at the onset. Hatfield, Reavis and Mamaril joined an already impressive front line in former MVP Eric Menk, Andy Seigle and Mike Holper. Add to the fact that they already have the best guard line-up in the league in Sunday Salvacion, Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa. Abarientos and mid-season acquisition Ronald Tubid (Air 21) has even given more depth to the Kings backcourt.

Adducul and Tugade completed the Beermen’s depth, who already boasts off perennial All-Stars Olsen Racela, former MVP Danny Ildefonso, Dondon Hontiveros and “Dynamite” Danny Seigle.

I predict this series will go down the wire, and will have a classic finish. If there is any other team who can match well against Ginebra pound-for-pound, it’s San Miguel.

The tall front line of Reavis, Hatfield, Mamaril, Holper, Andy Seigle and Menk can well be neutralized by Ildefonso, Adducul, rebounding mammoth Dorian Pena and rookie Gabby Espinas. The back court of Salvacion, Tubid, Mark Macapagal, Abarientos, Helterbrand and Caguioa will be challenged by the Beermen’s Racela, rookie LA Tenorio, Chris Calaguio and Hontiveros.

The X-factor in this series will be Danny Seigle. Seigle is the Nowitzki of the PBA. He is as tall as Filipino centers, but moves and shoots like a guard. He is the league’s second leading scorer just behind Ginebra’s Caguioa.

But the Kings have the crowd with them all the way. As San Miguel coach Chot Reyes mentioned, “It’s like we are playing on the road every game.”

Menk will play his first game which made him missed the Semi-Finals. And how he plays will be important for Ginebra’s fate. Also, we have to look out how Salvacion, Tubid and Macapagal hit their threes.

Prized rookie Tenorio made a good account of himself in the first quarter of Game One, as it is being played right now. He scored seven points in five minutes. The Beermen lead 21-9. But I expect Ginebra to bounce back behind the take-charge stellar play of Caguioa.

What can be noted is the difference of their styles of play. The Kings want an up-tempo game. They will run and run in every opportunity. They would like to score in transition. The Beermen will have to appoint a “safety” to stop Ginebra’s fast breaks. Their guards have to go back for solid transition defense.

In Ginebra’s half-court sets, they rely too much on pick-and-rolls and one-on-one plays. Helterbrand and Caguioa are just too good in their cross-over dribbles that they may leave the Beermen guards biting the dust. The San Miguel bigs will have to help.

The Beermen, on the other hand, start their sets from the post. They pass the ball down low to Seigle, Adducul, Pena and Ildefonso. If there are no double-teams, these guys can take their man. They can also opt to swing the ball to their guards and shooters.

Actually, three-point shooting will be a very big factor for this titular series. San Miguel and Ginebra have great shooters, and whichever team will shoot a high percentage will most definitely win the series.

This will be an exciting series to watch. Ginebra doesn’t have the trophy in its bags just yet.