The Park Games: Powerade's Crazy, Crazy, Crazy World

Where did it all began?

 

a. When the Powerade Tigers got fed up of playing less than 15 games per conference and suddenly thought this "You know what... how about let's go to the playoffs and play at least one game in there... and win one more game... and win four of the next seven... and win at least one more. What would that feel?" thing.

 

b. When Gary David finally discovered how to become Super Saiyan on that two games against B-Meg.

c. When Gary David just transformed to Super Saiyan every game and decided not to average 20 plus points per game anymore, changing it to 30 plus points per game.

 

d. When everyone was questioning JVee Casio's worth in the team in the long run.

Whatever of them happened, it lead to this frenzy of very fortunate events that benefited them and the entire league.

 

• We had Richard Del Rosario in the AKTV Center panel night in and night out during the first four games of each semifinals series. That's eight nights of game analysis and comic relief. Had not Powerade won against B-Meg, we will not see him in the panel, ever!

• We saw the battle of the top two draft picks of the year, JVee Casio and Paul Lee... in a series! This is the perfect point where Lee-Casio debates begin. It's wrong to compare two players in a single regular season game. Unless the PBA made an out-of-this-world turn that will feature 50 regular season games each team in one conference, then we can talk.

• They made the race to the National Championship (Don't stop me! I like it that way.) relatively more wide open. Had B-Meg won, the Llamados will be the clear favorites. Talk 'n Text and Petron will still beat the crap out of each other and B-Meg will enter The Finals with fresher legs and more firepower. They will be the clear favorites.

• In that Game 3 Finals match, the Texters gave us a lesson about championship basketball 101. In that same game, we saw this fucking shot!

• The commentary in this one is WAY better.

All of those things lead to a PBA Semis and Finals viewership record, live attendance-wise and ratings-wise. Watching the games could make you think more that Survivor Philippines is scripted all along.

Which lead to the two BSs in Philippine basketball that I have been dealing since then:

1) Larry Fonacier is the Finals MVP. 

Let me go on my take first. If Petron went to go to The Finals, he is the sole guy to blame. He gave away like 400 points worth of and-ones and four-point plays during the entire series. Jimmy Alapag made up for his defensive liability by his more creative and killer playmaking. Offensively, Larry only had that funny killer-look and Denok Miranda shaded him well. Defensively, those 400 points worth of and-ones and four-point plays he gave away. Now comparing that to what he did in The Finals - just consistent offensive game, and still NO defense - it will make little or no merit whatsoever para mabawi yung mga masama niyang play during semis. He didn't bring his game one level higher, just that same consistent (and sometimes deadly) offensive game. If he locked down Gary David and made him score around just (and I mean JUST) around 15 points per game, then we can talk.

Now their take? Just consistent offensive game. Oh yes, it's just the FINALS. Paki nila sa nangyari nung semis. Kung consistent ang usapan, e ano pa ang tawag mo kay Gary David. We could always tweak history and choose the best player outside of the basketball heavyweight champions. E ayaw nila. Ayun, kaya si Larry na lang.



2) Marcio Lassiter to Petron for Noy Baclao and Rey Guevarra

Gary David was ranting about this on Twitter (with Snow Badua style of mysteriousness), until Coach Chot Reyes spilled totally spilled the beans.

Super Marcio for Baclao, the bench guy, and Rey... who?

We know how deadly it will be when Chris Lutz and Marcio Lassiter play together. Those are Coach Rajko Toroman's wrecking crew on the wings and on the perimeter. It will be a joy for me to see this two play side-by-side again, only to be blocked by these two circumstances. One, sentimentally, you don't want to see Marcio go away on the Tigers because of how instrumental he was on that phenomenal run. Makes dear sense but this reason could go be dead in time. But the next one is unforgivable and unrational that if the PBA have their own version of the ESPN Trade Machine, it will say "THIS TRADE AIN'T HAPPENING YOU DUMB ASS!". Marcio, the third best player of the conference, for that bench guy and... somebody remind me who was that again?

For someone who will make it reasonable, Marcio is like the combined talents of the two. Baclao plays awesome defense no doubt about it. But benching him too long will definitely affect his confidence and his game as well (ask Doug Kramer). That IF Powerade MIGHT get him, it will take some time to get his Ateneo groove back (ask Doug Kramer again), especially since he will likely come off the bench AGAIN (ask Doug Kramer again). And the other guy? Please tell me he's one hell of an offensive guy. Please tell me. Please tell me. Please tell me. No? AMP!

It will not happen. It's a guaranteed veto. If a tweak will happen, Arwind Santos for Marcio Lassiter is the most reasonable trade I can see (if I want to see Lutz and Lassiter play together). It will not happen. Commish will not make it happen.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Hay.

Crazy stuffs are indeed not healthy for a team. Sa lahat ng bagay na kailangang preparado, mahalaga din na panatag ang utak at nakafocus sa laro. For Powerade, all these post-season and off-season madness will truly affect them, specially that it's a tossed salad of positive and negative energy. Will they ride the momentum or will they crumble with all the drama off the court?

Isa lang ang dapat nila isipin, from the Powerade coaching ministry, to soon to be Super Saiyan 3 Gary David, to Rudy "Da Anay" Lingganay. Ganyan talaga ang nangyayari sa malalakas na team.

 
A three-week rundown after the jump break!


SCORE. Ateneo-La Salle Dream Game 2012. Two players stood out and stepped-up. Don Allado (gumagaling siya kapag green ang jersey na suot at kulay blue na jersey ang suot ng kalaban) and Ren-Ren Ritualo (hulaan nyo kung sino ang bantay niya... e di si... LARRY FONACIER).

SUNTOK SIPA. Carlos Condit and his ton of leg kicks. Natural born killer now Natural born champion

SUNTOK. Does Nonito Donaire really have a chin made of iron that's why he's putting his guard down in a boxing match, o siya lang ang nag-iisip nun.

SLAM. Sheamus winning the Royal Rumble. So, what will happen?

SLAM. If Chris Jericho won the Royal Rumble, him attacking CM Punk in last week's Raw will make perfect sense. And then Sheamus can get into the Elimination Chamber. Besides, his current push is somewhat headed to those kind of events.

SCORE. It's quite surprising to hear in an NBA broadcast intro "the Miami Heat coming in their 23rd game of the season against the Philadelphia 76ers. Both teams have the same win-loss record..." Yes. Both teams have the same win-loss record prior to the match. Philadelphia is on top. That is news!

SCORE SIKAT. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Epic match.

SCORE. No cable channels in the Philippines care about the Super Bowl. How sad.

SIKAT. David Archuleta. He could have won American Idol if he had not been in the same season as David Cook. If he joined in the next two seasons after it, he is a winner. Why did I talk about him? Because his rendition of "Nandito Ako" was so amazing!

SIKAT. A mid-level singer botching the lines of the song "Out of my League" is not quite shocking. A back-to-back week of Party Pilipinas botchfest is quite shocking. Maxene Magalona singing in Party Pilipinas is borderline shocking!

Follow me on Twitter @sirjhaydelacruz


"REBUILDING" ang tawag ng Barako Bull (Air21 before) franchise sa pamimigay nila ng mga rookies nila year in and year out. Kung ganon, ilang taon na nagsasagawa ng rebuilding ang team na to? Like 7 years???