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PBA: 7 random thoughts as Philippine Cup resumes action

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Dominic Menor, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/sports/01/4/scottie-010417.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">If Ginebra wants to advance to the quarterfinals, Scottie Thompson and his teammates need to start hitting their 3-point shots. <em>Photo courtesy of the PBA Media Bureau</em></div></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>1. Will Barangay Ginebra advance?</strong></div><p>Ginebra fans keep hanging on to the notion that when their team&#x27;s back is against the wall, their idols deliver. </p><p>The long holiday break should have provided ample time for LA Tenorio and other shooters on the team to work on their outside game. They&#x27;re 10th in the league in 3-point percentage and last in 3-pointers made so Ginebra can&#x27;t hope to survive past the preliminary round if it keeps clanking from downtown. </p><table border="1" cellPadding="3" cellSpacing="3" style="width:100%" width="737"><colgroup><col/><col/></colgroup><tbody><tr bgcolor="#2f75b5" height="20"><td colSpan="3" height="20" style="height:20px;width:323px;color:white;text-align:center"><strong>Downtown duds </strong></td></tr><tr bgcolor="#d9d9d9" height="20" style="text-align:center"><td height="20" style="height:20px"><strong>Name</strong></td><td><strong>3pt shooting</strong></td><td><strong>%</strong></td></tr><tr height="20" style="text-align:center"><td height="20" style="height:20px">LA Tenorio</td><td>6-20</td><td>30%</td></tr><tr height="20" style="text-align:center"><td height="20" style="height:20px">Scottie Thompson</td><td>3-13</td><td>23%</td></tr><tr height="20" style="text-align:center"><td height="20" style="height:20px">Sol Mercado</td><td>1-14</td><td>7%</td></tr><tr height="20" style="text-align:center"><td height="20" style="height:20px"><strong>TOTAL</strong></td><td><strong>10-47</strong></td><td><strong>21%</strong></td></tr><tr height="20"><td colSpan="3" height="20" style="height:20px;width:323px">~ Japeth Aguilar: 5-6, 83%</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Ginebra is the most inconsistent team at the moment. Tim Cone&#x27;s record in the previous six games goes like this: loss-win-loss-win-loss-win. If Ginebra, just stays the course and ends up with a 6-5 record, that&#x27;ll be good enough to get the Governors&#x27; Cup champions a ticket to the quarterfinals.</p><div><strong>2. Is it good that Scottie Thompson is averaging 10 rebounds?</strong></div><p>Sure it looks <a href="http://www.spin.ph/basketball/pba/news/guard-scottie-thompson-on-his-new-career-high-in-rebounds-dinadaan-ko-lang-sa-sipag-" target="_blank">remarkable</a> that a 6-foot-1 guard is one of only four players averaging double digits in rebounding. But maybe Thompson should start working on his shot more. </p><p>His shooting splits of 32-57-23 (that’s shooting percentages from the field, the free-throw line and 3-point territory) have been dismal. For perspective, Japeth Aguilar has a better percentage from 3-land (83% to Thompson’s 23%) and the free-throw line (65% to 57%). </p><p>Thompson has been contributing heavily in non-scoring departments, but when everyone else on the team is struggling to find a basket it would be great for Ginebra to see Thompson take and make buckets.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/sports/01/4/romeo-010417.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Terrence Romeo (left) is putting up career numbers so far, but if you&#x27;re looking for a foundational player to start your franchise, we suggest going for the Kraken. <em>Photo courtesy of the PBA Media Bureau</em></div></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>3. Who would you rather have on your team — June Mar Fajardo or Terrence Romeo? </strong></div><p>Statistics show the matchup is a lot closer. Romeo leads the league in points (27) and assists (6.3) per game and owns a respectable 43-92-39 split. And if GlobalPort didn’t <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/30/16/pba-early-in-the-new-season-no-shortage-of-late-game-heroics" target="_blank">choke away</a> two games, Romeo’s Batang Pier would be on top of the standings.</p><table border="1" cellPadding="3" cellSpacing="3" style="width:100%" width="737"><colgroup><col/><col/></colgroup><tbody><tr bgcolor="#2f75b5" height="20"><td colSpan="3" height="20" style="height:20px;width:323px;color:white;text-align:center"><strong>The Kraken vs Swaggy T </strong></td></tr><tr bgcolor="#d9d9d9" height="20" style="text-align:center"><td height="20" style="height:20px"><strong>Player</strong></td><td><strong>Key stats — Philippine Cup</strong></td><td><strong>MVPs/Titles </strong></td></tr><tr height="20" style="text-align:center"><td height="20" style="height:20px">JuneMar Fajardo</td><td>20.2 points, 17.2 rebounds *, 65% FGs</td><td>3/3</td></tr><tr height="20" style="text-align:center"><td height="20" style="height:20px">Terrence Romeo</td><td>27 points *, 6.3 assists *, 92% FTs</td><td>0/0</td></tr><tr height="20"><td colSpan="3" height="20" style="height:20px;width:323px">(*) — leads the Philippine Cup</td></tr></tbody></table><p>But it’s difficult not to choose Fajardo, the reigning three-time MVP who has proven his worth both as an individual talent and the centerpiece of a championship franchise.</p><p>Two years down the road and a title or two could convince people to choose Romeo eventually, but not at this point.</p><div><strong>4. Who will take the top 2 spots after the eliminations?</strong></div><p>San Miguel and TNT are on the opposite sides of the strength of schedule spectrum, but they&#x27;re both primed to finish either 1-2. While San Miguel has the <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/28/16/pba-bumpy-part-of-schedule-begins-for-san-miguel" target="_blank">toughest set</a> of opponents remaining (a combined 0.581 winning percentage), never bet against the defending champions and June Mar Fajardo. </p><p>TNT has a much smoother schedule (0.414 winning percentage) with cellar-dwellers NLEX and Mahindra both still on tap. By the time these two powerhouses meet on January 28, their positions in the standings will have been secured.</p><div><strong>5. Is Blackwater for real?</strong></div><p>The Elite surely looked like they did, until they <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/25/16/pba-mahindra-stuns-blackwater-for-first-win" target="_blank">dropped</a> a very winnable game against the Mahindra Floodbuster on Christmas Day. Closing out the calendar year with a victory and carrying some measure of confidence through the break would have been great for their young core’s morale. </p><p>Now, Blackwater needs to put that loss in the backburner before embarking on a schedule that includes playing the two finalists from last year’s Philippine Cup (San Miguel and Alaska), always lurking Ginebra and streaky Star. Win two of those four games and Blackwater should finish between Nos. 3 and 6 for the quarterfinals, and avoid the twice-to-win handicap.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/sports/01/4/paul-lee-010417.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Star and Rain Or Shine have so far mutually benefited from the James Yap-Paul Lee trade. <em>Photo courtesy of the PBA Media Bureau</em></div></figcaption></figure></div><div><strong>6. Who won the James Yap-Paul Lee trade, Star or Rain Or Shine?</strong></div><p>The reason Star <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/13/16/rain-or-shine-sends-lee-to-star-for-james-yap" target="_blank">traded for</a> Lee was to get a combo guard the team can build around. The one-time Mythical Team first-team member is averaging 15.5 points, playing a career-high 30 minutes a game and Star is in the middle of the pack with a 3-3 record. </p><p>Yap’s averages have declined steadily in the past six years, with his current playing time (20.2 minutes) and scoring (11.4) career lows. He’s shooting career-bests though from the stripe (84.6%) and downtown (38.1%), which can be attributed to a decrease in minutes and fresher legs. </p><p>It’s hard to say who got the better end of the deal as both have met expectations. The grade here is incomplete.</p><div><strong>7. Who’s been the steal of the draft so far?</strong></div><p>The youth movement at Meralco has given Jonathan Grey an opportunity to show what he can do, which is to get buckets. The De La Salle-College of St. Benilde alumnus is shooting 40% from three-point range and 50% from the field overall, impressive for a rookie guard. Grey’s <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/22/16/pba-whether-in-college-or-the-pba-jonathan-grey-feels-at-home-in-san-juan" target="_blank">best game</a> was against Phoenix, where he unloaded 24 points. Not bad really for a guy chosen 19th overall in the rookie draft.<strong> — All stats are courtesy of Fidel Mangonon</strong></p><p>For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/" target="_blank">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.</p>

<p>Will Barangay Ginebra advance? Is it good that Scottie Thompson is averaging 10 rebounds? Who would you rather have on your team — June Mar Fajardo or Terrence Romeo? We ask and we answer.</p>

Will Barangay Ginebra advance? Is it good that Scottie Thompson is averaging 10 rebounds? Who would you rather have on your team — June Mar Fajardo or Terrence Romeo? We ask and we answer.

PBA: 7 random thoughts as Philippine Cup resumes action

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PBA: 7 random thoughts as Philippine Cup resumes action

Dominic Menor,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 04, 2017 09:51 PM PHT

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