Three teams separated themselves from the bunch of wannabee contenders this past two weeks. Does that mean though, that San Miguel, Magnolia and Alaska are also our top three contenders, this season?
#12 Kia Picanto (Previously #12)
In another defeat at the hands of TNT, I saw enough to say that Kia gained something from the SMB trade. I am talking about McCarthy who registered 21 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 9/18 shooting in the field. McCarthy looks like a legit starting PG today, and in the future.
#11 Meralco Bolts (Previously #5)
There is a reason why health is a crucial thing in contending for a championship. Meralco badly needs Ranidel de Ocampo, but they may never get the chance of playing him this conference. Add the injury of Cliff Hodge and you have a frontcourt that lacks depth and chemistry.
#10 Phoenix Fuel Masters (Previously #11)
I will never trust a team without a starting caliber bigman. Coach Alas will admit that, as shown by the minutes distribution of his bigs. Their wings can only carry them in the elimination round, because in a playoff series, their hole inside will be excavated.
#9 Rain or Shine Elasto Painters (Previously #10)After back-to-back wins against NLEX and Meralco, you could have expected ROS to rise in the ranking. I am not yet convince. It is hard to trust a team that is having player-coach issues. If they can fix that or find the right trade, they could rise up to the top.
#8 Blackwater Elite (Previously #8)
Don't look now, but Mac Belo is looking like an elite player! He produced 25 points, 6 rebounds and 6 steals against Magnolia. Those 6 steals is a great representation of his ceiling. A ceiling that looks like the PBA version of a Kawhi Leonard!
#7 NLEX Road Warriors (Previously #7)
The boys of coach Yeng is learning it the hard way. Fortunately, they are grabbing some Ws along the way. The team is young, but they have veterans who knows how to win. And that is the reason why the top 6 teams should not overlook them.
Just ask JR Quinahan who is carrying a good load of their offense with his 15.9 points. And they have a deadly athletic stretch-big in Michael Miranda, who is averaging 8.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 38% 3FG per game.
#6 Globalport Batang Pier (Previously #9)
A close defeat against Alaska will add a lot on the chemistry of Globalport. It showed how big was the trust of the team of Nabong, who attempted 20 shots and only knocked 5 of it. I think, that was too much for Kelly, so they better make more plays for Bradwyn Guinto and Yousef Taha.
#5 Alaska Aces (Previously #6)
I am having a hard time, figuring out this team. They are winning games with their defense and they are now capable, again, of winning close games. One of their weapons, that can push them into the finals, is their ability to steal the ball. In their last two games, they stole the ball, 26 times!
If they can keep up that pressure without committing damaging fouls, the Aces could have a unique answer for their problems in the paint.
#4 TNT Ka-Tropa (Previously #4)
TNT has the size and depth to go toe-to-toe with the SMC sister squads. The depth was legitimized by the 10.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists of RR Garcia and 9.6 points and 8.3 rebounds of Kelly Williams.
The efficiency of the team is the biggest problem that is dragging them. If they can solve that, TNT will be a very dangerous team.
#3 Magnolia Hotshots (Previously #3)
Their loss against SMB will linger in the minds of the players and coaches for a while. At least, that game showed that their defense is really the best in the league. What they need now, is to develop the ability to win games in crunchtime.
Kyle Pascual could be a vital piece in their playoff run, because of his skills and size. They better make sure that he grasp the scheme very soon.
#2 Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel (Previously #2)
It is much easier to give up on your crush than to let Ginebra fall from the #2 spot. We are still talking about the tallest team in the league, that is handled by the greatest coach in the country.
And mind you, their back-up frontline of Raymond Aguilar and Jervy Cruz should not be belittled. Those two can tilt a game into their favor, with their shooting and size.
#1 San Miguel Beermen (Previously #1)
I saw a lot of cracks in the armory of San Miguel in their last two games. Their phenomenal starting five is not yet in sync and their plays are proving to be predictable.
But in a playoff series, it is still hard to see any team capable of pouncing on those cracks for seven games.
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