A preview of the PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals.
Barangay Ginebra vs Bay Area for the Commissioner’s Cup championship figures to be a clash of titans.
These Finals have the potential to be one of the best in recent history, if not all time. So, with that said, let us look a bit more into the individual matchups that will define this much-anticipated best-of-seven series:
Glen Yang vs LA Tenorio
Yang is a fine player, but he is going up against a battle-tested Iron Man who elevates his game when the stakes is higher. Safe to say Young will have his hands full against Tenorio despite his advantage in height.
Advantage: Ginebra
Kobey Lam vs Scottie Thompson
The reigning MVP has always been a tough matchup for anyone, and Lam will find that out firsthand this series. One thing going for Lam is he is playing his best ball this tournament, having averaged 18.8 points in the semis to emerge as arguably the Dragons’ second best player. This only means he will be a marked man — with Iskati likely his primary defender.
Advantage: Ginebra
Hayden Blankley vs Justin Brownlee
Blankley is more than capable of being a game-changer, as he showed when he exploded for 47 points in the quarterfinal. Unfortunately, he will likely be matched up heavily against Justin Noypi, who just happens to be one of the all-time great imports the PBA has seen.
Advantage: Ginebra
Zhu Songwei vs Jamie Malonzo
Zhu, much like Lam, seems to have found his footing and is playing his best basketball this conference. He also has the size (6-9), shooting, and sneaky athleticism to give the young, hyper-athletic Malonzo fits.
Advantage: Even
Andrew Nicholson vs Christian Standhardinger
Nicholson has been super for Bay Area, particularly in the semis, and he will test Standhardinger to the hilt. Unfortunately for CStan, his mind games and shenanigans are unlikely to work on the 6-9 Canadian, whose workmanlike game is matched by his cool, even-keeled demeanor. The Gin Kings’ Fil-German big, though, will throw everything at Nicholson — including even the kitchen sink.
Advantage: Bay Area
Brian Goorjian vs Tim Cone
Goorjian and Cone are among the very best to ever do it in their respective leagues, so expect some topnotch coaching in these Finals. That said, this head-to-head might be too close to call.
Advantage: Even
Bay Area bench vs Ginebra bench
The Dragons’ bench are much thinner compared to the Gin Kings’, as they usually go seven-deep only, with Big Liu Chuanxing and Duncan Reid getting the lion’s share of off-the-bench action. Ginebra, in contrast, can go 10-deep with Stanley Pringle, Japeth Aguilar, Jeremiah Gray, Aljon Mariano, and Nards Pinto. Each of those are starters for any other team.
Advantage: Ginebra
The individual matchups, at least on paper, seem to favor Gin Kings overwhelmingly. The Dragons, though, seem to be a sum-of-its-parts kind of team, one whose biggest strength is the collective effort of everyone. And that is why these Finals look destined to go the distance.