PBA Wednesday Games Cancelled Due to Bad Weather in Metro

Image: http://www.solarsportsdesk.ph

PBA Commissioner Chito Salud has announced the cancellation of games scheduled for today, August 21, in the ongoing PBA Governor's Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The cancellation came as a result of flooding in Metro Manila and in various parts of Luzon caused by Typhoon Maring.

Two games were supposedly scheduled today which consisted of the matchup between San Mig Coffee Mixers and Global Port Batang Pier, and Alaska's debut against Talk N Text Tropang Texters. As of now, Comm. Salud has not provided details yet on when these games will be re-scheduled.

As of today, no details were given as to the postponement of games on Friday. PBA officials will determine that if the weather improves by then.

The last time a PBA double header game had been suspended due to bad weather was way back in 2008. Meanwhile, replay of Sunday's games will be shown tonight on Aksyon TV instead.

You can visit this post to find out the list of game schedules until September 2013.

2013 FIBA Asia Quarterfinals Matchup and Schedule

Image: interaksyon.com

The second round of competition at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship tournament has come to a close. By the end of Day 3 for Round 2, Japan and Hong Kong had been eliminated from Group E while Bahrain and India are officially out of the competition after finishing 5th and 6th from Group F. Thus, the playoffs matchup for the next round of competition had been determined.

First off here are the standings for the respective groups:


Group E

#1 - Philippines
#2 - Chinese Taipei
#3 - Qatar
#4 - Jordan

Group F

#1 - Iran
#2 - South Korea
#3 - China
#4 - Kazakhstan

As mentioned in my previous post, the matchups had been determined and the results of Day 3 will point out which teams will compete in the playoffs round. The official playoffs matchup for the 2013 FIBA Asia tournament looks like this:

Playoffs Matchups #1

Iran vs Jordan
Chinese Taipei vs China

*The winner of these two matchups will meet for the Semifinal round on August 10, Saturday.

Playoffs Matchups #2

Philippines vs Kazakhstan
South Korea vs Qatar

*The winner of these two matchups will meet for the Semifinal round on August 10, Saturday.

For the actual game times, here is the full schedule for August 9, Friday:

Iran vs Jordan - 3:00 PM
Chinese Taipei vs China - 5:45 PM
Philippines vs Kazakhstan - 8:30 PM
Korea vs Qatar - 10:30 PM

Who do you think will emerge as victors on each of these groupings?

FIBA Asia 2013 Group E Bracket Watch (Updated)

The Group E ranking in the ongoing 2013 FIBA Asia tournament just took a major turn with Qatar beating Chinese Taipei (for the first time this tournament) via a 71-68 match. Hence, this forces a three-way tie between the Philippines, Chinese Taipei and Qatar at 4-1 each. In order for Smart Gilas Pilipinas to secure the top spot in Group E, they need to secure a win against Hong Kong in tonight's game. If they do so successfully, they are guaranteed with number one spot with Chinese Taipei falling to number two and Qatar at number three.

With this recent development and a projected win for Smart Gilas Pilipinas versus Hong Kong, this is how the Quarterfinals Round is going to look like (graph courtesy of http://www.interaksyon.com):

Image: http://www.interaksyon.com

What do you think of Smart Gilas Pilipinas' chances coming into the next round if they should face Kazakhstan? 

FIBA Asia 2013: Quarterfinal and Championship Round Schedule

The second round of competition in the 2013 FIBA Asia tournament concludes today, August 8, 2013. There are six teams each that consist Groups E and F, wherein the Philippines belong to the former together with Chinese Taipei, Japan, Qatar, Hong Kong, and Jordan. Smart Gilas Pilipinas has won two of three games scheduled for the second round after they beat Japan on Monday and handed Qatar its first loss in the tournament via an 80-70 win last night.

Image: sports.inquirer.net

There are still a few games scheduled to be played today, along with Smart Gilas Pilipinas' game against Hong Kong, their last for this round. You can get an idea on how the next round will look like based on the following matchups, which means that every game and point counts because the quotient system will be used to determine how teams are ranked per group and their corresponding opponents for the next round.

Quarterfinals

August 9, 2013, Friday

Group E #5 vs India

Group F #5 vs Hong Kong

Group E #1 vs Kazakhstan 

Group E #3 vs Korea

Group E #2 vs China

Group E #4 vs Iran

August 10, 2013, Saturday

(all pairings are still to be determined based on results of games on Friday, August 9, 2013)

Semifinals (5th-8th)

August 10, Saturday

E1 vs F4 loser vs F2 vs E3 loser

E2 vs F2 loser vs E4 vs F1 loser

Semifinals

August 10, 2013, Saturday

E1 vs F4 winner vs F2 vs E3 winner

E2 vs F2 winner vs E4 vs F1 winner

7th Place

August 11, 2013, Sunday

Classification A 5-8 loser vs Classification B 5-8 loser

5th Place

August 11, 2013, Sunday

Classification A 5-8 winner vs Classification B 5-8 winner

3rd Place

August 11, 2013, Sunday

Semifinal A loser vs Semifinal B loser (SM Mall of Asia Arena)

Final Round

August 11, 2013, Sunday

Semifinal A winner vs Semifinal B winner (SM Mall of Asia Arena)

The scenarios for Smart Gilas Pilipinas as of today look like this:

Win vs Hong Kong (and Chinese Taipei losses to Qatar): They could be #1 in Group E and they are likely to face Kazakhstan in the Quarterfinals round;
Win vs Hong Kong (and Chinese Taipei wins over Qatar): They slide to #2 with Chinese Taipei holding on to #1 and they face China in the Quarterfinals round.
Loss vs Hong Kong (and Qatar wins vs Chinese Taipei): They could possibly be #3, depending on the quotient system as they could fall into a three-way tie with Chinese Taipei and Qatar, they could face South Korea in the Quarterfinals round.

What is your bold prediction for the FIBA Asia 2013 tournament?

PBA 2013 Governor's Cup Update

Image: nonoying.com

The PBA 2013 Governor's Cup is scheduled to kick off on August 14, 2013, Wednesday. The opening of the Governor's Cup was moved at a later date to avoid conflict with the ongoing FIBA Asia 2013 tournament, which is hosted by the country, and to allow the Smart Gilas Pilipinas team enough time to prepare for the tournament.

Check out below for the list of game schedules for the first two weeks of tournament, as well as complete list of imports for the competing teams:

August 14, Wednesday

Air 21 Express vs Global Port Batang Pier - 5:15PM (Mall of Asia Arena)
Rain or Shine vs San Mig Coffee Mixers - 7:30PM (Mall of Asia Arena)

August 16, Friday

Talk 'N Text vs Barako Bull Energy - 5:15 PM (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
Meralco Bolts vs Petron Blaze Boosters - 7:30PM (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

August 17, Saturday

Global Port Batang Pier vs Rain or Shine Elasto Painters - 3:45PM (Ynares Center)
Petron Blaze Boosters vs Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel - 6:00pm (Ynares Center)

August 18, Sunday 

Barako Bull Energy vs Meralco Bolts - 4:15PM (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
Petron Blaze Boosters vs Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel - 6:30PM (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

August 21, Wednesday

Global Port Batang Pier vs San Mig Coffee Mixers - 5:15PM (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
Talk N Text vs Alaska Aces - 7:30PM (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

August 23, Friday

Alaska Aces vs Global Port Batang Pier - 5:15 PM (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
Rain or Shine vs Petron Blaze Boosters - 7:30PM (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

UPDATED:

August 24, Saturday

Brgy Ginebra vs Meralco Bolts - 6:00PM (Mall of Asia Arena)

August 25, Sunday

Air21 Express vs Barako Bull - 4:15PM (Mall of Asia Arena)
San Mig Coffee vs Talk 'N Text - 6:30PM (Mall of Asia Arena)

August 28, Wednesday

Petron Blaze Boosters vs Air21 Express - 5:15 PM (Mall of Asia Arena)
Alaska Aces vs Rain or Shine - 7:30PM (Mall of Asia Arena)

August 30, Friday

Meralco Bolts vs Talk N Text - 5:15 PM (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
Barako Bull vs Brgy. Ginebra - 7:30PM (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

August 31, Saturday

Rain or Shine vs Air 21 Express - 3:45 PM (Mall of Asia Arena)
San Mig Coffee vs Petron Blaze Boosters - 6:00 PM (Mall of Asia Arena)

September 1, Sunday

Talk N Text vs GlobalPort - 4:15PM (Mall of Asia Arena)
Brgy. Ginebra vs Alaska Aces - 6:30PM (Mall of Asia Arena)

September 4, Wednesday

Petron Blaze vs Barako Bull - 5:15PM (Mall of Asia Arena)
Meralco Bolts vs Rain or Shine - 7:30PM (Mall of Asia Arena)

September 6, Friday

Brgy. Ginebra vs Air 21 Express - 5:15PM (Mall of Asia Arena)
Alaska Aces vs San Mig Coffee - 7:30PM (Mall of Asia Arena)

September 7, Saturday

Barako Bull vs GlobalPort - 3:45 PM (Mall of Asia Arena)
Talk N Text vs Petron Blaze Boosters - 6:00 PM (Mall of Asia Arena)

September 8, Sunday

Meralco Bolts vs Alaska Aces - 4:15 PM (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
San Mig Coffee Mixers vs Brgy. Ginebra - 6:30PM (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

September 11, Wednesday

Rain or Shine vs Barako Bull - 5:15PM (Smart Araneta Coliseum)
Air 21 Express vs Talk N Text - 7:30PM (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

Meanwhile, here is the completed and updated list of imports reinforcing their respective teams in the upcoming 2013 PBA Governor's Cup:

Air 21 Express - Zach Graham
Alaska Aces - Wendell McKines
Barako Bull Energy - Mike Singletary
Brgy. Ginebra - Dior Lowhorn
Global Port Batang Pier - Markeith Cummings
Meralco Bolts - Mario West
Petron Blaze Boosters - Elijah Millsap
Rain or Shine - Arizona Reid
San Mig Coffee Mixers - Marqus Blakely
Talk 'N Text - Tony Mitchell

Make sure to check us back again for more updates and schedules for the PBA.

FIBA Asia 2013 Schedule for Second Round

On the third day of the ongoing FIBA Asia 2013 tournament, the Smart Gilas Pilipinas suffered their first loss in the tournament in the hands of a red hot Chinese Taipei team. Despite coming into the final quarter with a huge lead, Smart Gilas came off a sluggish start that Chinese Taipei capitalized on by burying a series of outside shots. Eventually, the visitors came up with the win to close the first round with a 3-0 record to lead Group A in standings.

The next round of action kicks off Monday, August 5, 2013, with the remaining teams divided into Groups E and F. If you want to check out the schedule of games for the next round of FIBA Asia 2013 tournamennt, check out below:

Image: 2013 FIBA Asia Championship

What do you think of Smart Gilas Pilipinas' chances coming into the next round?

FIBA Asia 2013 Day 1 Results

Today, the second round of games for the ongoing FIBA Asia 2013 tournament will resume. But if you missed the first day games, don't worry because we've conveniently listed them here for you. Most of the games at Day 1 were held at the SM MoA Arena and others were held at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

China's loss first shocker for ongoing FIBA Asia 2013 tournament held in SM MoA Arena. Image: sports.yahoo.com

Iran (115) def. Malaysia (25)

Iran showed everyone that they were in it for the win by trampling on Malaysia during their respective first matches in the tournament. This isn't surprising, though, given that Iran is a two-time champion but the powerhouse team notably sends a signal to other competing teams that they are serious about their quest for the FIBA Asia championship.

Both Iran and Malaysia are going to face tough opponents in their next round of games wherein Iran will meet with South Korea, as Malaysia faces a tougher opponent in China. Both games will be held today, August 2, 2013.

Chinese Taipei (91) def. Jordan (87)

Contrary to the Iran-Malaysia game, this one was close and highly contested. Chinese Taipei staged a late charge in order to recover from a double-digit deficit it suffered at the third quarter. The Chinese team were still behind during the opening of the final period but their 14-3 run helped to steal the lead from Jordan. Both Jordan and Chinese Taipei are deemed as the toughest competition for the Philippines within Group A.

Qatar (95) def. Japan (94)

Jarvis Hayes, a former NBA player, helped to push Qatar past Japan during its debut at the FIBA Asia 2013 tournament in a close 95-94 win. Hayes had a slow start to his game though but heated up just in time to push his team to its first win. Despite trailing in the third quarter, Qatar forced a 12-2 run to eventually take the lead and never let go of the lead until the final buzzer.

South Korea (63) def. China (59)

So far in the FIBA Asia 2013 tournament, China's loss in its first game is the most shocking turnout. The suffocating defense played by South Korea helped to produce the first shocker in the tournament, which is also evidenced by the low scoring game. Today, South Korea will face Iran (which thrashed its opponent during their first meeting).

Bahrain (82) def. India (80)

In the first overtime game of the FIBA Asia tournmanent, Bahrain emerged victorious against India during Thursday's match at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Bahrain looked like they were not ready to play during regulation and were pretty sluggish, but Mohamed Kawaid led his team by chipping in 7 points to push them to overtime. Despite the 25-point effort from India's Narendel Grewal, India must seek out a win in today's game against Thailand to avoid the 0-2 slump during the first round of tournament.

Kazakhstan (81) def. Thailand (67)

In another lopsided match, Kazakhstan took their first win after beating Thailand during Thursday's match at the SM MoA Arena. Anton Ponomarev, forward for Kazakhstan, led his team with 21 points and 13 rebounds to secure the lead throughout the entire game. They closed out the first quarter with a bang by securing an 11-point lead with the lead extending up to 25 points at one point during the match. Thailand's Darunpong Apiromvilaichai is the sole player to reach double digits in scoring for his team.

Philippines (78) def. Saudi Arabia (66)

The Philippine national men's basketball team secured their first win in FIBA Asia 2013 by defeating Saudi Arabia in a 78-66 contest. However, this victory did not come in easy because there were plenty of struggles along the way. In fact, the Saudi Arabians closed out the first quarter with a 2-point lead although the host team took the lead at the half (with 7 points). Big men June Mar Fajardo and Marcus Douthit both provided the cushion for the team during the dying minutes to secure its first victory. Today, the Philippine team is set to met Jordan wherein the latter attempts to get their first win as Smart Gilas is looking to keep its record clean.

Check us back for updates on Day 2 results.