PBA 2013 Semis Series Both Tied

Four game dates in and both semis series are tied. Both the Talk N Text Tropang Texters and Alaska Aces snagged a win in the second game off of their respective series, which brings the competition back to square one. With only three games left, Game 3 of the series is going to be crucial because it means the winning team has one foot in the Finals seat of the ongoing PBA 2013 Commissioner's Cup.

Talk N Text def. Ginebra (85-79)

When Talk N Text dropped the first game of their semis series with Brgy. Ginebra, many feared that the latter will pull away and that Talk N Text will be history. But like the true warriors that they are, they managed to pull off a win last Sunday to even up the series. They were down 9 points heading into the fourth quarter but staged a rally with Ranidel de Ocampo scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter alone despite nursing a foul trouble. But it was his three-point shot under the final two minutes of the game that closed off any possibility of Ginebra making a come back and securing an early series lead. 

Head coach Norman Black viewed that game as a do-or-die situation for his team because he said "0-2 is a difficult situation." He added, "we have to survive and tie the series or we're in big trouble."

Defense was key part of Talk N Text's success in Game 2 of the semis as they held down Ginebra to below 80 points in this game, a stark contrast from the Game 1 result wherein they scored over 100. 

TALK N’ TEXT 85 – Castro 22, Alapag 17, De Ocampo 16, Jordan 14, Carey 6, Al-Hussaini 5, Reyes 4, Aban 1, Raymundo 0, Fonacier 0, Ferriols 0.

BARANGAY GINEBRA 79 – Raymundo 17, Macklin 15, Urbiztondo 15, Helterbrand 12, Tenorio 8, Ellis 6, Taha 2, Baracael 2, Maierhofer 2.

Alaska Aces def. San Mig Coffee Mixers (86-67)

Like Talk N Text, Alaska Aces also revitalized its chances if making it past the semis round after beating the San Mig Coffee Mixers during Monday's game in the PBA. Rob Dozier had a monster performance, fueling his team to its first win in this series.

Dozier tied his career high in the PBA of 28 points along with 27 rebounds (the new season-high) and making it the team's first win against their former coach. Before this game, Alaska has lost 9 games to San Mig Coffee Mixers in a row so they not only tied the series but also broke that losing skid. According to Aces head coach Luigi Trillo, "it's a battle between two competitive teams, and it's playoff time," noting the rugged moments that transpired during the game.

Defense was the name of the game as San Mig was limited to only 14 points each during the first two quarters. On the third quarter, they only slightly improved their offensive output to 16. The lone bright spots for the Mixers were PJ Simon and Joe Devance. Meanwhile, Jayvee Casio and Gabby Espinas helped out their import.

ALASKA 86 – Dozier 28, Casio 16, Thoss 8, Baguio 8, Hontiveros 5, Espinas 4, Jazul 2, Laure 2, Dela Cruz 2, Bugia 1, Ramos 0, Reyes 0, Eman 0,Belasco 0.

SAN MIG COFFEE 67 – Devance 15, Simon 15, Bowles 8, Yap 5, Barroca 4, Alvarez 3, Mallari 3, Pingris 3, Reavis 3, Ponferrada 2, Gaco 2, Najorda 2, De Ocampo 2, Pacana 0, Gonzales 0.

If you want to know more about the rest of the Semis schedule, you can check my previous post here.

Disclaimer: Photos and box scores courtesy of www.pba.ph

PBA 2013 Commissioner's Cup Semis Schedule

The quarterfinals round came swiftly in the PBA with the number one team, Alaska Aces, finishing off its opponent, Air 21 Express, after having a twice-to-beat advantage heading into the quarterfinals round. However, the story is far more different in the other twice-to-beat matchup as the Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel showcased their "never say die" attitude as they battled Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. Eventually, they managed to defeat the latter in both meetings, sealing them a date at the Semifinals round with the Tropang Texters of Talk N Text.

Speaking of Talk N Text, they also qualified into the Semis fairly early after they swept Petron Blaze Boosters in their own Best of 3 Series. Meanwhile, San Mig Coffee Mixers' series against the Meralco Bolts went the entire length of the Best of 3 competition, but they eventually ended up on top during last Wednesday's game.

The semifinals round is scheduled to tip off today in the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The semifinals round will be a Best-of-5 series with the two winning teams moving on to the Finals round. Below is a list of the game schedules. Make sure to take note so you won't miss a single game!

courtesy of www.pba.inquirer.net

Which team do you think will go head to head in the finals? Share your predictions below.

NBA 2013 Playoffs: First Day Results

NBA teams had entered the next phase, a more intense level, of competition in the league - the 2013 Playoffs. The regular season has been marked with a lot of exciting news and action with Kobe Bryant acquiring an injury on his Achilles tendon, which means he will be out for the rest of the season. In addition, the regular season also saw a dominance by the Miami Heat extending their game winning streak to 23 that had compelled a lot of fans and analysts to believe that another MVP trophy for Lebron James could be likely.

The first set of games for the NBA 2013 Playoffs opener kicked off on Saturday, April 20, 2013. If you missed the action, here are the results for those games:

East
Brooklyn Nets def. Chicago Bulls (106-89)

Deron Williams led Brooklyn Nets to this win with his 22 points, together with Brook Lopez' 21 points. It turned out to be a blowout with the Nets dominating the Bulls in the series opener. The game started off on the right foot for Brooklyn Nets as they registered an 11-point lead as the first quarter closed out at 25-14. Even when the Nets were limited to just 17 points at the final quarter, it was not enough to help Chicago Bulls steal this one. Carlos Boozer was the lone bright spot for the Bulls with his 25 points in 45 minutes of play. Other players in double figures for the Bulls are Jimmy Butler, Nate Robinson, and Marco Belinelli. Next game for this series will be on Tuesday, April 23.

New York Knicks def. Boston Celtics (85-78)

Carmelo Anthony took charge in this game with his 36-point performance, along with 6 rebounds, to help the New York Knicks beat the Boston Celtics during the tipoff of their playoffs series. This series is ridden with emotions as the city of Boston was just recently hit by tragedy during the Boston Marathon bombing. However, as the New York Knicks hosted the Celtics, Anthony went on a rampage with his 13-29 field goal shooting. What is more interesting is that besides Anthony, only 5 more players scored during this game including Raymond Felton (13 points), JR Smith (15 points), Kenyon Martin (10 points), and Jason Kidd (8 points). On Boston's end, Jeff Green led the team in scoring with 26 points as Paul Pierce chipped in 21 points.

Game 2 is scheduled on Tuesday, April 23, in New York. Boston is scheduled to host Game 3 on Friday, April 26.

West


San Antonio Spurs def. LA Lakers (91-79)

San Antonio Spurs' get an edge over the Lakers in their round 1 series at the Western playoffs as they took a 91-79 win on Sunday night. The Spurs led early with 24-15 game at the first quarter and the Lakers could not recover. Despite late-season injuries, Tony Parker showed up in this game and helped push Spurs to the win. Manu Ginobili also chipped in 18 points to help his team's cause despite coming off the bench.

LA Lakers, on the other hand, saw the return of Steve Nash after missing the 8 games to close off the regular season for his team after straining his hamstring. He did manage to score 16 points after playing a little over 29 minutes and went for 6-15 in shooting. The Spurs' defensive play helped to contain the Lakers resulting in a long dry spell. The next game is scheduled on Wednesday, April 24, at San Antonio.

LA Clippers def. Memphis Grizzlies (112-91)

This is a re-match from last year's playoff series and the Clippers edged out Grizzlies in a 112-91 game yet again. Seven players scored in double figures but it was Chris Paul who led them all with 23 points. Grizzlies put up a decent defensive showing as they slowed down LA Clippers' pace, but 57 personal fouls were called during that night and it sure did slow down the pace but not the fiery performance from the home team.

Jerryd Bayless led the Memphis Grizzlies in scoring with 19 points but the Clippers dominated in the fourth quarter, fending off any rally from the Grizzlies to come back. The Grizzlies tried to foul DeAndre Jordan and force him to the free throw line during the few remaining minutes of the game. However, it wasn't enough to crawl back into the game. They will attempt to even out the series on Tuesday, April 23.

Golden State Warriors def. Portland TrailBlazers (99-88)

Andre Miller gave his team the winning shot in the dying seconds of their game as he scored a layup to put Denver Nuggets' up 1 in their series against Portland TrailBlazers, 97-95. The game, which was hosted by the Nuggets, is also Miller's first post-season win despite making it to the playoffs in the past. Aside from scoring the winning layup, Miller also led Denver Nuggets in points with 28 in 27 minutes of play. Wilson Chandler and Evan Fournier scored 11 points each as Ty Lawson added his own 12 points.

Klay Thompson put on a valiant effort scoring 22 points for the Blazers. Four other players scored in double figures but it wasn't enough to steal one on the road. Game 2 will be on Wednesday, April 24.

Today, the following games are scheduled to take place:

Atlanta Hawks vs Indiana Pacers
Milwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat
Houston Rockets vs OKC Thunder


Stay tuned here for updates on game results for the remaining matchups.

PBA 2013 Commissioner's Cup Games Schedule: April 19 to 24, 2013

Barako Bull Energy Cola and GlobalPort Batang Pier had already been eliminated from the competition at the PBA 2013 Commissioner's Cup. But for the rest of the teams, the battle continues this week as the matchups are to be determined by the remaining games in the conference's regular season. During Wednesday's game, Petron emerged victorious over Talk N Text allowing them to secure the third position in the team standings. Meanwhile, Rain or Shine bowed to Meralco Bolts in a game that went into overtime and seen head coach Yeng Guiao ejected after complaining to the referees with only few minutes into the first quarter.

For what to expect in the PBA this week, here is the complete list of game schedules:

Are you ready for the Quarterfinals action?

Disclaimer: Image courtesy of www.pba.ph