Games today (March 25) (MOA Arena):
3 p.m. – Ginebra vs NLEX
6 p.m. – Magnolia vs Meralco
Ginebra vs NLEX Game 2 preview
Can Japeth play?
Whether Barangay Ginebra can sustain its success against NLEX will depend partly on the status of Japeth Aguilar.
The Gin Kings star big man is nursing a grade 2 strain on his calf, an injury he first sustained in the quarterfinals against TNT and resurfaced in Game One of the Final Four against the Road Warriors.
"He will be evaluated by Dr. (Raul) Canlas again tomorrow (Friday) before the game," Ginebra coach Tim Cone said. "His status is day to day and a game-time decision whether he can play or not."
Who will Ginebra’s x-factor be?
While Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, and LA Tenorio carried most of the load in Game One, Cone paid tribute to two wingmen who made a difference in the victory.
Arvin Tolentino provided a spark off the bench with 11 points in just nine minutes of play, hitting two treys in the second half where the Gin Kings started to turn the game around.
Jeff Chan, for his part, proved he can still be a reliable starter, chipping in seven points, one board, and one assist in 27 minutes.
“I’m very pleased with the way Jeff has been playing,” Cone said. “Jeff has been playing extremely well. He’s not necessarily hitting a bunch of shots, but he’s playing really, really intelligently and helping us on both sides of the ball.”
“I think Jeff has been underrated in our success and nobody’s talking about him,” he added.
“That’s his edge over Arvin, who’s a younger player, but doesn’t have quite that veteran presence. But Arvin’s stepping up and hitting some shots….We’ve been waiting for that. Hopefully he can carry that over,” Cone continued of Tolentino.
Can both wingers continue to be the next men up for Ginebra in Stanley Pringle’s absence?
Which local will step up for NLEX?
NLEX coach Yeng Guiao pinned the blame on the lack of local production that doomed his team in the best-of-five series opener.
While import Cameron Clark did his job with 30 points and 13 rebounds in almost 39 minutes, Kevin Alas was the only NLEX local who scored in double figures with 17 points on top of five assists in 32 minutes.
JR Quiñahan and Anthony Semerad did contribute eight points apiece, but starters Kris Rosales and Paul Varilla could only amass five points combined.
Super subs Don Trollano and Justin Chua also only had six and three points, respectively.
So anyone of those sub-par performers who can step up will definitely increase the Road Warriors’ chances.
Magnolia vs Meralco Game 2 preview
Can Magnolia start strong for a change?
Despite its 14-point Game One victory, Magnolia can still see something to work on.
Hotshots coach Chito Victolero hopes his team learns to avoid sluggish starts, like in the series opener, where they fell behind by 17 points before turning the game around in the second half.
“We need to fix that, kasi lagi kaming slow start eh,” Victolero said. “Eliminations, first half, slow start, and now, ganun din, so we need to address the situation and do something, because sometimes, hindi namin masasalba yung game.”
Can Bishop bounce back?
Tony Bishop tries to solve the puzzle that is Magnolia – a team that has given him a rude welcome in his PBA debut.
The Bolts import was held to a conference-low 10 points as he missed all but five of his 19 shots – and all his six three-point attempts, a far cry from his averages in the eliminations (28.4 points on 49-percent shooting, and 2.5 three-point conversions).
Two of Bishop’s three lowest outputs this conference were against Magnolia, which limited him to 19 points in their regular-season matchup.
Can Bishop finally figure the Hotshots’ defense out?
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